Yak-hair covered helm?

Robert Clark Carruth · Wed Feb 14, 2001 11:21 am

Saw this helm and vambraces on eBay.

Got yak?

Can someone tell me what persona one would use this for?

Maybe a tribe similar to the Wendel in The 13th Warrior. Only they worship yaks insead of bears.

Robert

sarnac · Post by **sarnac** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 12:10 pm

ummm...

ahhh...

well...

umm....

Was this built during an acid trip???

I was thinking more Beowulf...

jagatei · Post by **jagatei** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 12:38 pm

I cant think of any cultures that commonly covered their armour with yak hair in such a manner. some early roman barbarias might have work long haired skins but I doubt they would have been yak.

Buran · Post by **Buran** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 1:03 pm

If your persona was a Tibetan or Mongolian warrior, then I would call it historically accurate. Still cool, huh?

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Drake Orion · Post by **Drake Orion** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 1:41 pm

It almost looks like human hair...freaky

Norman · Post by **Norman** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 2:23 pm

If your persona was a Tibetan or Mongolian warrior, then I would call it historically accurate.

How's that?
Maybe a fur band over the brow-band -- but not the top of the helm like that.

Looks to me like there's a decent looking Spangenhelm under that (though one has to ask -- what are they hiding?)
The elbow coups look like basic SCA west european.

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Joe Skeesick · Post by **Joe Skeesick** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 2:35 pm

you know I was going to respond, and instead just decided to wait....... I didn't want to steal Normans thunder

Janos

FrauHirsch · Post by **FrauHirsch** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 3:23 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Robert de Carruthers:
Saw this helm and vambraces on eBay.

Got yak?

Can someone tell me what persona one would use this for?

Maybe a tribe similar to the Wendel in The 13th Warrior. Only they worship yaks insead of bears.

Robert<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Chewbacca goes SCA? Neaderthal persona? Medieval "Wildman"???

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Julie Adams

Sasha · Post by **Sasha** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 4:19 pm

It's the bright blue foam padding that gets me.....

This is a style known as "bullsh*t medieval". If you take a generic SCA helm and bits and cover them with sonething associated with a medieval race eg: Yak hair for mongols, bear or wolf for Viking, leather with knotwork designs for celtic etc.....WHY THEN IT MUST BE A PERIOD REPRODUCTION HELM....mustn't it?

Some people never grow out of covering carboard with aluminium foil and claiming to be sir lancelot....

Sasha
Riverforge
....what a sensless, tragic waste of yak.

Lodhur · Post by **Lodhur** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 4:49 pm

Makes me want to yak!

Maybe the owner had the idea to go out there as a 'Naked Celt', with the yak simulating his own hair. But then, what about the vams? ((shudder))

Robert Clark Carruth · Wed Feb 14, 2001 5:48 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Lodhur:
But then, what about the vams? ((shudder))<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well you know what happens when you . . . well . . . you know . . . too much.

Robert

Gaston · Post by **Gaston** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 6:07 pm

The later period (popular literature refers to it as the "twilight of the heavy browed men") cavebear warrior societies (not to be confused with the European brown bear groups, which largely shunned secular activities) in Neandertal cultures often affected such protection, as evidenced by depictions of the ferocious punishment they were able to absorb without apparent effect at the hands of the proto-gladitorial Viking cultures (cite: Crichton/McTiernan translation of the Ahmed ibn Banderas manuscript "One More Than Twelve, an Adventure in Early Chivalry")

This particular artifact is incomplete, lacking the underlying bearskull with projecting jaw structure and dendate display typical of complete specimens. There is also no obvious evidence of the Cimmerian/Zebraic pigment adornment typical of the underlayering skin of the wearer, which would have surely be present in traces on a true warrior's harness. Therefore, this is a display or perhaps ceremonial harness. Similar evidence is described in the seminal early works of J. Stafford, "Regalia of the First Illustrious Potentate".

The ferrous composition of the underlying leg defenses confirm similar suspicions about the lack of apparent effect from leg blows applied to the wearer of these panoplies. It was previously assumed that such blows were ignored due to their description in revisionist Neandertal manuscripts as "l'yt" (light) or "loughue" (low).

Without further evidence, I must consider it no more than an intriguing curiosity. With that final judgement I pass the facetious staff to my good fellows of the Archive.

Lodhur · Post by **Lodhur** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 6:24 pm

Dammit! Why didn't I wear my boots today?

Hel with the boots, I'm holding up my watch.

Listen, will somebody email this guy & ask him what the real story is? Its getting thick in here.

Maybe he got the idea from Ren & Stimpy. Oh wait, that was a HAIRLESS yak.

[This message has been edited by Lodhur (edited 02-14-2001).]

Garridan · Post by **Garridan** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 6:48 pm

We're talkin about a guy wearing a freakin YAK on his head, Sasha, and you're worried about the foam?

Galileo · Post by **Galileo** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 9:14 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by FrauHirsch:
 Chewbacca goes SCA?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Actually I was thinking maybe someone who is dreaming of becoming an oversized Ewok.

Bleach the hair white and you could be the snowman dude that got Skywalker in the Empire Strikes Back...

G--

Krag · Post by **Krag** » Wed Feb 14, 2001 10:40 pm

Robert,
I'll be riveting most of the brass down on your helm tomorrow night. I don't have any yak, but I still have a whole vacuum cleaner bag full of dog hair. If I was careful, I'm sure I could give your helm that "special" look of a short haired pictish warrior

!

Add a yak hide loincloth with those vams and helm and you'd be a sure thing for Beastmaster!

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Robert Clark Carruth · Thu Feb 15, 2001 10:32 am

Krag:
Is that a threat? If so, name your price and I'll pay to keep that from happening. Although, I actually do have a few more things to go along with the item I'm trading you. Not the ones I already told you about. I mean even more stuff.

Robert

Bedlam · Post by **Bedlam** » Thu Feb 15, 2001 2:00 pm

Hmmmm...

Bedlam,
Bear Clan,
Tuchux

Bjorn · Post by **Bjorn** » Thu Feb 15, 2001 2:21 pm

Umm, it's a subliminal message:

Yak-ety Yak. Don't hit back

SCA fighting enters psychological warfare.

Bjorn

Stab · Post by **Stab** » Thu Feb 15, 2001 3:19 pm

I wounder... Could it serve as a self-esteem builder for some bold guy? The mentality behind it would be "If I don't have any hair on my head, at least I'll have an advantage of looking all cool wearing my wig over the helmet!"

As far as those vambraces go, I strongly suggest that whoever buys them should have a hairy backplate made to mach them. Wouldn't that be cool --- a warrior with a hairy back! What is the better way to display your masculinity?!

PS Oh, and just a word of friendly advise. Watch out for people with cameras and especially guns. There are hundreds of scientists just dying to get their hands on the physical evidence that will prove that the bigfoot really exists.

[This message has been edited by Stab (edited 02-15-2001).]

Bedlam · Post by **Bedlam** » Thu Feb 15, 2001 3:42 pm

Stab:

My armour is thick leather with the hair still on it. No, it does not look like it is made from a Gateway computer box! It is dark and light brown. I bought it used from a Scadian in about 1985 and other than replacing some rivets, buckles and the occasional strap, it has held up fine.

BEDLAM

losthelm · Post by **losthelm** » Fri Feb 16, 2001 11:53 am

parry repost
the hair would get in the eyes and make it hard to shot the tuchux. plus it would be a bitch to cleen after fighting the rain

JJ Shred · Post by **JJ Shred** » Fri Feb 16, 2001 12:03 pm

"parry repost
the hair would get in the eyes and make it hard to shot the tuchux. plus it would be a bitch to cleen after fighting the rain"

Huh? What did he say???

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Virtus vincit invidiam
"Virtue overcometh envy"

Owynn MacKinnon · Post by **Owynn MacKinnon** » Fri Feb 16, 2001 4:02 pm

I hopefully will be the proud owner of this set of armour. If nothing else, just to have as a conversation piece. Actually, I e-mailed my household about this and they told me to bid on it. We always need loaner armour, and somehow i can't imagine that this stuff would walk away on its own easily. Scary but we actually want it.

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Forged from Black Wind, Fire, and Steel

Prince Of Darkmoor · Post by **Prince Of Darkmoor** » Fri Feb 16, 2001 5:24 pm

Very cool indeed. It has that "Mankind" look to it

Can't say I'd like to get my hands on some yak hair though.

On a side note, I think its kinda silly to sit there and try to justify what persona the yak hair on the helmet would fit into - it still has a bargrill

Raibeart · Post by **Raibeart** » Fri Feb 16, 2001 6:44 pm

Smirk

Snigger

Buwahaahaaaaaaaaa!

Sorry self control is not my middle name

I guess if wanted to go for that Scarlet O'Hara look on the field that would be the ticket.

Gundo · Post by **Gundo** » Fri Feb 16, 2001 9:27 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Bascot:
"parry repost
the hair would get in the eyes and make it hard to shot the tuchux. plus it would be a bitch to cleen after fighting the rain"

Huh? What did he say???

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Attempted translation:
Parry, Riposte [I assume this refers to the dueling yak-hair quips]

The hair would get in the wearer's eyes, and make it difficult to fight, especially for a Tuchux. [the wilder, grappling-included fighting style of the Tuchux would make it even more likely that one's vision might be obscured--the rain part seems plenty clear.]

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Garridan · Post by **Garridan** » Sat Feb 17, 2001 11:40 am

Ya know, maybe if I ever decide to cut my hair (get away from me with those scissors, Leda...), I could do that in a better red... be longer, too.
Hell, maybe I'll make a frame for a spangenhelm, leave the dished panels out altogether and just throw my hair through it...
Owynn, that's a GREAT use for this stuff... Hell, you should find out where the guy got the hair, and cover the rest of the gear with it...
--tom

Thaddeus · Post by **Thaddeus** » Sat Feb 17, 2001 6:34 pm

Gaston, ROFLLMAO
Owyn you could always shave it.

Owynn MacKinnon · Post by **Owynn MacKinnon** » Tue Feb 20, 2001 12:07 pm

Just to let you all know, this set only went up to $81. I was the high bidder, but it did not reach its reserve. After the auction, it is being sold to someone else for $150.

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Forged from Black Wind, Fire, and Steel