The following was written for the AEthelmearc Gazette

Ask Another Laurel - Skyclad warriors.

by Caleb Reynolds

Did the Celts really fight naked?

Bronze statue of a naked Celtic warrior with horned helmet
and torc. Originally from northern Italy, and presently in the
Antikensammlung (SMPK), Berlin

We must understand that language is not constant; it is ever flowing and ever changing, based on the time and place it is uttered. A subsidy used to be an English tax on moveable goods. Now it is a payment from the government to cover in whole or in part the cost of something. Pain is different in English than in French. What was said can have quite different meanings based on context. One of my absolute favorite phrases is from Homer: "The wine-dark sea". Almost 3000 years later and that phrase still evokes imagery. And confusion. There has been this idea, that started in the 19th century, that the Greeks mixed their wine with some kind of alkaline substance that turned their red wine blue; under the assumption that the Mediterranean Sea is a clear blue, therefore "wine-dark sea" must mean blue since the ancient Greeks didn't have an equivalent word to our "blue". But in order to translate from one language to another, it is not only necessary to know both languages, but the context of the text. [1]

Oînops póntos can be literally translated to wine-faced sea, as in the red face of one who has drunk too much wine, or wine-eyed sea, or blood-shot eyed. Homer uses the phrase over a dozen times in both the Iliad and the Odyssey. In context, Homer was either describing rough seas, as like to the reddish face of a drunkard about to explode into rage, or describing the sea at sun-rise or sun-set, where the low hanging sun turns the water red. A wonderful visual of setting sail so early in the morning that the sea is red, or just reaching land as Helios departs for His slumber. Homer also uses it as an metaphor of the bloodshed Odysseus leaves behind as he moves from one island to another: the sea is figuratively stained with blood because of the actions of Nobody.

So, when writers of antiquity say that the Celts fought naked, what did they mean. Did they literally fight wearing only their birthday suits: unclothed? Or did they fight not wearing armor: unarmored? Or did the Celts fight outside of the strict formations the Romans and Greeks used: undressed, as we would say in modern, military terms. Or, did they mean something else, entirely?

We do know from ancient Roman and Greek texts that the Gauls did not fight shoulder to shoulder with interlocking shields, like the Romans or Greeks did, but in loose, open groups that could quickly be deployed from one area to another. A Roman soldier, used to fighting in a phalanx, would most definitely comment on this. A single Roman soldier, even in full armor, would be overwhelmed; their main defense was the mass formation of troops who protected one another. "Look at these barbarians. Too simple to fight in dress formation. Practically naked, out there." Diodorus Siculus wrote that the Celts, "when they are formed for battle, to step out in front of the line and to challenge the most valiant men from among their opponents to single combat, brandishing their weapons in front of them to terrify their adversaries."

The Roman Legions were also pretty unique in the ancient world. Most soldiers did not wear metal armor. Bronze and iron were expensive and turning it into armor was a luxury that most citizen-soldiers could not afford. Most soldiers were part time warriors, and conscripted farmers might have a helmet and a shield issued to them, but little else. While some veterans of war might have kept armor they had looted, most made do with the clothes on the their backs or with cloth armor, like linothorax. People slightly higher up on the wealth ladder might invest in leather armor. Professional soldiers and their commanders might have metal armor as befits their stations. But Rome equipped their Legions with standardized metal armor. From the newest recruit to the generals; the entire army was fully armored in bronze or iron. The Spartans were also fully armored in bronze but they were the exception in Greek culture and the Spartans never really had a huge standard army. [2]

Imagine if you would, you and your buddies do street racing. Y'all have some tricked out Hondas, you might have a '68 Mustang or a '73 Stingray and y'all think that y'all are the best. Then along comes a new team of racers and they all show up driving Bugatti V1100 supercars and they have their own pit crew that follows them around. That would be the the Roman Legon. You show up to fight wearing linen armor and your captain has a leather breastplate and a fancy iron helm but each Roman is wearing more metal than you see in a year and there are 10,000 of them. By comparison, the you would be figuratively naked.

We are told that the ancient Celts charged into battle, against the Roman Legions, wearing only a shield and smile. We have many contemporaneous account of the nakedness of the Celts. Nakedness was not a unusual thing in the ancient world, particularly with the Greeks and Romans, who participated in sports and games sans clothing. Depictions of gladiators represent them as wearing minimal clothing, and those that wore armor were not covered head to toe; there was plenty of skin to show the gathered crowds.

The "Battersea Shield" is a bronze Celtic shield facing from
the 4th - 1st Century BCE. The shield facing is decorated with red
enamel in the La Tene style, and was probably made in Britain. From
the British Museum in London.

But in warfare? In active combat? Do we have any actual first hand accounts?

First, I think we can set aside the statues, friezes, and victory columns of the ancient Greeks and Romans. I think that their representation of naked warriors is an artistic approach that glorifies the human body rather than an actual depiction of combat. While we do have plenty of examples of naked Roman Legionnaires fighting, in artwork, most surviving examples of the stela of dead legionnaires depict the soldier wearing armor. Christopher H. Hallett wrote in "The Roman nude: heroic portrait statuary 200 B.C.-A.D. 300" that soldiers and rulers "were given “heroic” costume (nude with weapons) basically to symbolize “agonal qualities and youthful vigor". Other writers indicate that the Romans often depicted defeated or captured enemies as naked as symbolically defenseless against the might of Rome.

But, what did the Greeks and Romans actually write? What were their contemporaneous accounts?

Plutarch wrote that the Spartans would remove their armor and charge at an enemy that the Spartans wanted to humiliate, although he does not give any exact circumstances where this might have happened. Nor does any other writer from that time period. This might be part of the Spartan myth, or might have been a tall tale invented by Plutarch, since his was the earliest mention of this behavior.

Livy tells of how the Tolistobogii of Galatia fought naked: "They did battle naked, armed with large shields, long swords, and any available stones". ("The History of Rome", Book 38) He also wrote, "The fact that they fight naked makes their wounds conspicuous and their bodies are fleshy and white, as is natural, since they are never uncovered except in battle; so that both more blood flowed from their abundant flesh and the wounds stood out to view more fearfully and the whiteness of their skins was more stained by the black blood." But, in the paragraph beforehand, Livy wrote, "Their shields, long, but not wide enough for the size of their bodies and, moreover, flat, offered poor protection to the Gauls. They had at this time no other weapons than their swords, for which there was no use, since the enemy did not meet them in hand-to-hand conflict. Stones —but not of suitable size, since they had made no preparations in advance, but took each what happened to come to his hand in his hasty search —they did use, but like men untrained in their employment, with neither skill nor strength to add effectiveness to the blow." This sounds more like the Gauls were caught off guard and unprepared than their standard battle procedure. It's backed up by Livy's comment in Book 26 where he wrote that the Tolistobogii soldiers each carried seven javelins into battle. This sounds more like Livy was trying to make a Roman victory over surprised, unprepared, unarmored soldiers a bigger deal than it was.

The Greek historian Polybius wrote about the Gaesatae, mercenaries hired by the Celtic tribes the Boii and Insubres to fight with them at the Battle of Telamon in 225BC. From Book II of "Histories": "This order of the Celtic forces, facing both ways, not only presented a formidable appearance, but was well adapted to the exigencies of the situation. The Insubres and Boii wore their trousers and light cloaks, but the Gaesatae had discarded these garments owing to their proud confidence in themselves, and stood naked, with nothing but their arms, in front of the whole army, thinking that thus they would be more efficient, as some of the ground was overgrown with brambles which would catch in their clothes and impede the use of their weapons. At first the battle was confined to the hill, all the armies gazing on it, so great were the numbers of cavalry from each host combating there pell-mell."

And then a couple of pages later: "The Romans, however, were on the one hand encouraged by having caught the enemy between their two armies, but on the other they were terrified by the fine order of the Celtic host and the dreadful din, for there were innumerable horn-blowers and trumpeters, and, as the whole army were shouting their war-cries at the same time, there was such a tumult of sound that it seemed that not only the trumpets and the soldiers but all the country round had got a voice and caught up the cry. Very terrifying too were the appearance and the gestures of the naked warriors in front, eight all in the prime of life, and finely built men, and all in the leading companies richly adorned with gold torques and armlets. The sight of them indeed dismayed the Romans, but at the same time the prospect of winning such spoils made them twice as keen for the fight. But when the javelineers advanced, as is their usage, from the ranks of the Roman legions and began to hurl their javelins in well-aimed volleys, the Celts in the rear ranks indeed were well protected by their trousers and cloaks, but it fell out far otherwise than they had expected with the naked men in front, and they found themselves in a very difficult and helpless predicament. For the Gaulish shield does not cover the whole body; so that their nakedness was a disadvantage, and the bigger they were the better chance had the missiles of going home."

Polybius is considered one of classical Europe's greatest historians. He traveled as far as he could, visiting battle sites, interviewing survivors, copying down inscriptions and after-action reports. We can take his writing perhaps not as gospel, but as the baseline of accurate reporting. I have no doubt that Polybius used the best information that he could gather. He even joined in on the combat in Carthage, in the company of Scipio Aemilianus, so that he could write effectively of what fighting in a shield wall actually felt like. That being said, eight naked warriors at the, I hesitate to say, tip of the spear, doesn't sound like a normal fighting formation. It sounds more like the behavior of champions. Or, as more modern writers would put it, as ritual sacrifices to the Celtic gods of war. To charge into battle naked, with only a sword and shield, sounds like intentional suicide. A "good death" as the Spartans would say. Some modern writers call these warriors "religious fanatics", but in that time and place, charging into battle with nothing more than a smile would make for a legendary, nay, heroic death. The stuff of legends and would guarantee a place in what ever afterlife one could ask for. It might also convey riches or privileges to one's offspring. And if you survived, you would be treated as a king.

The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, writing in the 1st century BCE, says the Celts "think so little of death that they fight wearing only a loincloth, without armour of any kind." But he also wrote "Some use iron breast-plates in battle, while others fight naked, trusting only in the protection which nature gives." So, some wore armor and some wore nothing. Writing almost two hundred years after the Battle of Telamon, Diodorus praises the Gauls' quality of armor, shields and swords while at the same time saying that they also fought naked.

Strabo, another 1st century Greek historian, wrote extensively about the Celts north of the Alps and frequently mentioned how lazy they were, while at home, and how few clothes they wore, while at home. But he also wrote, "The Gallic armour is commensurate with the large size of their bodies" and describes the armor in very decent detail.

Celtic warrior`s garments, replicas. In the museum
Kelten-Keller, Rodheim-Bieber, Germany - WikiPedia Commons

Pliny is often quoted as one of the sources for naked soldiers in battle, but while I have found several references to the Celts fighting sans armor, I was unable to find any sources of Pliny describing actual naked people fighting. Victorian translations of Trajan's Dacian Wars tell that the Dacians fought naked, but modern translations use "defenseless" instead. The Victorians also produced plenty of pictures of buff, nude Celts for their history books. I wonder if they used the literal translation for the salacious imagery rather than for the pursuit of historical accuracy.

Both Polybius and Livy wrote about the mercenaries Hannibal employed at the Battle of Cannae. Polybius describes them as fighting completely naked and Livy describes them as fighting bare chested. It must be noted that the army of Hannibal was geared for hit-and-run guerrilla warfare rather than for stand-up fighting. Lightly or unarmored troops would make sense. And there is evidence that Italy was experiencing higher than normal average temperatures during Hannibal's invasion: it is likely that his troops took every opportunity to strip down to stay cool. This might explain why Roman soldiers had such a difficult time trying to corner Hannibal: if there was a heat wave, fully armored Roman soldiers would have been hard pressed to keep up with light infantry who were able to ditch heat retaining, metal armor.

The Picts of Scotland are wildly claimed to have charged into battle naked, but Cassius Dio, one of our best sources of the Picts living North of Hadrian's Wall, never described the Picts as fighting naked, only living naked ([The Caledonians] ...they dwell in tents, naked and unshod.) Cassius describes both the Caledonians and the Maeatae tribes as "They go into battle in chariots, and have small, swift horses; there are also foot-soldiers, very swift in running and very firm in standing their ground. For arms they have a shield and a short spear, with a bronze apple attached to the end of the spear-shaft, so that when it is shaken it may clash and terrify the enemy; and they also have daggers." He also describes the pictish warriors as wearing colorful pants and cloaks with painted or tattooed bare chests.

So, we do have a few contemporaneous sources for some Celts fighting shirtless or completely in the buff, but does that mean that they all did? What examples do we have of Celts wearing armor?

Cassius Dio writing on Boudica's revolt said, "Our opponents, however, can neither pursue anybody, by reason of their heavy armour, nor yet flee; and if they ever do slip away from us, they take refuge in certain appointed spots, where they shut themselves up as in a trap."

Strabo said of the Lusitanians, Celts living on modern day Portugal and Western Spain, "[They] wear linen cuirasses; a few wear chain-wrought cuirasses and helmets with three crests, but the rest wear helmets made of sinews. The foot-soldiers wear greaves also, and each soldier has several javelins; and some also make use of spears, and the spears have bronze heads."

Appian of Alexandria, writing some two hundred years after the battle of Magnesia in the Seleucid War, described the Galatians as "mail-clad."

Gallo-Roman statue of a Gaul warrior wearing Roman clothes
and weapons - WikiPedia Commons.

The Roman historian and linguist Varro describes the word "lorica" as being derived from armor made of leather straps called lori, "but afterwards, the Gallic corselet of iron, an iron tunic made of rings, was included in the same word."

Plutarch wrote in detail about the arms and armor of the enemies of Rome. Of the Cimbri tribe, "They wore helmets, made to resemble the heads and jaws of wild beasts, and other strange shapes, and heightening these with plumes of feathers, they made themselves appear taller than they were. They had breastplates of iron, and white glittering shields; and for their offensive arms, every one had two darts, and when they came hand to hand, they used large and heavy swords." And of King Britomartus, "The king of the Gauls […] with his armour, that was adorned with gold and silver and various colours, shining like lightning. These arms seeming to Marcellus, while he viewed the enemy’s army drawn up in battalia, to be the best and fairest, and thinking them to be those he had vowed to Jupiter, he instantly ran upon the king, and pierced through his breastplate with his lance."

Plenty of ancient writers described the iron and leather armor of the soldiers of Concolitanus and Aneroëstus, the joint leaders of Celtic mercenaries who terrorized Roman settlements in Northern Italy. Diodorus Siculus wrote "For armour they use long shields, as high as a man, which are wrought in a manner peculiar to them, some of them even having the figures of animals embossed on them in bronze, and these are skillfully worked with an eye not only to beauty but also to protection."

The 2nd Century Greek geographer Pausianas wrote of the Gaulish invasion of Greece, "The Gauls were worse armed than the Greeks, having no other defensive armour than their national shields, while they were still more inferior in war experience." Pausianas was writing about "The Other Battle of Thermopylae" which took place in the 3rd century BCE. The above line was written a few paragraphs after, "Hither Brennus sent some ten thousand Gauls, picking out the swimmers and the tallest men; and the Celts as a race are far taller than any other people. So these crossed in the night, swimming over the river where it expands into a lake; each man used his shield, his national buckler, as a raft, and the tallest of them were able to cross the water by wading." This sounds more like an unarmored strike force than a full company of soldiers. Particularly if they had to swim across a river. This might reinforce the idea of naked Celts if this strike force striped down to their ancient skivies in order to swim across the river. Pausianas does not describe the armor of the Celts, during the invasion, in any detail: armor was only mentioned in passing, as in this paragraph about the Celts and Phoncians, who were allies, mistaking each other for the enemy: "So rushing to arms they divided into two parties, killing and being killed, neither understanding their mother tongue nor recognizing one another's forms or the shape of their shields. Both parties alike under the present delusion thought that their opponents were Greek, men and armour, and that the language they spoke was Greek, so that a great mutual slaughter was wrought among the Gauls by the madness sent by the god."

But, equal in number are the references to the clothing worn by the Celts, what we might call plaid, today, and their heavy cloaks of wool. I think that this is keeping with the fact that most soldiers on the ancient battle field were only part time soldiers and farmers don't need fancy armor for the occasional fight they might be involved in. We also have plenty of sources describing how the Celts fought bare chested, showing off tattoos or body paint. In fact, the word Pict comes to us from the Roman Picti, meaning painted one. I think that we can draw the conclusion that without armor, many Celts attempted to use intimidation and bluster to cow their opponents. Think of modern football fans at a game, bare chested and covered in body paint, hooting and hollaring. Or, go on the YouTubes and watch a Haka challenge. Either one from a rugby match or from the Māori themselves: unarmored and covered in tattoos, shouting a challenge at anyone who would dare to stand up to them. You don't need armor if people are too afraid to fight you.

I could possibly write a book about all of the ancient references to ancient Celtic armor, and the various translations of ancient text, so I will end this with one final note. If the Celts regularly fought naked, why didn't Julius Caesar, in his "Commentaries on the Gallic Wars", mention it once? Nine years of observations and not once does he mention naked Celts. He does describe the armor the Gauls wore, and the clothing worn by the unarmored soldiers, but no salacious account of naked people. The closest I was able to find was a mention of how King Teutomarus managed to escape from a surprise attack, wounded and bare chested.

So, I think that we can make the following conclusions:

1) Warriors stripping naked on the battle field was such a rare occurrence that it had to be mentioned.

2) Soldiers surprised in their encampments did not take the time to get dressed before rushing to defend themselves.

3) There were circumstances that required the Celts to remove their clothes, i.e.: extreme heat, swimming across a river.

4) Most Celtic participants on the battle field weren't full-time soldiers and did not have any armor to wear and chose to look menacing by going bare chested and showing off body paint or tattoos, like some uber-macho shirts vs skins game.

5) Language changed over the years and, after a century or two, sometimes exact details were lost or were changed to make for a better story.

6) The underlining sub-text of Greek and Roman artwork was interpreted literally by historians.




[1] I have tried to use, for this article, the very latest English translations of sources that I could get my hands on, under the assumption that modern translators would be better equipped to deal with shifting language and meaning.
[2] Perhaps 9000 able-bodied male citizens at most, in all of Sparta, with about half on active service at any one time. The Spartan Agoge method of training children to be soldiers, and full citizens, was brutal and we really don't know how many children died, or were crippled, each year, but it was enough that female full citizens outnumbered male citizens by two to one. The 292 Spartans captured at Sphakteria (425BCE) were a considerable percentage of Spartan's active fighting force. But, that is a subject for another article.

Scroll Text - Godzimir the Golden - Scarlet Guard 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Martial Award

Come hear the Targeted words of Gareth and Juliana, King and Queen of Sylvan AEthelmearc. We call to the Line Godzimir the Golden and ask them to stiffen their Spine as they kneel before the Crown. We see that you Quiver with the anticipation of why We have called you forward and We see that your Limbs tremble as We have you within Our Sights. We do not wish to Hold you too long or Draw this out any further than We have to, so Brace yourself. To get straight to the Point, your skills with archery are as good as Gold. Not to Nock your skills on the range, but We are also very impressed with the number of hours you have spent as a marshal. We wondered how one could spend enough time on the range to prefect their skills as well as marshal and teach others. It is, indeed, the Archer's Paradox. Call us Crécy, but We think you deserve to be included into the Noble Order of the Scarlet Guard; a fantastic Grouping of people, and grant you arms with no strings attached. We see no Drawbacks to your inclusion, as We know that this induction will only increase your Serving to the Kingdom. This Bolt decision was done by Our hands on the 28th dat of October, AS58, at Agincourt. 

  The following was written for the AEthelmearc Gazette

Ask Another Laurel: Water, Water Everywhere

By Caleb Reynolds, who takes you for a walk in the woods and points out the rabbit holes.

Is it true that no one in medieval Europe drank plain water because they didn't trust it?

The short answer is "no". 

The long answer is "noooooooooooo".

Coldbath spring 

But, weren't prisoners given only bread and water as a punishment? Well, yes. In a way. Being confined to bread and water was a standard method of treating prisoners, and it was a punishment used by the church levied on people who broke ecclesiastical law or who committed cardinal sins. For example, the 11th-century writer Burchard of Worms offers this penalty against people who swore against God. "If thou hast sworn by God’s hair or by His head or made use of any other blasphemous expression against God, if thou hast done so but once unwittingly, thou shalt do penance for seven days on bread and water. If after having been upbraided for it thou hast done it a second or a third time, thou shalt do penance for fifteen days on bread and water." The Penitential of Columban states that a cleric who begets a child must do penance of seven years pilgrimage, with only bread and water for sustenance.

But we must remember that the punishment wasn't the bread and water: for the most part, the bread and water was of good quality. There are plenty of cases where the bread was moldy or the water was stagnant or dirty, but those were the exception rather than the rule. Most people who were confined to bread and water were expected to live through the punishment, so they weren't poisoned; mostly it was a temporary punishment. But, again, the punishment wasn't the bread and water; the punishment was not having anything better. No bacon, no ale, no wine, no mocha frappuccinos. Only the basic food and drink to keep you alive. 

Water was, is, and always has been, the most important beverage for every living person that ever existed. It was not only the most important ingredient in cooking and brewing, but it was consumed straight up. Yes there are more references to drinking beer, wine, mead, etc. than to drinking water because water was so common. If you were to read through a year's worth of cooking magazines, you will find a thousand references to beer, wine, spirits, tea and coffee for each reference to drinking plain water. Future historians might assume that water was rarely consumed, on its own, in our lifetimes, if they only had access to Bon Appetit. But, the words of our ancestors do clearly tell us that they drank water. Ovid wrote in Epistoloe Ex Ponto (12-13AD), "There is no small pleasure in sweet water. [Lat., Est in aqua dulci non invidiosa voluptas.]" 

From Baccaccio's 14th century "The Decameron": "And when they descended to inspect the huge, sunlit courtyard, the cellars stocked with excellent wines, and the well containing abundant supplies of fresh, ice-cold water, they praised [their lodgings] even more." Ælfric of Eynsham wrote in the 10th century, “Ale if I have any, or water if I have no ale.” A Brother Leonard of the monastery of St. Jacques, in Liège, wrote, in the 14th century, “Avoid small and strong ale and beer, unless very old or sour. But wine or water and the like, however, take as drink." In the 6th century, the monastery of St. Gwenolé's at Landevenec in Brittany, required that the monks were only to drink "water and what could be made of the fruit of woodland or wild trees" and that they were to drink “no liquor of grapes nor honey, neither milk nor ale”. 

A Swiss Friar, named Felix Fabri, wrote a lengthy account of his pilgrimage to Jerusalem (late 15th Century). He wrote that water is the usual drink of the ordinary pilgrim, although those rich enough brought their own wine. He also recommended avoiding the strong wines of Cyprus, unless they were watered down. He recommended that pilgrims carry at least 2 bottles; one for water and the other well hidden for wine to avoid the disapproval of the Muslims, once they arrived in Palestine. Friar Felix frequently commented on the flavor of various streams and wells that they stopped at, on their way to and from the Holy Land. Some of them he spoke of highly. The water of the Jordan River, however, had little to recommend it except the religious connections: "It was not very pleasant to drink, being warm, and as muddy as a swamp." Very well off pilgrims were instructed to buy three nice barrels: two for wine and one for water. "The best water for keeping is to drawn at St. Nicholas, and when that is used fill the barrel again at any port of call." "The Pilgrims Guide To Santiago De Compostela", written in the 12th Century, is a travel guide for pilgrims telling of dangers to avoid and sites to see on your pilgrimage. It tells which rivers you can safely drink from and which are unsafe.

Water was the requisite drink during fasts, particularly the more solemn ones, when only bread and water were consumed.  Again, they were giving up everything that would have tasted better; they were not trying to poison themselves with foul water. People categorized the quality sources such as rain, spring, well, river, lake, snow, and ice. Pure spring water was considered the best and stagnant water was the worse. Bartholomew the Englishman, in the 1200's, ranked spring water from a northward flowing spring as being the best water to drink; in decreasing order came river water, lake water, pond water and then swamp water. With these came the warning that water not from a spring was often poisonous and should always be boiled, which clearly means that Bartholomew understood that bad water could be made good, if it was boiled, although we can assume that he knew nothing of pathological microbiology. 

Soldiers and sailors took considerable time and effort to make sure that fresh water was barreled and transported while on the march or at sea. Early long distance sailing was made up of short hops from one source of fresh water to another, so that the ships would not have to carry more than a few days worth of water. Modern recommendation for soldiers in the field call for 2 to 10 liters of water per soldier per day, depending on the environment, temperature and activity. There is no reason to assume that these quantities would be any less for medieval soldiers or sailors. These amounts of water would take of a lot of space aboard a ship or require a long baggage train to carry. Journeys were planned on where to get fresh water to refill stock for the next leg of the journey.

Crusaders lost the Battle of Hattin (1187) because they did not bring enough water for the journey from Sapphorie towards Tiberias. Experts on modern logistics calculated that only enough water was brought for a journey of three days; the time it would take a fast horse and rider to make the journey. But an army of 20 to 30,000 infantry would have needed at least a week to cover the same distance. A common tactic, in desert warfare, was to fortify water sources to prevent the enemy from reaching it, which is what Saladin did at the Horns of Hattin. Extreme warfare called for poisoning the water to sicken or kill large numbers of the enemy. 

Natural springs, sometimes called holy wells, were common and well used. London had 20 such holy wells at the time of the Norman Conquest. William FitzStephen, a monk, wrote around 1180, "There are also in the northern suburbs of London springs of high quality, with water that is sweet, wholesome, clear, and whose runnels ripple amid pebbles bright. Among which Holywell, Clerkenwell and St. Clement's Well have a particular reputation; they receive throngs of visitors and are especially frequented by students and young men of the city, who head out on summer evenings to take the country air." The Lady Well was close to Ladywell Road, west of the river Ravensbourne. It had probably been a holy well dedicated, like the nearby church, to St Mary the Virgin. The first known record of it dates from 1592. It supplied water to the nearby buildings until the building of a sewer in Ladywell Road in 1855 caused it to run dry.

An Italian food and health manual from the 14th century recommends water in the following fashion: "Warm Water (Aqua Calida) Nature: Cold and humid in the second degree. Optimum: Lukewarm and sweet. Usefulness: It cleans the stomach lining. Dangers: It weakens the mechanism of digestion. Neutralization of the dangers: By mixing it with rose water."

In addition, we have quite a number of laws that were written to protect the water supply. A regulation from Paris in 1296, for example, stipulated that no cloth was to be bleached within six feet of any well. Laws were written, in various towns and cities, dictating where laundry could be washed; where tanners could set up shop; where butchers could dump their offal: all downstream of where people got their drinking water. Regulations from the Roman Legions, in force up until the 5th century AD, clearly detailed the punishments for letting horses, donkeys, or oxen drink water upstream of where soldiers collected their drinking water.

Records across Europe indicate the importance of clean drinking water, as well as the time and effort spent in providing easy access to it. The Franciscan Friary, in Southampton, built a sophisticated system of pipes, in 1304, to transport water over almost 2km from a natural spring. The delivery system provided enough water for the Friary's brewery, kitchen, fountains, water mills and laundry with enough left over to provide fresh water to the village of Southampton.  Archaeological evidence indicates that vast sums were spent on water delivery systems to towns and cities. In addition to the ancient Roman and Greek aqueducts, many of which were in constant use up until the 20th century, new aqueducts were built in the Middle Ages. Castelnau, in the south of France, built an aqueduct to provide water to the village, in 1433. Sometime between then and 1665 the aqueduct was expanded and a water pond was build to catch and hold rainwater.

Leon Battista Alberti, a 15th century engineer, wrote the following in "De Re Aedificatoria", “Since a city requires a large amount of water not only for drinking, but also for washing, for gardens, tanners and fullers, and drains, and — this is very important — in case of sudden outbreak of fire, the best should be reserved for drinking, and the remainder distributed according to need.” In the 12th century, the Belgian town of Ypres built 23km of pipes that supplied 891 public and private cisterns. Excavations in 1847 uncovered wood and lead pipes up to 11.5cm in diameter. Town records in 1280 show that the town appointed 4 pipemasters to oversee the water system and to issue fines to anyone who polluted the water system. In 13th century London, the city council began constructions on what was then called "The Great Conduit", which was a complex network of pipes and pumps that brought water from a fresh spring at Tyburn to large cisterns at Cheapside, which then fed local cisterns and wells all across London. Most people either drew their water from the nearest well or paid a “water cob”, or water-carrier, to bring them water in a pair of 3 gallon buckets suspended from a yoke carried across the cob's shoulders. 

The Venerable Bede wrote that King Edwin of Northumbria “established a benefit for his people in that in many places where clear springs or streams ran by well-used roads, where they were most frequented he ordered posts with bronze bowls hung on them to be set up for the refreshment of travelers.” Michelangelo, the famous Renaissance artist and turtle, was advised to drink water from a spring outside of Rome. “I am much better than I have been." he wrote to his doctor. "Morning and evening I have been drinking the water from a spring about forty miles from Rome, which breaks up the [kidney] stone … I have had to lay in a supply at home and cannot drink or cook with anything else.” Lupus Servatus, the 9th century Abbot of Ferrieres, in Bordeaux, wrote, “Let us make use of a healthy, natural drink which will sometimes be of benefit to both body and soul ... if it is drawn not from a muddy cistern but from a clear well or the current of a transparent brook.” 

We must acknowledge that given a choice, most people would choose a flavored beverage over plain water, but we all drink water. We must also acknowledge that in the days before modern water treatment, drinking plain water could be hazardous to one's health: microscopic pathogens can sicken and kill a person even if that person doesn't know a thing about germ theory. Our medieval ancestors might not have understood the mechanisms of invisible water born diseases, but they knew that if the water was cloudy, or smelled, it was probably not safe to drink. Boiling the water to make soup, ale, mead, or much later, coffee and tea, made the water safer to drink. But I am confident that if we were to offer a cup of clean, cold water to a random person anytime in the far past, it would be much appreciated. 

Wax Well in Middlesex, dates back to 1274

One last note, and a spark to light one's imagination: London's "Great Conduit" was so sophisticated that the water could be shut off for any given area, not only for repairs, but for public celebrations. We have records of the cisterns being filled with wine and pumped out to all local wells in celebration of Edward I's return from Crusade as well as for the coronation of Richard II. So much wine was used that all citizens of London could drink their fill all day long. If anyone is looking for a research project: enjoy. 

Strange thought running through my head.

I have an interesting thought about how literature can influence perception. I don't have a coherent idea of what to do with this thought, though. Most people view history through fiction, for better or for worse. "Braveheart" was an awful movie in regards to actual history, but most people who watched the movie truly think that the Scots painted themselves blue and charged into battle wearing kilts. Errol Flynn is the image of Robin Hood that most of the world has of a person that mostly likely did not exist, and an image of England that is very incorrect.

On the one hand, we have Umberto Eco's "Name of the Rose", a book so well researched that first time readers might think it was an actual translation of a medieval manuscript. And on the other hand, we have Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe", a book that completely rewrites 12th century English history (as well as fires up gross anti-semitism, creating some myths that are still kicking around, today). "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is the high schooler's first look at 15th century Paris, even though most of the themes in the novel relate to 19th century Paris' rush to modernize the skyline. "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Crucible" have left an indelible mark on millions of minds about who the pilgrims were and how they viewed the world.

This thought is kicking around in my head, but I don't know where to take it.

Thoughts about micro-research

 I like writing.

I also like researching.

I like tripping over the rabbit holes. 

I don't have anything in mind for another year-long research project, but I do want to keep writing about useless, yet interesting, things. The little articles I've been writing for the AE Gazette do allow me to spend a week or so to expand my knowledge about something, and then write a couple thousand words about that something. I can take my time on each article and have fun with each one. Two have already been published, a third submitted, and a fourth in the editing phase. The "Ask Another Laurel" project was suggested by Patrick at my Laurel vigil as a monthly joke article; kind of like "The Onion" only for research. The underling joke being, if you don't like my explanation, ask another Laurel. However, on the way home I was thinking about subjects for this project; plausible, yet fake, articles designed just for humor. I was going through my brain trying to think of things to write about. I had thought about writing about how Christopher Columbus was actually trying to sail to Scotland to get some chicken tikka masala and was so bad at his job that he ended up in what is now Haiti/Dominican Republic. 

Yes, chicken tikka masala was created in Glasgow in the 1970s.

But, the more I thought about how jokey I could make it, I kept being drawn back to how bad a navigator Columbus was and why he is considered by some to be the GOAT of sailing, and why people think that he was the only one to think the Earth was round. And the more I thought about it, the more interested I became in using the virtual space to produce some micro-research about things that I find neat and what I think others would also find neat. 

Since Pax, I have compiled a list of topics to present. Enough topics to keep me busy for the next year, assuming that I only write one per month. I have a list of questions that I already know the answers to, but will enjoy expanding my own knowledge as I try to put words to paper. I also hope that I can inspire others to dip their toes into the pool of research. My area of expertise is with Medieval Western Europe; with hope I can inspire some people who know about Eastern Europe, or the Middle East, or China, or North Africa. The SCA is, at it's core, a teaching non-profit. Yes, we do sword fighting and archery and dance and other things. But what sets the SCA apart from other re-enactment/LARP groups is our stated goal to teach about the middle ages. All knowledge is useful, even the ones that come from the most useless sounding questions. 

Scroll Text - Marcos - Baronial Chivalry Champion 2023

Baron of the Rhydderich Hael - Courtesy Award

To all seeing these present letters, the nobles and gentles of the Rhydderich Hael wish upon them enjoyment of perpetual peace. Since those things which are done lapse with the passage of time, and unless they are corroborated by written testimony, will easily slip the memories of people, and be forgotten, we wish it to be known to all people both now and in the future that we, Magnus and Thalia, 13th Baron and Baroness of the Rhydderich Hael, for the preservation of that true nobility and the constant courtesy we have in Marcos, have named him as our Baronial Chivalry Champion. Therefore, in order that no calumny may arise in the future, and in order that all doubt may be removed, we have strengthened this gift of ours, corroborating it in writing and signed it with our hands at Summer's End, the 23rd day of September, AS58, in the Canton of Beau Flueve.

Inspired by the Grant of a House at Riga to the Men of Lübeck, 1231

Scroll Text - Joe the Slient - Keystone 2023

Scroll Text - Joe the Slient - Keystone 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Service Award

Pay attention to the following words of Gareth and Juliana, King and Queen of Sylvan AEthelmearc. Know that We, taking thought for the future of the Kingdom, are making this provision on the account of the actions of quiet service to Our Barony and Our Kingdom of Joe, known as The Silent. Seen but rarely heard. We do demand that the Noble Order of the Keystone do take him within the said Noble Order and make him welcome and show him respect and comradery so that he might find comfort and refuge on those rare occasions where he wishes to take a break from the service that he offers. We decree that these things that have been rightly been awarded by Us and by Our Predecessors should not be disturbed through any kind of subterfuge, deception, or trickery. So do We sign this document with Our own hands on this 23rd day of September, AS58, in the Canton of Beau Flueve, at Summer's End. 

Inspired by English Charter S20 - A.D. 699 (Cilling, 8 April). Wihtred, king of Kent, to the churches and monasteries of Kent; confirmation of privileges. 

 

Scroll Text - Bardic Competition - Summer's End 2023

Barony of the Rydderich Hael - A&S Tourney

Magnus and Thalia did mobilize the Muses to make a memorable meeting of merriment. Melodious music, magnificent monologues, not to mention marvelous masterpieces of mythical mayhem were mouthed by models of minstrels. Although mirth was managed, only one can be the medalist. And thus, Magnus and Thalia, mini-monarchs of majestic Beau Fleuve and mighty Rhydderich Hael, do manifest ____________________________ as the most meritorious at the Summer's End Bardic Match. Done this much mild 23rd day of September, AS58, in the Canton of Beau Flueve. 

Progression part 2

Another progression comparison. 

The image on the left is my scroll #33 from 2012. The one on the right is scroll #511 finished up today. Same source material but better paper, better paint, more practice and a greater idea of what I am doing. In the last 11 years I have sat in on I don't know how many classes on illumination and spoke with as many scribes as I could about technique and process. I have learned to use less paint but to use the paint more efficiently. Using multiple layers of paint to build up the shading rather than slopping on a thick layer and using black ink to make shadows. Now I put more layers of paint where I want the shadows. My white work was non-existent way back then and now I have a clue of how to use white paint and ink to bring out the high lights. I am going through my early work and re-doing the images that I used period sources to show myself that I have indeed learned something and to help me pin point the areas that I need more instruction and practice. This past couple of weeks I learned how much of a difference a couple of drops of ox gall can make on persnickety paint.

I highly recommend keeping notes on what materials you use and what classes you take. And keep good quality pictures of your work so that you can see your progression. 

Both are inspired by the 12th century English Psalter MS G.43 fol. 102r.

Progression 2023

 Another retrospective on improvement.

This month, I was at a loss as to what to work on, scribal-wise. I had no scroll assignments and little to no motivation to do any work. To give myself a metaphoric kick in the ass, I decided on re-doing some of my early work; images I did when I started working on illumination. I went through my Flikr account and picked some images that I had not re-done since way back when. And images from actual period sources instead of the fantasy pieces that I had done. 

On the left is scroll number 38 (I had started numbering my scrolls when I started the A&S 50 project) completed in July 2011. On the right is scroll number 509, completed today. Both are inspired by MS G.43 fol. 99v (England, perhaps Canterbury, ca. 1180).

On both images, I didn't stick with the source material's colors, but had my own idea of what I wanted them to look like. On the older image, I can clearly see that I had slapped paint on the paper without any clue as to what I was doing. The older image was on Bristol cotton/wood pulp blended paper, 140# hot press; the newer image is on Arches 100% cotton 140# hot press paper. The older image I think was done completely with Reaves gouache while the newer one was done with Windsor & Newton gouache, except for the brown, which was also Reaves. 

In addition, the blue of the newer image had the addition of ox gall. The blue was being difficult and I couldn't stop if from looking blotchy. Friends suggested a couple of drops of ox gall, which did help greatly. 

The gold on the newer image was lumped on unevenly; I like how the lumpy surface catches and reflects the light better than a smooth surface. Aside from that, I am using less paint, but I've learned to use it better. Instead of one think layer, I learned to paint several very thin layers of gouache. The thinner layers dry faster, and each layer worth of pigment has a greater chance of scattering light as the light passes through each layer until it reaches the white of the paper, where the photons are reflected back through the layers of paint, further scattering the light.  The end result is deeper and richer colors

The white dots on the blue background enhance the blue, making it brighter and covers up any unevenness of the top layer of pigment. I used Windsor and Newton white ink applied with a pen. The source image just had a solid color as the background, but I think the white dots adds some depth to the image and helps the grotesque stand out. 

This is not the first time I have posted my illumination progression on this blog, but I feel that going through my notes and memories is good for me to see what I learned and the steps and lessons that brought me closer to doing excellent scribal work. I recommend any beginner scribe who might read this to keep notes on what materials you use and what classes you take. Scan all of your work and number them so that you can better track your work. Since we give our work away, only by scanning our work allows us to keep a copy of the gifts we give to others.

 The following was written for the AEthelmearc Gazette, 8/22/23

 Ask Another Laurel: The Renaissance?

Caleb Reynolds gets that thing off of the top shelf for you.

When did the Renaissance start?

This is a very good question because there is no definitive answer. Historians throw out a multitude of dates from 1350 to 1600 with no rhyme or reason. Historians agree that the Renaissance started at the end of the Medieval period but, again, no one can agree on a single date. Some use 1453 since it was the fall of Constantinople to the Muslims. 1400 is thrown around as the start date because that is when Europeans "rediscovered" ancient Greek and Roman texts. (Texts which were translated and copied in the 10th and 11th Centuries) Some use 1456 since it was around the year Gutenberg printed the bible on his movable type. Some use 1485 which was the end of the Plantagenet and the start of the Tudor dynasty. Some use 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Some use 1517 since that was the year Martin Luther said that he had 95 problems but a Pope wasn't one. Some even use 1604 since that was the first recorded use of the "medieval" to describe the period between the death of the Roman empire and its "current" rebirth, or Renaissance. There is even a movement to rename parts of the middle ages as "Proto-Renaissance" because some do not feel that Medieval Europeans could possibly have developed humanism or mathematics, that it had to have been developed in a more enlightened time.

The problem is that there is no one singular year that we can say that Europe fundamentally changed like we can with 1066, the agreed upon start of the Middle Ages. In 1066, Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, invaded England with an estimated 10,000 Norwegian soldiers, 2,000 Scottish soldiers, and another 1,500 English exiles allied with Tostig Godwinson. Harald and the majority of his troops were killed by Harald Godwinson and his English forces. Of an initial 300 longships, it is written that only enough men survived to fill 20 or 25 ships to return home. This was a staggering loss for Norway and destabilized that part of the world for years as Harald's 16 year old son, Olaf, was crowned king. A few weeks later, Harald Godwinson and a good chunk of English nobility were killed by Duke William of Normandy, who at the same time he was a vassal of the King of France, became King of England, starting a political crisis that would directly lead to the Hundred Years War. William also started a huge castle building program to secure his hold on England, which also kicked off a massive ship building program to transport stone over the channel. This also sparked innovation in ship design as the traffic of people, building supplies, and goods across the Channel increased by an order of magnitude. Normans were also invading Sicily and Southern Italy, which was to change the religious and political dynamics there for the next 80 years. The Byzantine Empire was being threatened by the migration of Seljuk Turks and would soon call for the first of many Crusades. The Granada Massacre occurred in Spain, which rekindled the Reconquista and became another war zone for Normans to fight in. Plenty of minor wars in the German states as princes jockeyed for power in a civil war with the Holy Roman Emperor. And we can't forget the rise of the Benedictine order as a major political powerhouse, partially due to William's gifting of almost 1/5th of the land of England to the Church as a penance for his invasion, (which might have something to do with William's claim that the Pope personally blessed his invasion; a claim that there is no evidence of actually happening) which started a monastery building program that would last centuries. 

So many important things happened in 1066 that historians can clearly state that the political, military, social, and economic outlook of 1067 and later years were directly affected by major events in 1066. There is no similar year in the late Middle Ages where things changed so completely, other than in 1348, which was the start of the Black Death in Europe. But even with losing 50 to 60% of the population of the continent in a single decade, things carried on as best they could. People died but governments, churches, and guilds didn't really change. They adapted to the huge loss of life, but they didn't go away or change quickly or radically. Even the development of the printing press didn't change Europe overnight, it took decades for printed books to ingrain themselves into society. Some historians make the argument that the Middle Ages ended with the end of feudalism but the problem is that feudalism didn't end overnight all throughout Europe; the Black Death started the process but it took a half a century before anything major changed in that aspect of the social contract. Feudalism was going strong in Poland and Hungary well into the 16th Century and we can make a convincing argument that feudalism was still in practice in Russia up until the end of the 19th Century. 

Since movable type became a common place thing throughout all of Europe by 1500, we might as well use that as the date of the start of the Renaissance. The wide spread availability of not only knowledge of the ancient Greeks and Romans but of contemporary scholars is considered to be the hallmark of the Renaissance, even though the influence of Medieval European and Arabic scholars is ignored. It is estimated that in the 50 years from when Gutenberg developed his technology, some 1 million books were printed in Europe, in some 280 cities, by a 1,000 presses. 1500 is nice round number and easy to remember. And, it is as good a year as any.

Scroll Text - Duncan of Steltonwald - Silver Alce 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Martial Award

Hear these words, oh noble crowd, of Andreas and Kallista. We wish it to be known, to all people, that for the skill and deed of arms that We have witnessed, We have agreed with Our advisors and judges that those aforementioned skills and deeds are worthy of note and proclaim and that Our welbeloved Duncan of Steltonwald should be from this moment on be included into the Noble Order of the Silver Alce, done on the fields of Pennsic in the presence of the finest Knights, Gages, and Alces who shall bare witness to Our Will. Done by Our hands in the Year of the Society 58.

based, in part, on Coinage Agreement Between Hamburg and Lübeck, 1255.

Scroll Text - Adriane Brezel Neumann - Court Baroness 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Court Barony

In the Name of the Society, We Andreas and Kallista, King and Queen of the dwellers of AEthelmearc, acting in foresight for Ourselves in the future, and for Our Heirs, and for Their Heirs, have decided to give to her who gives all things to Our Kingdom and Our fellow Kingdoms, and, having received advice it seems good to Grant a Coronet to Adriane Brezel Neumann and make her a Baroness of Our Court and charge her with keeping these lands nearby the very well-known boundaries that are called "Interstate 79" and "State Route 422", as well as "Currie Road" and "Cooper Road" and all of the lakes, ponds, hills, trails, stores, camp grounds, bath houses, markets, and coffee shops to be found there in. We wish this gift of Ours to be steadfast in perpetuity so that neither We nor Our heirs should presume to diminish anything. If anything otherwise should be attempted by any person, let them know that they are transgressing under an interdict of anathema that would last until the sun burns out. In confirmation of this account We place our marks on this Warrant in the presence of the Landed Barony of AEthelmearc and the subjects there in, signed Andreas, King, and Kallista, Queen. Done at Pennsic 50, in glorious Cooper's Lake.

 

 S29 - A.D. 697 or 712 (July). Wihtred, king of Kent, to St Mary's Church, Lyminge; grant of 4 sulungs (aratra) at Pleghelmestun, Kent. Latin with bounds

Scroll Text - Marsaili Mac Lochlainn  - Sycamore 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - A&S Award

Come hear the words of the King and Queen of AEthelmearc, right trusty and welbeloved. Forasmuch as We, of Our special grace, in consideration of the true and faithful service which Our welbeloved servant Marsaili Mac Lochlainn hath done unto Us and Our Kingdom, know that We have avowed and award unto her a place within our Noble Order of the Sycamore where We had noticed her absence before hand. We further give her leave to wear the badge of the Order as she sees fit for one of her station and further give unto her all said rights and duties of the Order and demand that the Order receive and admit the said Marsaili Mac Lochlainn without delay; and these Our Letters shall be your Warrant. Given under Our Seal at the fields of Pennsic, AS58 and signed with Our marks as: 

Andreas - King and Kallista - Queen.

Inspired by Signet Letter for the Issue of Letters under the Privy Seal only (20 Nov., 16 Edward IV)

 Scroll Text - Cassia Carataca - Sycamore 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - A&S Award

Cassia Carataca, come hear the commands of Andreas and Kallista, King and Queen of AEthelmearc. It has been commented and conveyed to us about the cramped and compact capital letters that you have constructed and colored. So many comments have been communicated to us that We had to see with Our Own eyes your creative and coveted calligraphy that covers the confines of the minuscule card stock that you cover from corner to corner that We were so moved that We did Confer with the Noble Order of the Sycamore and charged them to make you comfortable within the Order where you may find camaraderie and confab with the council of the Order and achieve even smaller scrolls. And thus, like Caesar and his Consort, do We confidently confirm Our committal and make this consignment at Our Castle at the Pennsic Wars, AS 58.

You got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them....

What Happens When Your Argument Falls Apart

 

So, I was looking for topics for some micro-research and I was going through the origins of medieval games. I had written about the history of bowling and turned my sights towards horseshoes. Modern books about games universally state that the game horseshoes started n the middle ages but none of them give any details. I realized that this would be a perfect topic to research. I had, however, taken a skeptical view on the subject in light of the lack of any medieval details listed in books on games. The same books did list basic information about the origins of bocce, lawn bowling, and other games that were played in the middle ages. But, nothing was listed for horseshoes.

I started researching and found no manuscript images of people playing horseshoes, nor any laws prohibiting the game. In my mind, I was convinced that the game did not exist in the middle ages and started looking for reasons to backup my belief. I started with the cost of a horseshoe: 3 to 5 pennies each in 15th century England. Not outrageous, but a day's wages for the common laborer. Modern rules have standardized on two shoes per player. So, almost a week's wages for just the shoes. Presumably used shoes would be cheaper, but harder to throw as they might not have been worn down evenly.

I next looked at the history of horseshoes. The ancient Romans had horseshoes, but they were nothing more than a metal plate sewed to the bottom of a leather bag that was tied around the feet of the horse. Not exactly throwing material. Yes, I realize that the metal can be removed from the bag, but I was building up an argument. Early medieval horseshoes were also metal plates, roundish pieces of flat metal with a half-moon notch at the rear so that the metal won't rub against the heal bulb. In my mind, this style of shoe couldn't be used to play horseshoes. The next development in horseshoe technology was in the early 15th century when we start to see the familiar horseshoe shape in manuscript images and in surviving shoes. These certainly could be used to play horseshoes but I was still unable to find any reference to horseshoes being used in a game. I had built up an idea in my head that even worn shoes were still too valuable to, forgive the pun, throw away. The iron would be heated and beaten into a new shoe or into something else.

I did a deep dive into the history of the game of horseshoes and managed to trace the game back to the Napoleonic war. Wellington had ordered up literally tons of horseshoes for his campaign and had them stockpiled in Portugal while his troops were massing and training. Bored British soldiers created a game they called ringers. Soldiers were pitching horseshoes at a bayonet stuck upright, into the ground. The rules they came up with were basically the same as modern, regulation horseshoes.

So. In my mind, I made a case that horseshoes, or ringers, wasn't a medieval game, but one from the 19th century. I thought that I had an air-tight case: the cost of the horseshoes; the lack of any manuscript images; the development of the "proper" shape to play the game; and the clear birth in the 19th century. Except all I had done was show that the game called ringers was invented in the 19th century, I had not shown that no one played a game involving horseshoes prior to then. The lack of evidence does not mean that the evidence was never there. I was working under the false pretense that the game had to have been played as it is now, with a metal upright that one would throw a curved horseshoe against.

What killed my argument was my discovery of a game played in Scotland that was documented to the late 12th Century. Flat stones, much like skipping stones, were thrown under hand at a large rock. The goal was to come closest to the rock without hitting it. Each player had two stones to pitch, one after the other. The references I found did not give this game a name, so I'm going to call it *bonk*, because if you hit the rock with your stone, it will make a "bonk" noise. If *bonk* can be played with flat stones, it can be played with flat horseshoes. In fact, it would be a better game since the iron shoes would make a "clang" noise if they hit the rock. I'm going to call this version of the game *clang*.

Imagine, if you would, a blacksmith and a farrier waiting for the apprentice to build up the fire so that they can start their day, just killing time playing *clang* with worn out shoes. There is no reason to think that if the game of horseshoes did exist in one form or another, that it was a wide spread game. It might have been only played by blacksmiths and farriers who would have had an almost unlimited supply of horseshoes as well as downtime in which to play. Now, this is speculation, since there are no manuscript images of anyone pitching horseshoes, but plenty of images of blacksmiths making them. But, it does show that it might have been possible that this was a medieval game that was invented in the early middle ages in Scotland, refined and played by blacksmiths as a private game, and eventually, taught to British soldiers during the Napoleonic war. The game became popular in England after the war and was eventually introduced to America.

All of this meant that I had to abandon my theory that horseshoes was a modern game that was incorrectly attributed to the middle ages. While I was unable to find any evidence that it was played, I couldn't maintain an argument that it could not have been played. I was able to poke a hole in each one of my points. In the end, I had to give up and switch over to another topic to research. Even though I wasn't able to write an article on my theory, I was able to use my notes and conclusions for this post detailing my failure. There are far too many books and magazine articles that draw conclusions from incomplete or erroneous information; we have to learn to identify when we are wrong about something and to cease looking for facts that support our pre-arrived conclusions. If you are making the argument that no one in the middle ages painted their armor, if you find a single, surviving example of painted armor, then you have to abandon your argument. Or at the very least, change it: "Due to this one sumptuary law, no one under the rank of knight painted their armor, in this one place." This is just an example; I haven't done any research into painted armor.

Ask Another Laurel: The Humoral Theory

 The following was written for the AEthelmearc Gazette, 7/18/23

Ask Another Laurel

Caleb Reynolds answers questions no one asks.

Isn't the humoral theory of disease just horse-hockey and should be ridiculed? 

Not necessary, would be the quick answer. 

In reality, the humoral theory was the predominate medical theory and practice used in medieval Europe. The theory divides human health into four humors, which corresponded to the four elements. Blood was hot and wet like air (the theory originated in Ancient Greece). Phlegm was cold and wet like water. Yellow bile was hot and dry like fire, and black bile was cold and dry like earth. One was healthy when these four humors were balanced in all things, including diet and temperament. Pain and disease are caused by an imbalance of the humors; there was an increase in disease in the hot summers and cold winters because of the imbalance of nature: hot summers bring heat stroke, hay favor and malaria; cold winters bring frost bite, flu and pneumonia. 

To our minds, living in the 21st Century, it sounds like a joke; crack-pot ideas masquerading as medicine. If you were walk into my office and I were to tell you, "You are too sanguine. All of that beef is heating your blood, boiling your yellow bile, and throwing off your humors. You need to cool your blood with fish, which are cool and wet and will bank the fire inside of you. Also, avoid red wine, it is adding too much heat to your blood, I can see the fire of your blood in your face." You would call me a quack and walk out. 

But if I were to tell you, "You have to cut down on the red meat, it's driving your blood pressure and your cholesterol up through the roof. Cut down on fatty meat and eat more fish, and not fried fish. And all that wine you've been drinking? It's making it worse: you can have one, small glass of wine at dinner. We need to get your blood pressure under control before you have a stroke or a heart attack." You might not like the advice, but you would accept it as proper medical advice. 

People make fun of the humoral theory because it doesn't use modern medical language, but, people of the classical and medieval world didn't have the medical language that we have today, and they certainly didn't have the tools and techniques that we have today. Most people today have little knowledge of what the numbers in one's blood pressure actually mean, but we all learn something about fluid dynamics in high school, so we understand the concept that there is a certain amount of fluid pressure exerted on the vascular system whenever the heart beats. If you would bring a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope back in time and show it to Galen of Alexandria, you would have to bring a couple of physics and medical textbooks along just to explain to him how the things actually work and how they can be used to treat a patient.

For centuries, doctors used the humoral theory to treat their patients in the best way possible. Since this theory was formulated by Hippocrates and Empedocles in the 5th Century BCE, and refined in the 2nd Century AD by Galen for a more practical medical audience, most medieval doctors were using the same written works describing the theory. This meant that most doctors were making very similar decisions on how to treat patients based on balancing the humors. While we must admit that some of the decisions, and the treatments, were wrong and probably caused more harm then good, the doctors, the ones that were actually trying to help their patients, were using this theory to the best of their ability and they used language that their patients would understand. 

Looking at a some of the treatments for diseases that we can recognize as gout, hypertension, diabetes, or acid reflux, sound like very reasonable treatments that don't require modern medication. The use of small doses of arsenic to treat stomach ulcers, gangrene, and leprosy, or the use of belladonna to treat asthma and hand tremors, or wormwood to remove intestinal parasites, tell us that medieval doctors understood the cause and effect nature of medication, even if they used a more simple vocabulary and didn't adhere to modern scientific methods. 

We can also state with certainty that many medieval doctors confused causation and correlation in a lot of their writing and practice. We must also acknowledge that many of the "cures" were nonsense that were passed down from doctor to apprentice over generations. There is a certain recipe for the removal of warts that can be found in medical manuscripts for a solid 500 years that involves mashing up worms and making a thick soup out of it. Now, it is possible that the original cure called for a particular species of worm that contained purpuric or salicylic acid in it's digestive system, both of which are used today to remove warts topically. However, if the recipe started out as an external poultice, it appears to have migrated into a soup that could be tailor made for an individual; adding white wine if the patient was too phlegmy, or beef broth if there was too much black bile. 

Then we have to contend with the fact that before proper identification and certification, anyone could call themselves a doctor and treat any person by whatever means. Literary and musical sources are filled with families paying loads of money to doctors only to receive little to no actual medical help; just empty words and empty pockets. Having a patient make and drink worm soup to remove a wart on their foot just sounds like the doctor isn't even trying to give good value for the shilling. 

So, on the one hand, quacks and pretend doctors certainly used the humoral theory to bilk their patients out of their money (the humoral theory was still being used in various forms well into the 19th Century in Europe and the Americas); but on the other hand, it was used by doctors who might not have understood the underlining principles of how the human body and diseases work, and were going solely off of what they learned by rote; and on a third hand it was used as a common medical language by doctors to describe problems and create solutions for their patients. 

My oath.

 

Scroll Text - Coinneach Mac an Leigh - Fleur 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - A&S Award

Now let all know that We, Andreas and Kallista, King and Queen of Sylvan AEthelmearc, acting with foresight for Ourselves in the future, have decided to give to one who gives away his skill and knowledge of woodworking and joinery to any and all in Our Kingdom who wish to learn. We wish to give and grant Coinneach Mac an Leigh entry into the Noble Order of the Fleur d'AEthelmearc. And further do We Give and Grant him such arms that he and he alone shall bear. We wish this gift to be steadfast in perpetuity so that no one should presume to diminish it, and should any one be so rash to do so, let them be accursed. So do We sign this warrant and make Our Will Law. Done at Our High Court, at Pax Interruptus, AS 58, on the eighth day of July.

 

 S29 - A.D. 697 or 712 (July). Wihtred, king of Kent, to St Mary's Church, Lyminge; grant of 4 sulungs (aratra) at Pleghelmestun, Kent. Latin with bounds

Thoughts about sitting vigil

So..... I received a writ for Laurel a couple of months ago. I will admit that I was not expecting it. I felt the need to write down my thoughts on this before the elevation, just to clear my mind. I am not suffering from impostor syndrome; I know I have done good A&S work. I also do not think, "'Bout damn time!" I'm somewhere in between. Somewhere along the lines of, "Sure, I've done a lot of research projects, but are you sure it's at the level of a Laurel? Look at all of the spelling errors. Have you read my footnotes?"

When I received my writ to the Pelican, I did have impostor syndrome. "How am I being elevated when that person works harder than me?" My friends and worthies did have to show me how much work I had done over the years to make me see that I had earned a seat at the table. Somewhere around a decade later I can see, with clear 20/20 hind sight, that I was listening to the brain weasels a tad too much. 

With hind sight I can clearly see the amount of service I had done. How many fencers I taught. How many archers I taught. How many throwers. How many tourneys I ran. How many targets I created. How many site tokens. How many events I autocrated. How many web sites I created. How many pavilions I put up and then packed away. How many newsletters I edited. How many exchequer reports I filled out. How many event reports completed. How many officer positions I've held. The years sitting as a Landed Baron. Acting as a regional marshal. A deputy Kingdom officer and then a Kingdom officer. Hundreds of tables and chairs moved. A metric tonne of dirty dishes cleaned. Sitting here today, I realize that none of these things are what convinced the Order of the Pelican to vote to have me join the Order. None of these things were the tipping point to convince them.

Sitting here today, I can clearly see how many fencers, archers, and throwers I taught to be marshals. I can clearly see how many people I've mentored on the first event they'd autocrated. People who have gone on to autocrat events on their own and then to mentor others. I can see how many people I've encouraged to become local, regional or Kingdom officers by teaching them what I learned when I held those positions. My minions, those people who helped me when I was a Baron, have gone on to their own victories; earning their own places in Orders of High Merit.

I didn't need to teach my proteges and students how to serve; I just needed to encourage them a tad, and offer advice when needed. One now wears the Coronet that once sat upon my head. My students stride across the ranges as if they were born there. I take pride in the fact that they found encouragement in my words to take on more responsibility and do more service. 

I was once blinded by imposture syndrome, but now I can clearly see that in the last 30 or so years I moved through the chaos that can be the SCA and left a trail of order, and trained a good number of people to seek the chaos and transform it into order in their own way. 

This is how I see myself as a Pelican, today, and this is how I wish to see myself as a Laurel, in a couple of weeks. Only for research and study and documentation and experimentation and teaching, instead of lifting and carrying and marshaling. In less than two weeks I will be asked if I would join the Most Noble Order of the Laurel. The brain weasels are still chatting away but I am not listening to them, today. 

Scroll Text - Fine Fallain- Sycamore 2023

Scroll Text - Fine Fallain- Sycamore 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - A&S Award

We are minded of certain books We have read: Lucian's "Dialogue of the Lofty Traveller", who flew up to the Moon, and thence to Cheese Heaven; a heroic book, called "The Man in the Moon", if you'll believe a Spaniard, who was carried thither, upon an Engine drawn by wild hamsters. And a thousand other Volumes, too hard to name. But today Their Majesties wish to tell the story of Fine Fallain, a singer in the Debatable Choir and, dare We say it, AN ACTOR! with the commedia troupe i Genesii. Not wishing this to turn into a farce, We shall get right to the point. The first being, you have entertained countless people upon the stage. The second being you have brought joy to countless more people with your music. The third point escapes Our minds at this moment, but We shall shake off all distracting thoughts and induct you into the Sycamore, Most Noble Order of Entertainers, Scholars, and other Creative People. Done by the hands of Andreas and Kallista, King and Queen of Sylvan AEthelmearc, on the XX day of XX at {EVENT}

inspired by the opening of La Commedia Dell'arte's "THE EMPEROR OF THE MOON"

Mad Cheese Science - Complete Paper

 Mad Cheese Science Completed Documentation

I was going through research papers I have made, over the years, printing a bunch out to be displayed at my vigil for Laurel next month (Yes, I received an actual writ to the Laurel: I'm still gobsmacked). I am minded to display my A&S work, or at least a portion, rather than any scrolls or Order medallions. I already had printed documentation for my Mad Cheese Science, but I realized that I never converted it into a web based format. Unfortunately, I'm not going to have the time, in the near future, to make that conversion. So, I will use this space to publish the like to my Academia profile, where you can read the PDF file. Just go to https://www.academia.edu/102918311/Rhyming_Cheese_Tarts to read.

Eventually, I will convert it over to this blog.

 Scroll Text - Halfdan Danielson - Gage 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Martial Award

Do all pay heed to Andreas, by Right of Arms King, and of Kallista, by Grace and Strength Queen, do call upon Our Majesty and the long traditions of Our Sylvan Kingdom and call forward Halfdan Danielson, also known as Bones, warrior, teacher and marshal of renown, and give unto you certain honors and grant you entrance into the Noble Order of the Gage and do order you to take yourself to Our College of Heralds where you and they shall devise such Arms that you and you alone shall bear. And once such Arms have been created, they shall be held by you alone in perpetuity. If indeed anyone should attempt to take those arms from you, or prevent you from taking your rightful place within the aforsaid Noble Order, or dispute Our gift and grant, may they be accursed and cast from AEthelmearc, the Bestest Kingdom, and wander the wilderness until common sense shall return to them. Thus do we mark this warrant with our signs in the year of the Society 58, at AEthelmearc War Practice.

inspired by Charter S5, A.D. 604 x 616. Æthelberht, king, to Mellitus, bishop, and St Paul's minster; grant of land at Tillingham, Essex

 Scroll Text - Caleb Reynolds - Writ for Laurel 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Writ

Wherefore We, Andreas and Kallista, King and Queen not only of AEthelmearc but also of the various Baronies, Cantons, Shires, Colleges, and free lands and the divers peoples over whom We rule by Right of Arms and of Royal Mercy, do summon {VICTIM NAME} into Our Presence. Wherefore We have heard accounts of your pursuit of obscure subjects and have read the papers that you have written about {EXAMPLE + ANOTHER EXAMPLE} are moved to take action on this day of all days and present to you this Writ in which We do command you to seek atonement of any misdeeds and spelling errors you might have done while conducting research, documentation, and experimentation, and prepare yourself to sit Vigil and contemplate entry into the Most Noble Order of the Laurel at a day and time We shall agree upon. And if anyone should attempt to prevent the aforesaid {VICTIM NAME} from making his honest and lawful choice, let them know that they will fearfully render account in the terrible examination of the whole world by Our Judgment. The Coronets and Great Officers will confirm this Writ which We shall sign Andreas, King and Kallista, Queen, at our Coronation at Our Castle in The College of Silva Vulcani, the first day of April, AS 57.

inspired by British Library S 96 - A.D. 757. Æthelbald, king of Mercia, to Eanberht, abbot; grant of 10 hides (cassati) near the wood called Toccan sceaga

My writ for Laurel.

Calligraphy by Sophie Davenport. 20% of the wording by Po Silvertop, and the other 80% was written by me. Sophie asked me to provide her with nice words for a writ. The very same writ that was given to me. I have very evil and loving friends. 

 Scroll Text - Rannveigr Hrajshvelgsneys - Fleur 2023

Kingdom of AEthelmearc - Fleur de AEthelmearc

Right trusty and welbeloved Rannveigr Hrajshvelgsneys we greet you well and Will and Command that under Our Privy Seal We cause Our letters to be directed to the Clerk of Our Most Noble Order of the Fleur commanding him that under Our said Great Seal he cause Our letters to be made in form following: 

Andreas and Kallista, King and Queen of Sylvan AEthelmearc and all of the Baronies, Cantons, Shires, Colleges, and free lands there in to the Most Nobel Order of the Fleur d'Æthelmearc, greetings. Know you that We of Our special grace have certain knowledge and testimony which has moved Us to Give and to Grant license, privilege, and entrance to Rannveigr Hrajshvelgsneys, Lady, into the said Noble Order worthwith so that she may freely use and exercise the Arts and Faculty of the font of knowledge that is the Fleur d'Æthelmearc. 

Furthermore, do We Will and Command that under Our Privy Seal We Cause Our letters to be directed towards Our College of Heralds commanding them that under Our said Great Seal they cause Our letters to be made in form following:

Andreas and Kallista, as above named, send peace and fair words to Our College of Heralds. Know that We, upon this day, do send to you under Our warrant, Rannveigr Hrajshvelgsneys, now Honorable Lady, so that she and the College may devise unique arms for her that We will Grant unto her and only unto her from this day until the end of days. 

Thus do we Andreas and Kallista, as above named, have these, Our Words of Our Will and Command, read into the Court Records so that all may know of Our Will and Command and all shall know that We will not permit or suffer any hindrances or molestation that moves counter to Our Majesty. 

Rannveigr Hrajshvelgsneys, We set into motion these Our letters on the 22nd day of April, in the first year of Our Reign, at our hunting lodge at Blackstone Raid, and pass onto you this Warrant of Our Will and Command which you may use to assist and aid you in your journey to the Most Noble Order of the Fleur and to Our College of Heralds.

Inspired by: Warrants under the signet and privy seals for the issue of letters patent authorizing Shakespeare and his companions to perform plays throughout the realm under royal patronage: Signet seal May 17, 1603