13th century ribaulds

[Erpingham]

Serendipity strikes again.  Researching images of archers for the longbow thread, I came across these 13th century images from the Rutland psalter.  This isn't a document I was familiar with but, suffice it to say, if you like the wit and ingenuity of medieval marginalia, it is first class.  Two fairly routine images caught my eye, both for their quality but also a strange familiarity



Two foot soldiers, On right, bare chested with braies, wearing hooded cape and one shoe, armed with bollock dagger.  On left, tunic, hooded cape, leggings with foot straps, javelin or short spear.



A foot soldier with spear and heater shield, bare chested, wearing braies and a hooded cloak (Oh, and locked in combat with a giant snail  )

Why did these look familiar?



Early 14th century Scottish foot soldiers - mainly bare chested with hooded capes, wearing underwear.  Some armed with heater shields and spears



Allegedly Irish soldier, 13th century.  Hooded cape, leggings with underfoot strap, possibly barechested, Danish axe

One could suggest the artists have a known model in mind here.  But are these generic badly equipped foot soldiers (there is nothing intrinsically Scottish or Irish about hooded capes), rather than ethnicities?  Or have the Rutland Psalter artists delberately inserted Scots or Irish into their work?

[Andreas Johansson]

Snail-fighting is, as I suspect Anthony knows, common in Medieval marginalia. Nobody seems to really know why:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-medieval-knights-always-fighting-snails-1728888/

[Erpingham]

Snail-fighting is, as I suspect Anthony knows, common in Medieval marginalia. Nobody seems to really know why:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-medieval-knights-always-fighting-snails-1728888/

Thanks for that Andreas.  I rather like the profound idea that the snail symbolises death - its all a bit Bergman and Seventh Seal undermined by the ridiculous

I tend towards the absurdist humour approach.  This also explains the multitude of armed rabbits and animal clerics

[Jim Webster]

Snail-fighting is, as I suspect Anthony knows, common in Medieval marginalia. Nobody seems to really know why:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-medieval-knights-always-fighting-snails-1728888/

Thanks for that Andreas.  I rather like the profound idea that the snail symbolises death - its all a bit Bergman and Seventh Seal undermined by the ridiculous

I tend towards the absurdist humour approach.  This also explains the multitude of armed rabbits and animal clerics

Indeed the truth has been known for some time although shunned by narrow minded academics

https://tallissteelyard.wordpress.com/2018/02/26/snail-wrestling/