Middle Ages Arrow-Release Technique

archers of the Middle Ages. This release consists in drawing the string back with the tips of the first, second, and third fingers, the balls of the fingers clinging to the string, with the terminal joints of the fingers slightly flexed. The arrow is lightly held between the first and; second fingers, the thumb straight and inactive. Since this release has been practiced by the Mediterra- nean nations from early historic times, it may with propriety be called the Mediterranean release. The following figures (Figs. 8 and 9) illustrate this form of release. In the practice of this release, the attrition of the string on the fingers is so severe that a leather glove or leather OF ARROW-RELEASE. 13 finger-tips are worn, though some archers are enabled by long service to shoot with their 'fingers unprotected. Roger Ascham, in his " Toxpphilus," written in 1544, A says : " shootinge glove is chieflye for to save a man's fingers from hurtinge, that he may be able to beare the sharpe stringe to the uttermoste of his strengthe. And when a mau shooteth, the might of his shoote lyeth on the foremost finger, and on the ringman ; for the middle Figs. 8 and 9. Mediterranean release. finger Which is longest, like a lubber, starteth back, and beareth'no weight of the stringe in a manner at all; therefore the two fingers must have thicker leather, and that must have thickest of all whereon a man lowseth most, and for sure lowsinge the foremost finger is most apt, because it holdeth best, and for that purpose nature hath, as a man would say, yocked it with the thoumbe." Hansard , in his " Book of Archery," states that the Flem- ings use the first and second fingers only, a method adopted byfsome English bowmen. This Fleming variety of the J 14 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODS Mediterranean release, as we shall soon see, was probably the usual form in the Middle Ages. Among the manycurious matters of interest concerning archery, which may be found in Hansard's book, is the description of a quaint black-letter volume which the author dug out in the Royal Library of Paris. This volume was written at the close of the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth century. It is entitled " The Book of King Modus," and is a treatise on the use of the bow in hunting. Among other matters is a chapter of " Instructions in the Art of Archery ;" and in regard to the release, it says that "you draw the arrow with three fingers, holding the nock between the forefinger and the next thereto." ; Associated with this release 1 is the necessity of placing the arrow on the left of the bow* held vertically. This position is necessitated by the fact, that as the string is pulled back the friction of the fingers which clutch the arrow tends to swing the arrow to the right ; at the same time the friction of the fingers on the string causes the string to rotate somewhat to the right, and this tends to displace the arrow. In a release of this nature, the arrow must be to the left of the bow vertical; and carved figures, manuscript draw- ings, and sculpture, in which the arrow is represented otherwise in connection with the Mediterranean release, must be incorrect. This release is unquestionably an advance on the others thus far described, as 1 it enables the drawing of a stifFer bow, and is exceedingly delicate and smooth at the instant of loosing the arrow. Mr. John Murdock, who accompanied the United States Signal Survey Expedition to the northwest 1 , coast of Alaska, has kindly furnished me the information that the Eskimo of Point Barrow practice the Mediterranean release, using, however, only the first and second fingers in drawing the string. I am also indebted to Mr. Mur- OF ARKOW-RELEASE. 15 my dock for calling attention to two other references concerning the practice of archery among these Arctic people. Mr. Ludwig Kumlien, naturalist of the Howgate Polar Expedition, says of the Cumberland Sound Eskimo, "In shooting this weapon the string is placed on the first joint of the first and middle fingers of the right hand." 1 The Krause brothers state that the natives of East Cape, Siberia, do not hold the 4rr�w between the thumb and first finger, but between the.first and middle fingers. 2 Neither of these descriptions is complete, and yet both indicate unmistakably the Mediterranean release. It was somewhat surprising to find this release among the tribes of Eskimo, for I had supposed that the arrow-re- lease of this people would be either in the form of the primary or secondary release. As a confirmation of this unlooked-for method of shooting among the west-coast Fig. 10. Point Barrow Eskimo arrow, half size, a, end view. Eskimo at Jeast, Mr. Murdock called my attention to the shape of the nock end of their arrow, which was greatly flattened at right angles to the nock, so that it offered greater convenience for grasping between the fin- gers. %t is possible also that this peculiar flattening may have something to do with the flight of the arrow. This flattening of the arrow I have never observed before ; and an arrow of this shape must indicate unmistakably the method of release employed, for in no other form of release with which I am familiar could the arrow be dis- charged. Fig. 10 gives the appearance of this arrow. � Bulletin of the U. S. National Museum, No. 15, p. 37, 2 Deutsche geographisohe Blatter, Vol. I, p. 33. 16 ANCIENT AND MODEKN METHODS If Mr. Man's information be correct, then the tribes inhabiting the Little Andaman practice the Mediterranean release. In his work on the Andaman Islanders before alluded to, the author says (p. 141) that the Jar'awa, or the tribes which inhabit the Little Andaman and southern portions of the Great Andaman, "adopt the plan usual among ourselves of holding the nock of the arrow inside the string by means of the middle joints of the fore and Figs. 11 and 12. Mongolian release. middle fingers, and drawing the string with the same joints." While the four releases thus far described may be con- sidered successive modifications of each other, though I do not mean to imply that they are so necessarily, the release which we are about to examine is an entirely in- dependent form, having no relation to the others. In this release the string is drawn by the flexed thumb bent over OF ARROW-RELEASE. 17 the string, the end of the forefinger assisting in holding the thumb in this position. Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate this release. The arrow is held at the junction of the thumb and forefinger, the base of the finger pressing the arrow against the bow. For this reason the arrow is always placed to the right of the bow vertical. This release is characteristic of the Asiatic races, such as the Manchu, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Turk, and doubt- less other cognate peoples. The Persians also practice this release, which they probably acquired from their prox- imity to, and association (friendly and otherwise) with, Asiatic people of past times. As this release is practiced almost exclusively by Mon- golian nations, it may be called the Mongolian release. In this release the thumb is protected by a guard of some kind. With the Manchu, Chinese, and Turk, as well as with the Persian, this guard consists of a thick ring, which is worn near the base of the thumb. The thick edge of the Fig. 13. ring is brought to bear upon the string Chinese thumb-ring. as it is drawn back, and at the same time the string is quickly released by straightening the thumb. The ring may be made of any hard material, such as horn, bone, ivory, quartz, agate, or jade. These ^^ rings are often very expensive. I was ^^ shown one in Canton that was valued at three hundred dollars. Fig. 13 Chinese "thumb-ring of jade, illustrates an ordinary horn ring such Hn 8eotion - as the Cantonese use. Fig. 14 shows a Chinese thumb-ring in section, made of jade. This ring, being used with bows having thicker strings, is correspondingly larger. The Korean thumb-ring is quite unlike that used by the Chinese, as will be seen 3 18 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODS by Fig. 15. The ring is thin, and from its shape is evidently used to protect the ball of the thumb. The string is not engaged by the edge of the ring, as in the Chinese Fig. 15. Korean thumb-ring. method, but rests upon the side of the ring.1 The Japanese archer, instead of using a thumb-ring, is provided with a Kg. 16. Japanese archer's glove (portion only shown). glove consisting of thumb and two fingers. The wrist of the glove is firmly bound to the wrist by a long* band, 1 1 wa9 told by a Korean ambassador in Tokio, that in archery the Koreans are taught to draw the arrow with either hand, but considered the left hand most efficient. In illustrating the method of release he drew the arrow with his left hand. The bow is firmly grasped, and an arm-guard is worn. OF ARROW-RELEASE. 19 which is fastened to one flap, passes through a hole in the opposite flap, thus enabling it to be pulled up like a noose, and then is wound tightly about the wrist several times. The thumb of the glove is much thickened, and is very hard and stiff (Fig. 16). Its operation is like that of the Korean thumb-ring. In the Korean and Japanese .practice the first and second fingers assist in holding the thumb bent on the string, while in the Manchu release only the first finger is so Fig. 17. Manchu. used, the other three fingers being inactive and closed. There are, doubtless other modifications of this release ; the essential' features however remain the same. A young Japanese from the north of Japan, in illustrating to me his method of release, drew the string back with the thumb'and interlocked forefinger as already described, and assisted the drawing back of the string with the tips of the second and third fingers, as shown in the secondary release. The accompanying figure illustrates the attitude of the shaft hand of a Manchu as seen from above, which I sketched from a Manchu soldier at Canton. (Fig. 17.) The I 20 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODS Persians and Turks use the thumb-ring in the same way. Fig. 18, representing the Persian thumb-ring, is copied from a drawing given in Meyrick's " Ancient Armour." Han- sard, referring to another author, says that "one of the early Turkish Sultans occupied his leisure in manufacturing these rings," distributing them as presents among his favor- ite pashas ; and adds also that the carnelian thumb-rings may be easily procured in the Bazaars of Constantinople. Some notes in regard to Persian archery may be found in " Hansard's Book of Archery," p. 136. The " Archers' Register " published a number of notes from a manuscript copy of " Anecdotes of Turkish Archery procured from Constantinople by Sir Eobert Ainslie, and translated by his interpreter, at the request of Sir Joseph Banks, Baronet, 1797," from which we quote : " The bow, instead of being drawn with three fingers on the string, according to our mode, was drawn by the right thumb, with the arrow placed on the string im- A mediately above it. thumb-piece, or guard of bone, answering the purpose of our 'tips,' was worn. It 'covered the ball Fig."T^ Persiauthumb-ring. of the thumb, one end being made as a -^^ ^ A ring and passed over the joint. pro- tQugue in .^.^ preveuted the string slipping off the guard into the angle of the thumb formed by the bent joint. The inside of the guard A was lined with leather. curious contrivance, consist- ing of a horn-groove several inches in length, fixed on a foundation of wood attached to a leather strap and buckle, was fastened on the bow-hand. The groove pro- jected inwards. The arrow was laid in this groove, which rested on the thumb, and was rather higher on the outside, as the arrow was shot on the right side of the bow, on the contrary side to what it is in England." OF ARROW-RELEASE. 21 There are doubtless other forms of release, but those already given probably comprise the principal and most efficient ones. At Singapore I was enabled to secure, through the kindness of D. F. A. Hervey, Esq., of Malacca, a Malay release of the Temiang tribe, originally from Sumatra. The bow was held in an horizontal position (a hole being made in the centre of the bow through which the arrow passed), the three fingers bent over the string, and the arrow held between the first and second fingers, the thumb straight- Fig. 19. Temiang release. ened, and the little finger partially straightened and bear- ing against the string as in the figure (Fig. 19). This was a weak release, and was used only in the shooting of small An game and fish. entirely different form of release is used by this people in shooting fire at the spirit of sick- ness. The bow is perforated as in the bow above men- tioned ; the arrow has a shoulder near the distal end which prevents it passing through the hole, and the nock is fas- A tened to the string. ball of inflammable material is loosely placed on the end of the arrow, and when the arrow is released it is suddenly checked by its shoulder striking 22 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODS the bow and the fire-ball is projected into the air by its momentum. The release in this act is shown in Fig. 20. The first finger passes above the string and under the arrow, the thumb being straightened and the arrow grasped between the thumb and finger. This is a most awkward and inefficient release ; and as the descriptions of this and the previous Malay release were given me by an old man, who was at the time being questioned by Mr. Hervey in the interest of philology, it is possible that the releases may have been incorrectly described. The releases thus far given comprise those forms which have been studied from life. It now remains for us to examine the releases of ancient Fig. 20. Temiang release when shooting at spirit of sickness. peoples which are made known to us through illuminated manuscripts, frescos, rock sculpture, and other graphic methods. From the conventional way in which many of these are depicted, great difficulty is encountered in properly interpreting the exact method of release intended. In many cases, especially in certain forms of the ancient Egyptian, as shown in the frescos, and early Grecian, as represented on their decorative vases, it is well nigh im- possible to recognize any mode in which the arrow could be drawn. In some cases the release might be intended OF ARROW-EELEASE. 23 to represent either of two or three kinds. That many re- leases are represented incorrectly there can be no doubt. In figures of Egyptian archers, the hand is depicted as daintily pulling the arrow in a way tha^could not possibly accomplish the drawing of a stiff bow; and that the Egyptian archer used a stiff bow is seen in the vigorous manner in which he is represented as bracing it with knee pressed against its middle, while tying the cord above. It will be best, however, to give a description of those releases that can be clearly interpreted, beginning with the Assyrian. I had a