[Artemisia] arts and sciences (Godwin)

[Michael the Loud]

>   As much as I love and respect archery, please
> allow me to disagree in the general sense.  I
> wouldn't say there is an "art" to making archery
> work for you, rather there is a technique of
> adaptation for individual mastery.  Archery
> technique is based on the scientific principals of
> physics and body-mechanics.  

But there is more to archery than those principles.
Here are some SCA examples how archery is an art:

1) There are many pictures of crossbows made in period
   that were very intricately decorated.  If somebody
   were to buy the prod, bow irons and stirrup you
   could make a top levered crossbow in very little
   time.  The ivory carving I have seen is absolutely
   awe inspiring.  Almost the entire tiller (wooden
   stock) can be considered a canvas that can be
   decorated.
2) Something that you are seeing more of is something
   called an "Ascham."  An Ascham is a Victorian bow
   case more akin to a modern gun case.  In SCA terms
   an Ascham is a modern portable bowstand.  While not
   period it would be considered SCA Appropriate like
   a cover up for an ice chest.  This is definitely an
   art.
3) Quivers!  I have seen some very decorative
   quivers done with leatherwork or even fur.
4) While arrow/bolt making is a science you can get
   quite decorative.  While not exactly period there
   are numerous ways that you can spice up an arrow or
   bolt that can be very attractive.  I think I still
   have some old shafts that I dipped in black stain
   with yellow cresting where the fletching was black
   and yellow spliced together to make a kind of
   racing stripe.
5) As a crossbow shooter I tend to shoot in the
   sitting position.  An idea I got from probably the
   best crossbow shooter in the SCA was a shooting
   mat.  This particular crossbow shooter had one
   given to him by his grandmother that was waterproof
   on the bottom and decroated on the top.
6) There are many crossbow shooters that shoot sitting
   on a stool and woodworking/turning is definitely an
   art.

Michael




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