The Armour Archive

Griffin

The San Francisco group was practicing in Golden Gate Park when Robin Williams walked by and started asking questions about the fighting. This was maybe 5 years ago. I didnt talk to him, but Rodrigo Bernardez (who I believe to still be the chatelaine of Cloondara) spent a few minutes chatting him up...

Griffin

Duke Radnor of Guildemar has been using a "shattered lance" for about five years now. He started becouse of an injured shoulder. I've never heard of such a weapon, what is it? I am sorry if my statement did not make sense. A shattered lance would be a lance that broke upon an opponent during a char...

Griffin

Thanks for the suggestions. Albion was already at the top of my list of recommended sellers, but its always good to hear from others. Thanks!

Griffin

A friend is looking to buy a 14th century sword, something around the Black Prince era. Looking for good quality, not a wallhanger. If you know of a place where they can get one for under $500, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

Griffin

William of Malmesbury wrote "Harold (Harald 'Fairhair'), king of Norway, sent him (Athelstan) a ship with a golden beak and a purple sail, furnished within all round with a close-set row of gilded shields."

Griffin

I'm inept! And yet, strangely appealing! Woohoo!

Thanks Gwen once again for taking pity on the pitiful, rewarding the good parents, and making the lot of us look cool with our new shirts.

Griffin

If this what you are looking for?

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... sc&start=0

Griffin

Hurling is the game of choice out here. An Tir and the West routinely put together teams when we meet at large wars. There is a field reserved at Pennsic this year, and at Estrella the past couple years.

http://www.klotz.org/SCA/mudpuppy/histo ... urling.htm

Griffin

Except, unfortunately, that it is likely not a mould for crosses and hammers at all - the mould is far too coarse and simple. The cross/hammer thing was theorized by Scandinavian archaeologists who were a tad too interested in proving the cult continuity theory with all available evidence. It is, t...

Griffin

I know of only one combination hammer/cross which is from Iceland, 10-11th century. There is also one known Thors hammer found in Iceland (10th century). The mold Alcyoneus speaks of was soapstone found in Denmark, 10th century. Space for 2 crosses and a hammer. The Danes settled England in the late...

Griffin

Cotton stuffed linen gambeson with a tunic.

Griffin

Small words by a small man can not detract from the glory of this event. Regard them as you would a fart from a mouse.

Griffin

I use brass upholstery tacks when I need small brass rivets. Using a nail set takes care of the pointy end.

Griffin

The only rules regarding color is what you could have afforded. A dark red/maroon color would have been expensive, requiring 2 dyes. If you want a red, madder would have given you an orangish red. To get the maroon color, you would then needed to overdye with woad. All this takes time, which is why ...

Griffin

Dang, hmmmm, I wonder why? I guess because some fighters are very large, and could trample others in a shield ramming... And shield striking, well, I wonder why they don't allow it to be used as a weapon, if it were properly rimmed for such a use... Would make things interesting, heh heh! Oh well, ...

Griffin

Our future Princess will be Hannah bat Aharon.

Congrats Your Excellency. Raquel, who doesnt much care about the fighting, was especially happy to hear Hannah would be sitting the Throne.

I'm happy to hear we WILL have a second war.

Griffin

Here is what I have for a 10th century Danelaw resident. The First batch of books deal with the material side of things. The York Archaeological Trust will become your new best friends. You will buy their books and read them, study them, rub them against your body...maybe thats just me. A listing of...

Griffin

So, what is the state of the current opion on what would have been worn at the Viking courts of Dublin or Yorvic? If I remember correctly (and I apologize for not having good citations here), Jorvik and Dublin (Woodquay) were not grave digs but site or settlement digs. Probably not a lot of textile...

Griffin

Any SCA legal issues, at least in the West? I absolutely love the weapon, but if I can't use it.... -Aaron Sir Robert of Woodsende brought one out to an event last weekend and needed to add some padding to it. It didnt appear that he needed to add very much to satisfy the marshals and the padding d...

Griffin

While reading up on other things, I came across a passage about Vikings having a hair style similar to Normans, short in back, shaggy in front. Also that the Normans thought the Anglo-Saxon style of long hair on men effeminate. One thing I would like to see more of is differing styles of beads inste...

Griffin

Just to clarify, combat archery is hardly in its infancy. Its been around since AS 3 and frankly was a lot scarier than it is now. "[Referring to arrows] Actually they were 24" long green bamboo garden stakes about the diameter of a pencil and the ones I made had no feathers, and for tips I used cub...

Griffin

Sturmbock, West Kingdom

We will be at Estrella.

Griffin

Households, war units and sewing circles are unofficial groups within the SCA, so have no rules for starting one up. Just get some friends together and say that you are one.

Griffin

Spiff! Thanks for the help all.

Griffin

Ive got the front covered and painted. Very pretty.

Should I also cover the back? Or just paint it? Or both? I dont like having just bare wood after all the work of getting the front gussied up.

Griffin

Here they are...

http://www.scholasaintgeorge.org/photos_tourneys.html

Griffin

Celtic knotwork doesnt agree with the heralds minds. There is really no way to define exactly what "celtic knotwork" is. Each person can make different scribbly lines and call it so. You can however define a quatrefoil knot and lay three of them along the top of your device. 3 is a good number, it a...

Griffin

I recently watched Eric the Viking and noticed something interesting Me too. And while hilarious , headbutting a dragons tooth isnt the most effective way of taking it on. a lot of the Vikings had decorative kidney belts worn on the outside of there tunics dose any one out there know if this was pe...

Griffin

Orn is found in LÃƒÂ¡ndnamabÃƒÂ³k 12 times and collected in Old Norse Names by Geirr Bassi Haraldsson. If youre putting this together for SCA use and thinking about submitting it, just let your heralds know Hrolf and Orn are found in Old Norse Names. They should be able to look up the page numbers f...

Griffin

For culture, go here http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/

For textiles and clothing, http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/thora.html

Griffin

Found this looking for something else, but... From what Ive gathered, cat skin gloves in sagas (also see Egils Saga) were usually used to show that someone was a witch or other mystical type. In day to day use, cat skin was just a convenient thing. They breed fast and are easily kept. A Viking Age f...

Griffin

Broadway wrote:I have steamlined my belongings, and only have neccessary things in my possession...

So...how do you get the steam to stay put? And does it hurt to wear anything?

Griffin

I was wondering the same as James. Linen does not take well to dying with natural products. I know you can get pale colors from madder and woad. Not sure how well weld or other dye products would have worked. If you dont want to use white all the time, I believe linen in its natural state tends towa...

Griffin

Ive tried emailing twice previously, but AOL spam filters dont seem to like me. I have folks wanting 10 spears. Will need to be shipped to the Bay Area, CA. If you could email me, that would be great. Thanks.

Griffin

Your Grace-

Is there a discount for group orders of spears? I have at least 10 lined up, with others waiting to decide depending on price. Thanks.

GrÃƒÂmr Einarsson
West Kingdom

WTB: 14th century sword

10th century Danelaw

Question about linen covered shields

Re: I just watched Eric the Viking and......

Re: Nothing for sale

Icefalcon Armory - Spears