Arrowstorming and norming

[Andreas Johansson]

I don't have any citations ready, but Old Norse literature has descriptions of arrows darkening the sky. It's certainly plausible that the topos is nicked from Classical literature, but it evidently wasn't felt absurd in the context of Viking Age or High Medieval Scandinavian battle.

And while bows probably were more prominent in Scandinavian warfare than wargamers commonly assume, I don't think it's likely the volume of shooting was equal to that of HYW English armies either, so perhaps the lesson is that it doesn't take that much for participants to feel like the sky was darkened or the missiles fell like hail.

Or that French and English had the same culture

I've always held that the British islands are a northern extension of Gaul/France, except during the Viking Age when they're a western of Denmark

[Erpingham]

Interesting, thanks.

From these examples, I think that the use of these metaphors doesn't seem culturally specific.

Or that French and English had the same culture (more so than Greeks and Persians, or British and Zulus).

At an elite level, that's pretty fair comment.  But then, there was a pan-European (or west European) culture.  Though the English and the French had increasingly nationalistic perspectives, so perhaps they are not nationally specific is better?

[Erpingham]

More of a digression really but my pursuit of the origin of "arrowstorm" is back to 1888.  It is used by William Morris in Chapter VI of A Dream of John Ball, about the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.

The men-at-arms drew near steadily, some fell under the arrow-storm, but not a many; for though the target was big, it was hard, since not even the cloth-yard shaft could pierce well-wrought armour of plate, and there was much armour among them.

This predates its use in in Conan Doyle's White Company.

It is possible that Morris was the first to use it, but it may be in an earlier history book.

[Erpingham]

Just a quick update to say the first draft of the arrowstorm article for Slingshot is done.  I'll polish it (i.e. fiddle about with it) and then off to Nigel for Slingshot.

[Imperial Dave]

nice work Anthony!

[kadeshuk]

There is an interesting article on Academia, « Heads, shoulders, knees and toes: Injury and death in Anglo-Scottish combat, c.1296-c.1403 » by Iain MacInnes which has some interesting points on arrow injuries.

[Erpingham]

He's actually written two articles on the same subject

https://www.academia.edu/13696699/Heads_shoulders_knees_and_toes_Injury_and_death_in_Anglo_Scottish_combat_c_1296_c_1403

https://www.academia.edu/31093966/_One_man_slashes_one_slays_one_warns_one_wounds_Injury_and_Death_in_Anglo_Scottish_Combat_c_1296_c_1403

I do think MacInnes is pretty good on Scottish warfare of the period and has placed a lot of stuff on Academia - browsing recommended.

The section on archery is good, though I'm not sure how much it influences an assessment of the rival arrowstorm models.  The prevalence of facial injuries is a feature but this could be caused by blanket archery hitting weak spots as per the traditional model or some more aimed shots into the face at short range in line with the Loades version.