Archery anyone? Need help

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ANNIE

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Anyone know anything about archery particularly terms associated with it. right now all I know is bow and arrow, target and butts. how many times can you say that in a novel when there the primnary weapon. Fantasy Genre.

Any help would be appricated.

Annie
 

tiny

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What terms are you looking for? I have an old recurve Bear in my closet. It has a fifty pound pull. In most fantasy books the long bow is used, which lays almost flat when not strung. And, I believe, its called nocking an arrow when you prepare to shoot.

Here's a link I found that may be of help. It lists several weapons.

http://www.themiddleages.net/index.html

The area on bows and arrows actually explains the construction, which is cool to know.

-chris
 

ANNIE

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hey TT

Thanks for the link! 'Nocking the bow' That's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.

" His quiver was full. He reach back and grabbed an arrow preparing to nock the bow."

Bad example, but you get my drift right? Yes and long bows are the weapon of choice.:banana: (love that banana too!)

Thanks Annie
 

pdr

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Beware your arrows

Just a couple of general points for you, Annie, oh, and thank you, TT for that great research site.

Whatever the bow it should be well protected in a cover or case. You didn't ride about with it already strung unless you were about to shoot.

The bow string was kept covered, warm and dry. Usually in a pouch next to the skin. You never got it wet. Wet strings don't work well!

Arrow flights - the feathers - are quite fragile. A crushed or bent flight meant a ruined arrow that would not fly straight so you were careful about handling your arrows. This is why you see an archer about to nock and draw in the butts set hir arrows point down in the ground in front of hir.

A good quiver wasn't just a hollow container. It had a place for each arrow and a cover over the top as some means of protecting the arrows flights from rain or rough handling.

A good archer always carried a bundle of half made arrows with hir and the means to make new arrows from them.

The feathers for the flight for one arrow should always come from the same wing. You chose your feathers with great care.

Finally, (and I'll duck here as all the experts will start arguing because there are two schools of thought on this,) if you want your strongest people to use the long bow then remember this great bow had to be leaned into as you drew the string. This is why it was so hard to use. You actually bend the bow as you draw the string. And long bows and horse riding don't go well together. Give your riders small cross bows.
 
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Andrew Jameson

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ANNIE said:
Thanks for the link! 'Nocking the bow' That's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.

" His quiver was full. He reach back and grabbed an arrow preparing to nock the bow."
He prepared to nock his arrow. The nock (noun form) is the little slit at the rear of the arrow that slips over the bowstring. Nocking (verb form) refers to fitting the arrow to the bowstring. (Interesting aside: MS Word apparently accepts only the noun form "nock," as both "nocking" and "nocked" show up as spelling errors.)

Also, for your viewing pleasure:
Ten basic steps in archery and proper shooting technique. Enjoy.
 

LloydBrown

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pdr said:
The bow string was kept covered, warm and dry. Usually in a pouch next to the skin. You never got it wet. Wet strings don't work well!

Just ask the mercenary Genoese crossbowmen at Crecy about that. (Google that).

And long bows and horse riding don't go well together. Give your riders small cross bows.

With the exception, of course, being the asymetrical longbows (daikyu) used by the Japanese--short on the bottom, long on the top. Short bows, especially composite bows (bows made of multiple materials) in the hands of riders were an awesome weapon combination. Genghis Khan conquered the world like that.
 

mommie4a

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I taught archery to kids for a while many years ago. The only thing I can add to what you've got here already is - arm guard! But being a teacher, that was something we had to have the kids use - and I use. I don't know much about fantasy and middle ages, but I suspect they used armguards too. Probably thumb and forefinger protectors too? Anyway - there is some protective gear needed in the use of bows and arrows. And not just for the person who's being shot at! ;-)
 

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Also note that any horse you shoot from (assuming you have the right kind of bow, training, etc. to even be able to do this from horseback) has to be trained to accept this happening on his back. Jump up on a generic saddle horse and shoot an arrow past his ears while your reins dangle and see how long you stay mounted.
 

ANNIE

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pdr- thanks for the great insite, exactly the kind of details i was looking for.

Andrew- thanks for the links, I printed them out and will refer to them as needed

Lloydbrown- thanks for the tip on longbows and riding as my characterts are on horses!

Mommie- armguards and fingerguards, nice details! thank you so much.

Aconite- so true abut the horses, I have five and they would all freak if I shot an arrow over their heads! Thanks for reminding me about adding something aboutthe horses training .

Thanks all what a great amount of knowledge this site has!

Annie:banana:
 

Maryn

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In addition to the arm and hand/finger protection already mentioned, if your fantasy includes female archers with fantasy bodies--ahem!--they will need either protection or a garment that flattens the breast opposite the hand that draws backward. The legendary Amazons are said to have removed one breast.

Maryn, victim of a terrible archery accident in college (Yes, I was wearing a bra! No, I didn't need stitches, just 4 butterfly closures.)
 

pdr

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Japanese long bows

This has been an education session hasn't it? Most useful.

Llyod B. I've seen and held the traditional Japanese bows as I'm here in Japan right now. I don't call them true long bows, not tall enough and much more curvy, but yes the asymmetry makes them good for use on a horse.

A true longbow was made from one piece of yew wasn't it and is impossible to draw on horseback. Whereas the structure of the Japanese bow is of three layers of different materials and the wonder is how did anyone work out that form of composite structure?
 

ANNIE

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Maryn said:
In addition to the arm and hand/finger protection already mentioned, if your fantasy includes female archers with fantasy bodies--ahem!--they will need either protection or a garment that flattens the breast opposite the hand that draws backward. The legendary Amazons are said to have removed one breast.

Maryn, victim of a terrible archery accident in college (Yes, I was wearing a bra! No, I didn't need stitches, just 4 butterfly closures.)

OUCH!:poke:
 
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