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YAASHA MORIAH

EXPLORE FANTASTIC WORLDS
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7 Myths About Archery in Fantasy & an Excerpt from The Moonstone

11/13/2015

3 Comments

 
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Katryl, the main character of my NaNoWriMo 2015 project entitled The Moonstone, excels at archery. But the techniques that I describe her using in my book are not the sort of techniques you'll hear about in Hollywood, because, as it turns out, Hollywood has got it wrong. When ancient peoples used bows and arrows, they developed techniques that work while you are moving, riding a horse, and in the heat of an actual battle. Here is the video that helped me discover some of these techniques:

While these techniques were helpful in informing my viewpoint, this response to Lars Anderson's video helped me to gain an even deeper understanding of the techniques involved.
I did some research on archery in the "olden days," when people used bows instead of guns. Here are some busted myths and important facts about bows:
  • Bowstrings don't work in rain. That scene with the super-accurate elf archers in the rain at Helm's Deep? In real life, those bowstrings would have given a few flabby twangs and the arrows would have nosedived far short of their targets. Just sayin'.
  • Bowstrings wear out. They were made of catgut, which was the cured intestines of the animals that people commonly ate. Eventually, through damp and use, they would wear out and lose their tension.
  • Bows have to be unstrung, or the bow would lose its power or even break.
  • Bows take strength to string. Remember that story of Odysseus and the test that required Penelope's suitor to be able to string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through a row of axe-heads? Depending on the strength and draw-weight of the bow, it could be very difficult to string.
  • Bows took a long time to make. A well-made bow could take up to seven years to dry properly to be shaped.
  • Bows can't be drawn indefinitely. You can't hold the arrow nocked and drawn for more than a minute or two. When I did archery, I'd start shaking after more than a few breaths and I lost control of accuracy.
  • Longbows were not as common as self-bows, which were shorter and better for carrying through dense forest.
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Excerpt from The Moonstone

The horse followed the old woman and Katryl to the treeline, blowing softly, his sides sleek with sweat. Katryl helped to seat Alaya on the ground, where the old woman struggled for breath.

“It’s been a long time,” the older woman murmured, adding with a rueful smile, “I forgot how much it hurts one’s buttocks and legs.”

Katryl laughed aloud. “That is why Lassgardans ride and Dashani run.”

She leaned her head against the bark of a tree and closed her eyes momentarily. After she had regained her breath, she laid her bow across her lap and inspected it, then lifted her bow arm and drew back the bowstring.

“Dragon’s teeth!” she hissed.

“What is it?” Alaya asked.

“I missed the Onikan watchman the first time I shot, and the second time, I hit his kidney when I aimed at his throat. The bow is well, but the string is worn and has lost its tension. It must have been exposed to the dampness. They should have wrapped it in oilskin. The bow is useless until I can replace the string.”

“I am sorry,” Alaya said. “Thou hast thy short sword?”

“And if it is wet too, it will rust.” Katryl sighed and shook her head, stretching her legs before her. “But I am too tired to care.”

The horse wuffed gently at Katryl’s hands, coating her fingers with saliva.

“What does it want?” Katryl asked, eying the animal suspiciously.

“Water, I suspect,” Alaya answered. “Let it go. It will find water and return.”

“I want water,” Katryl said wistfully, and watched the horse’s departure with heavy-lidded eyes.

It seemed only a few minutes later when the snap of a twig startled Katryl from a struggling sleep. She was halfway to her feet before she saw that the man who approached was too tall and too dark-skinned to be Onikan.

“Asleep? Already?” Edric asked, approaching at a brisk pace. “Where is the horse?”

“Seeking water,” Katryl replied, her voice cracked with fatigue, attempting to look less sleepy than she felt.

Edric stooped to touch Alaya’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”

“Sleepy,” Alaya answered, rousing. “And sore. But well enough for whatever thou requirest of me.”

“Rest a little for now,” Edric said and crouched, balancing on the balls of his feet. Sweat dripped from the end of his nose and he uncorked a water-skin, taking a long draught to refresh his parched lips. Then, observing the intensity of Katryl’s gaze upon him, he offered the skin to her and she drank it dry.

“The bow?” he asked, indicating the weapon that lay across her lap.

“It needs a new string. That’s why I missed.”

“Perhaps.”
​
His skeptical tone rankled and Katryl replied with finality, “I don’t miss.”
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3 Comments
Anonymous
3/12/2017 10:10:02 am

Not true on a few counts. First off, fantasy or other story worlds from Earth have a few differences we should acknowledge. I have seen plenty of metal magic or bows that are passable for modern composite bows which don't need unstrung and may be waterproof. Second the archer who trains can in fact hold down the bow for a couple of minutes. Hunters learn to so they can track the target while at draw.

Don't trust Lars Anderson too much. He is correct in that there were other modes of fighting than stationary longbow in medieval Europe. However some of his techniques involving speed and movement come from horse archer techniques. Move and shoot, among other things, does not sit well with modern archers. From tradition of antiquity, there were probably still a lot of archers who wouldn't necessarily find his techniques of archery useful, as they were massed archers in Europe.

The back quiver isn't a Hollywood myth. There were other historical quivers, but the back quiver is one. Even the hip quiver was on the back sometimes.

What he does is vindicate Hollywood, not add to the myths it has. Like most he uses fiction as a strawman like everyone else. But his no anchor point, movement, and understanding of the bow proves something I have often said is true of guns too. It is a physical weapon, and all cultural techniques are just to garantee accuracy. But Hawkeye the green arrow, and others, are like Anderson, and that is what he really what he proved. There are no rules.

As for water, add wax. Doesn't last, and historically the archers of the medieval era didn't have it or could afford it from my reading. But they could have had wax at helms deep.

More longbow over self bow is probably part of his sources too. Historical aspects are irrelevant to fiction in some cases.

Bow strings wearing out I'm not sure if it's a myth anyone committed. Maybe didn't know. But still hard to find a way to condemn a fiction for not showing.


There is debate about how often you have to unstrung a bow if it's of ancient materials. Modern make, and probably some fantasy bows, will be fine. Frequent use is said to make it unnecessary to unstrung. Others do it in case. Old modern bows end up strung and still good for years, decades even. Historically they did string and unstrung the bow. But depends on context, usage, and priority of using the bow.

I'm a writer who defends friction against lies. Read Tolkien on the secondary world, and start thinking what it fully means. Otherwise I am preparing a historical rebuttal for sword fighting armor archery and miscellaneous. Don't trust people's disbelief, even you and yours. Trust facts look harder and deeper for the truth and choose story over people.

Reply
Yaasha Moriah
3/13/2017 07:59:01 pm

Hello Anonymous! Thanks for taking the time to comment in such a thorough and informative way. I had a second video that was, essentially, a rebuttal of some of Lars Anderson's claims, but apparently it has been changed to private and is now unwatchable. (Sigh. YouTube.)

That said, I will be referring back to your post for more information as I continue to write, because you make some great points. Obviously, the supernatural or creative aspects of fantasy leave some room for varying types of bows/archery techniques/etc.

There is wisdom in drawing from a variety of resources and I appreciate learning what your research has turned up. Thank you for sharing!

Reply
Ethan link
1/3/2021 06:48:24 am

Hi thanks for shariing this

Reply



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    I write YA/adult fantasy & sci-fi that explores fantastic and interconnected worlds, with stories that burn through the darkest realities with hope and redemption.
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