(12-05-2013, 01:28 PM)Olofantur Wrote: When I was in London in August and had the chance to (among many other things) visit the British Library and view some of the laid out pages it was fascinating to observe them. While my interest was most in the treaties (such as James the 2nd letter to the Shogunate, Napoleans captured letter to Josephine and the musical texts.) The illuminated scriptures, mostly fables were always quite interesting. The depth of detail, particularly in the Title works (Names & locations of events) is astounding, though admittedly the kind of people who commissioned that work demanded it. Or in the case of the Church they could hardly be expected to do less.
Ohhh, how wonderful that you got to visit the British Library! Did you see the Lindisfarne Gospels? It must have been amazing to see those manuscripts in person. The level of detail blows my mind. It must have taken a great deal of time and perfect concentration to complete a page -- and what happens if you make a mistake or splatter your ink? Although I guess vellum was more forgiving of mistakes back then.
(12-05-2013, 01:28 PM)Olofantur Wrote: Forgive the "noobishness" of the questions related, but does the style use the weapon as a blunt object as much as an actual blade? I always found it interesting the amount of grappling that happens, or even clubbing them with the haft to unbalance. the utilization of the weapon as a whole.
Yes, it is common to use the pommel and quillions of any type of sword (single- or two-handed) as a weapon. I've found this useful for throwing your opponent off guard when they're expecting a strike from the blade, or when you're forced into close-range combat without enough room to maneuver. I believe one of the plates you linked is depicting a murder stroke, in which you grab the blade with both hands and strike with the hilt as if it was a warhammer. Creativity like that is risky, but can be very rewarding. And yes, grappling is pretty common too! If you have an opportunity to safely grab your opponent's weapon, hand, or arm, it can put them at a serious disadvantage. This is why I favor single-handed sword myself!
(12-05-2013, 01:28 PM)Olofantur Wrote: Interesting how the focus of the groups leans to the Celtic "Albion" days, I imagine most of the representations of combat you would have to work off of would be depictions in tapestries, or formal accounts of battles, maybe Frankish Manuscripts about skirmishes with people of Brittany?
I should clarify that when I said my combat group was more interested in Viking and pre-Christian Celtic eras, I meant that they're more interested in the history, literature, religion, culture, etc. of those eras. You're correct that information on ancient Celtic combat techniques is scarce. I've seen a few lessons on Viking sword-and-shield combat, but that's beyond the scope of our lessons. So basically, we array ourselves like Vikings and Celts, and fight like Germans. Might be a bit of a bastardization, but I'll take what I can get, haha!
I've enjoyed our chat, Olofantur. It's always nice to meet a fellow medieval enthusiast.
The great way is only difficult for those who pick and choose.
