[Sca-cooks] Onagers

[Martin G. Diehl]

Phlip wrote:

> Stefan li Rous wrote:
> > Oh! Interesting. I believe there is a siege engine 
> > called an "onager".
> > I wonder if part of the reason might be that is a 
> > particularly onerous machine to work with.
> >
> > Stefan
> 
> Actually, I suspect that it was called an onager because 
> it kicks like a jackass ;-) Onager-the-seige weapon 
> is, I believe, a variation of what we call catapults, 
> powered by a spring make of wound and tensioned rope.
> 
> http://www.m-w.com/mw/art/onager.htm
> 
> Saint Phlip,

I was wondering about the differences among the various 
machines that have been used to settle disputes.  

When I sent Google's ravens to find a trebuchet, they 
responded with over 5,600 images.  

... this one seems to have it all ... 

"TREBUCHET.COM -- Dedicated to the art of hurling"; 
http://www.trebuchet.com/

['hurling' ... kinda brings us back onto a food topic]

Another website described the trebuchet.com site by 
saying, 

	"Read about watermelon skeet, the human tossing 
	machine, and other fun stuff!"

I began to see why muggles fear not only the internet, 
and what their childern might learn, but also what their 
childern might do with what they learn from the internet.   

TREBUCHET.COM includes kits, images, and links for 
	Trebuchet, 
	Floating Arm Trebuchet, 
	Warwolf Trebuchet, 
	Urban PVC trebuchet, 
	Onager, Mangonel, 
	Petraria Arcatinus, 
	Ballista, scorpion, and 
	Staff-sling

BTW, the various designs derive their power from 
counterweights, tension, or torsion.  

These things were used to send everything from large 
rocks, to fire, to dead horses.  

Simulators (ATreb, FAT/F2K, WinTreb, Trebuchet for 
Windows (not kidding!), Onager Simulator, The Roman 
Catapult, and Stick Siege); 
http://www.ripcord.ws/simulators.html

Also "mangonel.com - Ancient Engines of War"; 
http://www.mangonel.com/

"Images of Catapults in History"; 
http://www.mangonel.com/story.php/images/index.html 

The mangonel.com site Q&A page addresses our original 
question about Onagers and how they relate to wild 
asses using a kick defense.  

Here is a sweet concept from the mangonel.com Q&A page, 

	"Modern reconstructions of Mangonels (using 
	inferior polypropylene rope instead of bundles 
	of hair) have been able to throw bowling balls 
	over 1/4 of a mile!" 

... and people wonder why the SCA is considered to be the largest
militia in the USA.  

-- 
Martin G. Diehl

http://www.renderosity.com/gallery.ez?ByArtist=Yes&Artist=MGD

Reality: That which remains after you stop thinking about it.
  inspired by P. K. Dick