12 misconceptions about archery that movies and TV shows have forced on us

Myth 1. Arrows pierce armor easily

In most films, medieval armor is a pretty useless contraption. One blow with the sword, and the warrior, clad in armor, falls, losing his spirit on the spot. And arrows pierce armor like paper. True, it is absolutely incomprehensible: if the armor was so vulnerable, why did the knights wear it at all and spend crazy money on equipment.

In fact, the armor provides excellent protection against arrows, even fired from a powerful full-length English bow. Don't believe me - look at this experimentby Ted's Workshop reenactors. Even a point-blank shot did not cause significant damage to the cuirass, leaving only a dent. And at a long distance the bow has no chance at all.

Simple chain mail, which most fans of medieval battles think of as a rather useless thing, also perfectly protectedB. ad-Din. Saladin. Crusader conqueror: [trans. from Arabic.] from archery shots.

Another thing is that thin armor made of metal with a thickness of up to 1 millimeter, as well as chain mail of not very high-quality weaving, arrows completely piercedG. F. Asbell. The Traditional Bowyer's Bible. Yes, and no king would have enough finance to equip the entire army in armor. So volleys from bows quite effectively destroyed manpower and horses, which is also important.

Myth 2. With a bow, you can cross rivers and shoot in the rain

In the relaunch of the Tomb Raider game series, brave Tomb Raider Lara Croft is armed with a bow. With him, she runs under tropical showers, dives into the stormy waters of lost rivers, jumps from waterfall to waterfall - in general, she has fun as she can. And then he calmly crawls onto land, squeezes the water out of his hair, takes out a bow and shoots all sorts of bandits.

We saw about the same in The Lord of the Rings, when Legolas helped to defend Helm's Deep - the downpour did not prevent him from accurately blasting the orcs to the right and to the left.

But in reality, a wet onion becomes useless.

Rain and dampness have an extremely negative effect on wood, and a wet bowstring from the veins or intestines of animals quickly weakens and stretches - so you can't shoot a lot of wet weapons. Therefore, the bows were transported in special cases and covered with a layer of wax to protect them from moisture.

At the Battle of Crécy in 1346 before the battleJ. Froissart. Chronicles there was a heavy rain, due to which the crossbows of the Genoese riflemen who fought for France became useless. And the English and Welsh archers prudently removed the bowstrings from their bows and put them in their hats to protect them from moisture. When the rain stopped, they started shelling again.

Modern hunting bows made of synthetic materials are more resistant to water. But even they, getting wet, begin to shoot worse than dry ones.

Myth 3. In order to incapacitate a soldier, you need several arrows

Usually in films, heroes wounded from a bow continue to fight for a long time. And in order to finally finish them off, you have to stick the unfortunate with arrows like hedgehogs - just remember how Boromir from The Lord of the Rings died.

In reality, the bow is a much more dangerous weapon than you might think. The wounds he inflicts are more painful than gunshot wounds, because the arrow is larger than the bullet. It affects the wound more strongly if the person affected by it moves.

According to researchR. Shereen, R. J. Oskouian. Treatment of Arrow Wounds: A Review / Cureus Journal of Medical Science in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, such injuries were fatal in 72% of cases. More people have been killed with bows than with any other weapon in history. So one arrow would be enough for Boromir.

Myth 4. Bow is a weapon for fragile and weak fighters

In movies, books and games, archery is usually shot by those who lack the strength to fight hand-to-hand. It is unlikely that a mighty barbarian with bulging biceps will take small arms - more often the latter is preferred by various elves, fragile girls or teenage boys, like Atreus from the game God of War.

In fact, to shoot effectively with a bow, you need well-developed muscles in the arms and back. After all, the pulling forceG. F. Asbell. The Traditional Bowyer's Bible Medium weapons start at 35 kilograms, and for Great English it can exceed 70.

Try this weight on the machine while holding the handle with three fingers. And you will understand that the physical training of an archer must be decent.

Modern sports compound bows, of course, require much less effort to pull the string. But in the typical gloomy Middle Ages, they were not to be found.

Myth 5. To shoot a bow, a woman will have to cut off her chest.

Right or left - depending on which hand you have is stronger. At least according to Hippocrates and Mark Junian Justin, this is exactly what they didA. V. Kotina. The myth of the Amazons and its development in ancient tradition Amazons - so that a magnificent bust does not interfere with shooting and throwing a spear.

But this, of course, is nonsense. Cutting off and cauterizing your chest to shoot your bow is optional, even if you are size 6. After all, the string is pulled to the ear or cheek.

Besides, in antique times a mastectomy without normal pain relievers and antiseptics would most likely end in disaster.

Myth 6. Archers can aim for a long time

Usually in the movies we are shown how the arrows pull the bowstring, then take a long and accurate aim and only then shoot the arrow. Some manage, keeping the enemy "at gunpoint", to talk to him heart to heart and only after a minute or two finish off, finally, the foe.

Karla Kompanion, professional archer and shooting coach, once mentionedArrow: An Archery Instructor Evaluates Oliver Queen's Form / Comic Book about this, considering the 2012 series "Arrow".

The only thing I think is wrong is how easily the hero keeps the bow taut forever, especially when standing in front of the enemy at gunpoint. To hold the string for so long, you need to have incredible strength.

As we have already mentioned, in order to keep the string tautG. F. Asbell. The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, you need to hold from 35 to 70 kilograms in one hand pulled back, which is very difficult. Therefore, the arrows aim quickly and do not pull the string for several minutes - there is no strength for this.

Myth 7. Arrows are cheap ammunition

In computer games, arrows are usually the most affordable consumables. An experienced archer shoots them like a machine gun, creating a real rain of shells. So even if the fighter lacks accuracy, this can be compensated for by the rate of fire. It is so?

Not at all. Arrows are not at all as cheap as modern RPGs paint them. According to surviving records from the Tower of London arsenal, a standard bundle of 24 arrows cost 1. List of price of medieval items / Berkeley
2. List of prices of medieval items / Berkeley from 10 pence in 1353 to 18 pence in 1399. The archer usually carried with him a pack of these (up to 50 arrows).

That is, the cost of a minute of shooting of an English warrior is approximately equal to one such good cow.

No wonder Henry V had to take out a loanJ. Barker. Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle That Made England 10,000 marks in the City of London (about 4.5 million current dollars) to purchase arrows for his army before the Battle of Agincourt. Although these shells were made from cheap materials, their creation required a lot of manual labor.

That is why archers, after the battle, walked across the battlefield and picked up arrows - you will be left without ammunition, and your weapon will turn into a useless stick, which will not even be able to hit anyone. And also medieval robin hoods prudently carried maces and daggers with them, so that, having shot, they could engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Myth 8. Quiver with arrows is comfortable to carry behind the back

This is how shooters usually do it in movies. Apparently, they take an example from Geralt of Rivia, who drags your swords just behind the back. But in fact, every time reaching for the shoulder for fresh ammunition is extremely inconvenient.

Therefore, the vast majorityD. Glover, C. Grayson. Traditional archery from six continents: the Charles E. Grayson Collection archers at all times - and English arrows, and Mongolian horsemen, and even hunters-Indians from North America - carried their quivers on their thighs, attaching them to the belt.

Ammunition was rarely hung over the shoulder. Here, for example, the Bayeux tapestry depictsG. Embleton, C. Bartlett. English Longbowman 1330-1515 four archers in battle at Hastings, three of whom are carrying their quivers correctly, and one behind their backs. Apparently, he was taken by surprise and did not have time to gird himself with his equipment as expected. And I forgot my helmet too.

And even taking out shells from a belt quiver was not very convenient. So the archers, preparing for a volley, could stick several arrows in front of them into the ground in order to have quick access to them. Again, by wounding the enemy with a projectile soiled with soil, it was possible to provide him with blood poisoning or tetanus.

And yes, unlike what we are shown in the movies, the arrows in the quiver were carried with their sharp tips upHistory of archery: how medieval arrows were transported / Bow International. This was done in order to protect the plumage from weather and accidental damage.

Myth 9. The bow is worn taut

Something else about transporting this wonderful weapon. In the movies, the heroes usually cling a bow to their body. At the same time, his handle and shoulders stick out behind the character's back, and the bowstring touches the chest.

However, in reality, no one, absolutely no one carries a weapon like that. Firstly, it is corny inconvenient and so you can damage the bowstring. Secondly, if the latter accidentally bursts, your face will be lashed painfully. Finally, the taut string graduallyHistory of archery: how medieval arrows were transported / Bow International weakens and the bow becomes worthless.

So most of the time, the weapon traveled without a bowstring - it was fastened just before the battle.

And they didn't put bows over their heads. Unless they were occasionally hung on the shoulder like this. But usually long bows were wornG. F. Asbell. The Traditional Bowyer's Bible in the hand, and short ones - as, for example, among horse nomads - were transported in a special case called a sideak or bow.

Myth 10. Archers shoot at the command "Fire!"

In many films, such as The Lord of the Rings, Frozen, Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven, the commanders of the troops order their soldiers to "Aim!" and "Fire!" And this is not a quirk of our translators - quite often in the original movie, archers are given the command “Fire!”. This is, of course, nonsense, because bows are not firearms. Before the invention of the muskets of the Fire! did not exist.

In fact, the medieval lords, ordering to get ready, shoutedAnother Historical Pet Peeve - Archery and Hollywood / Mass Historia shooters "Knock!" or "Stretch!" It is logical, because the string is pulled. And when you need to fire a volley, the command "Loose" sounded, that is, "Let it go!"

This, incidentally, was demonstrated in "Game of Thrones" when, during the Battle of the Bastards, Ramsey Bolton commanded his riflemen to attack the troops of Jon Snow. Realism, yes.

Myth 11. Hold the arrow while aiming with your finger

Game of Thrones Ygritte does just that.8 Archery Mistakes In ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 4 / Business Insider. And in vain, because it will disrupt the trajectory of the arrow. In addition, her fingers will hurt when the feathers pass over them.

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games prudently for the shaft does not hold, but puts it somewhere in the palm of his hand. So the arrow will really not touch your fingers - only it will fly away anywhere except the target.

Normal archers do not pinch arrows between their fingers, but place them on the fold of the index so that they freely break off the bowstring.

Myth 12. Fire arrows were used in every battle

In the battles on the screens, we now and then see how archers shoot enemy armies with fired arrows. In Gladiator, Braveheart, and Game of Thrones, flaming shells now and then bump into someone. But in realitySorry But Medieval Armies Probably Didn't Use Fire Arrows / Gizmodo there was nothing of the kind.

To set fire to an arrow, it is necessary to wrap its tip with a cloth, preferably impregnated with something combustible. And such an addition will greatly shift the balance of the projectile. And the penetrating ability of an arrow wrapped in a rag will clearly not be up to par.

And, finally, attacking infantry with burning arrows is not the smartest thing to do: people are largely composed of liquid.

Fire arrows in the movies add to the entertainmentWhy Flaming Arrows Are Kind Of Stupid / Tales of Times Forgotten and so that the viewer can see who is hitting whom. For the same reason, Hollywood machine gunners use tracer shells everywhere. - even when, in theory, the location of the weapon should not have been given out.

In real Middle Ages no one threw fiery arrows into the infantry. They were used only for setting fire to houses and castles during sieges. And, by the way, no one would have succeeded in setting fire to a strong structure, even entirely made of wood, with one shot.