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Fletching and Fletching Jigs in the Viking era

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imar:
Shooting on people?
I don't know, in the excitement I would probably end up shooting the wrong colors, sharp, into re-enacters.
Spectacular show...

Even with blunts I don't shoot at people, they can rip quite easy.

But maybe thats because I shoot a laminated warbow 120lbs.

Linen for sure is something the vikings used, I also use it, I don't know about pine raisin, maybe they used bone/ skin/ fishglue as well?

Have fun!

CraigMBeckett:

--- Quote from: Sigurd on November 22, 2011, 03:47:44 pm ---As for the whole Welsh bow/English bow thing I think of it as a Welsh bow because (to my knowledge) the longbow spread to England from Wales  and English medieval armies usually had a significant contingent of Welsh archers. but it's really a discussion for another time based on personal preferences with no definitive answer.

--- End quote ---

There is absolutely no proof of this and the idea has little merit, the idea is wishful thinking and based on the mistaken belief that the bow was not used by the English untill Edward the 1st used it. The long bow shape was used by many northern European peoples including those who came from the areas of Denmark and north Germany from whence the  Angles, Saxons, Jutes etc came from. I suggest you take a look at the Nydam Bows which are reported to come from the 5th Centuary, the time when the migration to Britain began, also look at the artifacts found all over north Europe, most of which (and by most I mean an overwhealming majority), are of the "English Long-bow form. Then you will see the idea that the weapon came from one small area such as Wales is absurd. I suggest you do a bit more reading on the matter.

Craig.

Scowler:
Not trying to step on any toes in the Welsh vs. English longbow debate but I got to agree with Craig on this one.  The Longbow shape (flat back and rounded belly) has been around for a long time.  I believe that Otzi's (Iceman) bow was of this type and he is thought to have died around 5,300 years ago.  By the way, his arrow fletchings were attached with Pine Pitch.   

adb:
I certainly agree that the English didn't invent the 'English Longbow', but they certainly made it famous, putting it to very effective use during the hundred year war & tudor era. When most peole think 'English Longbow' or 'Warbow', that's  usually what pops to mind. The Welsh were certainly effective archers, but I believe their bows were a bit shorter... however, not sure.

CraigMBeckett:
We have no idea what length the Welsh bows were before and if they were influenced by the numerous men who served in the English/Anglo Norman armies. If however Gerald is to be believed as to their power and efficacy, it is highly likely that they were the same sort of length as that used by the English, short heavy bows are much more likely to break than long heavey ones and one has to assume that the Welsh knew what they were doing when it came to weapons for they are reputed to have been a very berligerant people, as ready to fight each other as they were ready to fight the English/Normans and it has to be said they gave the English a run for their money over quite a few years. In addition Gerald in his remarks on Welsh bows made no mention of their length, instead remarking on their (in his view), crude manufacture and that they were made out of dwarf , presumably Wych, Elm. Which leads to the conclusion that their length was similar to the lengths of the bows he was use to seeing in Norman England.

As for making ther bow famous, here I have to agree with adb the English certainly did do that.

For those interested in the shapes of the ancient bows found throughout northern Europe I refer you to Clarke's paper on Neolithic bows, it is still around on the internet, Gad Rausing's "The Bow", still available from secondhand bookshops or as a print of the second edition from the Simon Archery Foundation, University of Manchester and even TTBB vol 4 where there is a, non exhaustive, list of bow finds with, in most cases, a brief description of their shape.

Sigurd,
One book you may like to read, which amongst other things shows the falacy of the the Welsh invention of the long-bow, is Strickland and Hardy's "The Great War bow" which must have been reprinted as I have noticed it for sale recently on Amazon by Amazon, at half the price I had to pay for my secondhand copy a few years ago. I cannot recommend it enough for those interested in the History of the Warbow

Craig

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