Bows
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More Missiles pages
Self-bows
Bows in the Viking Age were made from a single piece of ‘D’ section wood, usually yew if available [HALPIN 2008]:p.40-41 (Dublin, Hedeby, Wassenaar), but elm (Dublin, Hedeby) and even scots pine (Dublin) were also used. Bow varied in strength up to around 100lbs (Hedeby).
Bows were made by working down a wooden stave so that the heartwood formed the bulk of the bow, giving it its strength, while a layer of sapwood was retained along the bow’s back to give the bow more elasticity under tension and to help prevent it from breaking.
Many of the bows were extremely simple and we have a number of finds of bows that still have the bumps and branch accretions left from the removed branches along their backs (Wassenaar, Hedeby).
Bow Grips
None of the bows found in the Viking Age have any distinct swelling around the area of the handgrip or show any evidence of having a separate handgrip attached. The bow-staves run roughly parallel along their entire length. The only unique finds of bows that do have a distinct handgrip come from the C7th Alemannic graves at Oberflacht in southern Germany.
Bow nocks
To attach the bow string a simple notch or ‘self-nock’ was cut into the bow stave, near both the bow’s terminals. Self-nocks can be either double-nocks or single-nocks, otherwise known as ‘side-nocks’, with similar numbers having been found of each type. The nocks were always cut into the sides of the bow-stave and never into the front or back.
When bows were single-nocked, or side-nocked, then the cut notches are cut into the opposing sides of the bow-stave, top and bottom.
Some bows only had a self-nock at one end of the bow-stave, with the assumption that the bow-string must have been tied on at the other end (Hedeby, Dublin). A manuscript image showing a tied on bow string might also be seen in the Stuttgart Psalter.
Nocks of different material
It appears that nocks with horn inserts or separately attached horn nocks were not used on self-bows in the Viking Age period. Mary Rose?
Finds of separate nocks have been found, such as the bone example from the C7th grave at Bad Cannstadt in Germany, but these have been identified as coming from a composite bow (Hörnig 2004, p.119). See the section of Eastern style archery for more information.
Stringing nocks and string keepers
Some bows have either a secondary set of nocks at one end of the bow-stave (Dublin, Waterford) or alternatively a hole has been drilled through the terminal (Adare Castle) (Halpin 2008, p.59-60). The secondary set of nocks, known as ‘stringing nocks’ helped in stringing the bow. <><> The hole drilled through the terminal was probably a ‘string keeper‘. A loop of twine or leather thong was passed through the hole and the bow string with the intention of stopping the bow string from slipping down the bow-stave when unstrung.
Deflexed and reflexed terminals
We also have evidence for some bows having deliberately bent terminals after the nock points. These bent terminals either pointed towards the shooter (Dublin, Hedeby) or pointed away from the shooter (various manuscripts). Bows with terminals that bend towards the shooter, otherwise known as ‘deflexed’, are considered to be a diagnostic characteristic of a ‘Viking’ bow. These bent terminals were purely decorative and did not affect the ability of the bow in any way (Halpin 2008, p.???).
Art
Archaeology
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Discussion
Almost all of the Anglo-Saxon manuscripts show bows with nocks deflexed away from the archer, the complete reverse of the deflexed nocks found in archaeology.
Re-curved (Reflexed) Self-bow
A re-curve self-bow is where the stave of the bow is deliberately curved away from the string.
Archaeology
- Ballinderry, Ireland, late C10th. [HALPIN 2008]:p.184-185 1 Complete bow.
- Hedeby, Denmark, [PAULSEN 1999]
Discussion
Many of the Hedeby bows are shaped this way, along with the Ballinderry bow from Ireland. Paulsen [PAULSEN 1999] makes the case that this is “caused by shrinkage of the soft sapwood in the front”, a theory that is rejected by Halpin [HALPIN 2008]:p.61 who cites a number of authors including Hardy who makes the comment that the bows from the Mary Rose were also re-curved and “that no process during the lifetime of the bows, or after deposition, are convincing explanations for this feature”.
Bow Strings
These were probably made from hemp, linen or silk. The evidence seems to point at hemp being the most commonly used material (Halpin 2008, p.61). Bow strings were usually 3 to 4mm thick and made from 3 ply twine (Altdorf, Switzerland (Hörnig 2004, p.110))
Archaeology
- Wincott Heckett has suggested that a tablet-woven tubular silk cord, dated to mid C12th, from Waterford may be a bowstring. [HALPIN 2008]:p.61 Halpin then quotes Soar who suggests that the most common material for bow strings was hemp.
- York, England. A lump of beeswax with a groove caused by rubbing against a thread or string. Walton-Rogers comments that beeswax was often used on bow strings [WALTON ROGERS 1997]:p.1785
Discussion
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Catalogue of evidence
Art
Literature
- Capitulary of Charlemeigne, Mobilization alert: Aachen, mid-April 806
- Each horseman is to carry shield and spear, long-sword and short-sword, bow, quivers and arrows, and your carts are to contain implements of various kinds” [King 2007]
- Beowulf – Written c.1000
- Lines 1432-1435
- “The prince of the Geats
- With, his arrowed bow deprived one of life,
- Of strife with the sea, so that stood in his vitals
- The hard war-arrow : he was in the holm” [Garnet 1912]
- Lines 1744-1746
- “Who from arrowed bow spitefully shoots.
- Then is he in his breast pierced under his helmet
- With a sharp arrow : he cannot defend him” [Garnet 1912]
- Lines 1765
- “Or grip of the sword, or flight of the arrow.” [Garnet 1912]
- Lines 2437-2439
- “Since him did Haethcyn from his horned bow,
- His own dear lord, with arrow pierce,
- Missed he the mark and his kinsman did shoot,” [Garnet 1912]
- Lines 3115
- “Him who oft awaited the iron-shower,
- When the storm of arrows, loosed from the strings,
- Leaped over the shield-wall, the shaft did its duty,
- Fitted with feathers followed the barb." [Garnet 1912]
- Life of St Guthlac
- “that he might wound the hearts of men therewith, suddenly, as from a bended bow, he fixed the dart of his temptation in the soul of Christ’s soldier. When, therefore, the blessed man was wounded with the poisoned arrow of the accursed spirit,….. Thus had the devilish arrow wounded him with desperation” [Goodwin 1948: p.29]
- “and lo ! this same thorn, as an arrow speeds from the bow, so did it fly from the man, and go to a distance;” [Goodwin 1948: p.69]
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- Battle of Brumby AD 938
- there lay many
- of the Northern heroes
- under a shower of arrows,
- shot over shields; [Ingram 1912]
Archaeology
see Bows and Arrow Shafts found in Western Europe
Other finds:
Nydem, Vimose and Kragehul, Denmark bog finds also had bows and arrows.
