The Armour Archive

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Wasn't there a story in National Geographic about a guy ... taking a warhorse to the Holy Land? I remember that article. I think he was an Irishman. He had at least three horses at the start, one a big Belgian representing the destrier. But he had a bone-shaking gait and was quickly relegated to pa...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

In what language are you reading it? I don't think my knowledge of Spanish is good enough to wrap around such a poem, even if the language were modernized.

A good English rendition, on the other hand . . .

Donal Mac Ruiseart

When you're out and about, keep your head shaded. A hat or headcloth makes a lot of sense. There's a reason that our ancestors rarely went out with uncovered heads. But load on the sunscreen too, especially on your face if you're going to be in armour. And don't neglect the sunscreen when it's cloud...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

As to the matter of general health and readiness. The Marinus Fighting Band has the custom to march from our campsite to the battle site mostly armoured, save helms and gauntlets. Those we load into a wagon that accompanies us. We all have felt hats that we wear on the march. We make a point of timi...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Alcyoneus used a baseball analogy, where I'd be more inclined to use football. The shield line are the linemen, the blockers. Their job is to keep the adversaries in front of them The long-weapon types, the spearmen and glaviers, are the running backs. They're the ones who get the most kills, but wi...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Rowan, I take issue with you calling yourself old.

No one younger than me is allowed to be old.

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Your Excellency, I believe that your misgivings concerning asking a lady other than one's wife or leman to act as consort hinges on your understanding of the term "romantic." From the tone of your statement, I perceive (and do correct me, my friend, if I'm reading you wrong) that you are r...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

We ought to compile these titles into a list and put them in a location available for reference. Many more than Lady Ashley would benefit from it.

Donal Mac Ruiseart

"Adsum Domine" Here I am Lord. Covers both the religious and temporal types... In one movie version of Ivanhoe , one of the knights has the motto CAVEADSUM across the top of his shield. I never quite figured it out but from what you just provided I now conclude that it means somthing to t...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Historical images of heralds that I've seen always show the tabard unbelted, while images of knights wearing surcotes and tabards often show them belted. I have never seen anything in writing stating that there is a specific custom that putting a belt outside a tabard or surcote is a sign of warlike...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

And as to the bouts being long . . . remember that we fight for fun. A bout that's over quickly is less fun both to fight and to watch than one that lasts for a while. Now, when a bout gets REALLY long, well . . . you'd think it'd be a drag, but for some fighters at least it's especially satisfying ...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Several times I've noted that many war-hammers have that walking-stick quality to them as well. I've thought about buying one (having neither the tools nor the skill to make one) as a sort of stealth in plain sight weapon. Go out walking using it like a cane and if someone is fool enough to mess wit...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

A fighting band is like a living creature, Lady Ashley. A well known scriptural passage discusses the merit of different body parts: The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of ...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

I have never been a king (nor do I ever expect to, though I used to enter Crown Tourneys), but I have known many in my years in the SCA and count a number of Royal Peers among my friends. One of the things many of them have remarked to me is how many people somehow think that the crown confers wisdo...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Welcome to the Archive, Lady Ashley. I have seen your first thread. It makes me think of a proverb I learned many years ago: One who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise. Learn from him. One who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child. Teach him. One who knows, and knows not that he kn...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

I'm a Stick Jock, and I'm proud of it. The term Stick Jock describes one who EXCELS at the art of SCA combat. They live it, breathe it, train constantly to perfect their craft. Give a little credit where credit is due. With all due deference, Your Grace, that may be what it means in your kingdom bu...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

At a recent Crown Tourney in Atlantia, one of the entrants carried his Lady Wife's glove in the Grand Procession. Usually the consort has to be present, but for reasons not disclosed, an exception was made in this case.

They ARE an established couple, and they are both Peers.

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Is he the one whose portrait, also in profile, appears with that of his wife in another painting . . . he's wearing one of those flat-topped cylindrical hats . . And in that painting, as I think in this, it shows the bridge of his nose flattened on top. According to accounts, after he lost his right...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

My dad told me this rhyme that he and his classmates used to recite about the principal of his local school:

Donal Mac Ruiseart

There is an account of the Couteron the Windrose Armoury site.

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Dante di Pietro wrote:I made someone's eye go very wide once when I remarked that since the term for defending oneself with a weapon was fencing, we really ought to be referring to the two divisions as armored and unarmored fencing.

Harrr-UMPH!
<~~Mutters into his mustache.

Donal Mac Ruiseart

chuckle.. I've been known to say, on more than one occasion "...but I'm just a dumb stickjock..." It's fascinating to watch the reactions..... Aye, because they know you're not such an one. But that's not unlike the "Typical Atlantian Thug" shirts so many of us wear. Which in tu...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Same as Stickjock for heavies. No. No. No. It's not the same, not at all. All stick-jocks are heavies, but not all heavies are stick jocks. Among heavies (or "armoured fighters"), the term "stick jock" is used pejoritively to describe those who come to an event only for the figh...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

I never claimed to be very samrt (sic). Nor to be strong in spelling . . . But don't sell yourself short. Your question indicated not a lack of intelligence but a lack of knowledge . All too many people get them mixed up. It's a common remark that you can't cure stupid. But you can cure ignorant. A...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Atherbridge wrote:Laisa sa'ab da'iman
Laisa da'ar da'iman
munthu jundi bahri

Is that a rendition of the "Still a Marine" slogan?

In what language?

And what does the word used for "Marine" mean literally?

Donal Mac Ruiseart

I finally got the search parameters where they needed to be, and found this account of how the Couter of Chivalry began its august and noble history. What follows is a transcript of the post, with some punctuation glitches (punctuation that somehow was changed into an incomprehensible chain of graph...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

I've been searching but it seems that my searches are either too narrow (no result) or too broad (a bazillion results.)

Donal Mac Ruiseart

See the thread Master Magnus and the Challenge of the Couter And Challange of the couter update? For my part, I would be gratified if someone would publish an image of the Couter itself. Although perhaps ordinary folk like myself aren't supposed to see it . . . Another thing I should like to see is ...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Just because an animal is handled rough and isn't pampered or even loved doesn't mean it's abused. Actually, I downgraded what the guy was doing to the horse 'coz it hurts me to think about it. The "stick" with which he hit the horse over the head was a length of 2 x 4. And as for it bein...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Thank you.

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Thank you, Iain.

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Lady I knew told of a man who boarded a horse at her mother's farm. Rode it unshod on pavement. Thumped it on the head with a stick when it misbehaved. One day he came in and the horse, not surprisingly, was in considerable pain and the man seemed not to care. My friend's grandmother went to the sta...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Would you care to explain the similarity between your belt favour and the AA logo? Considering it's an Armour Archive belt favor, I don't think there is any explanation necessary. Which leaves me with as much knowledge as I had before, which is none. You must think me incredibly thick not to know, ...

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Will someone please enlighten this dense provincial as to just what the DIA is?

Obviously a museum in Detroit, but we don't ALL know the shorthand!

Donal Mac Ruiseart

Thatcher's alias was "Ulrich von Lichtenstein of Geldenland." One thing that leaves me scratching my head about that is that no-one thought it suspicious that he seemed awfully English to have so Germanic a name.

Eureka (I have Found It!)

Re: Everyone starts from somewhere