sports-msg - 2/15/08
Medieval sports. Hurley, shinty, battledore. Book reviews.
NOTE: See also the files: games-msg, darts-msg, games-SCA-msg, hunt-spears-msg, golf-msg, sports-msg, horses-msg.
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From: ak508 at cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Raymond Benne)
Date: 15 Nov 91 00:06:28 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
In a previous article, grm+ at andrew.cmu.edu (Gretchen Miller) says:
>I've recently started looking into period games, both atheletic and
>otherwise. Unfortunately, aside from "The Compleat Gamester", which is
>about 20 years out of period, and a few mentions of football, bowling,
>tennis, and various card and dice games, I have been able to find very
>little.
>
>Besides Master Samalluh's (please pardon the mangled spelling) book,
>does anyone know of any good secondary or primary sources for games
>descriptions? Is anyone else researching card, dice and athletic games
>(outside of tourney/fencing/martial arts)? Want to share
>research/ideas/sources?
>
>toodles, margaret macdubhsidhe
Good Mi Lady; If I may reccomend.
The English at Play in the Middle Ages
Teresa McLean - Kensal Press
(Kensal Press, Shooter Lodge, Windsor Forest, Berks)
Contents follow
1) Out of Doors
2) Animal Sports
3) Hunting, Hawking and Fishing
4) Tournaments, Jousts and Tilts
5) Outdoor and House and Garden Games
6) Board, Table
7) Glee, Medieval Music, Singing and Dancing
8) Medieval Drama
9) Folk Games
While I can not speak for its authenticity the author does hold a PHD in
in Medieval Monsatic Economics from Trinity College, Cambridge
She is also the author of Medieval English Gardens
Miles Ravenslock d'Arcy
Subject of the Dragon throne
From: greg at bronze.lcs.mit.edu (Greg Rose)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Chinese - yes or no ??
Date: 29 Jun 1993 16:08:13 -0400
Organization: MIT LCS guest machine
Fiacha writes:
>I do not know of any Mongol games so I make no judgement in that area.
The two principal Mongol games of which I am aware are Nishapur and
Rug-by (but you need an Abbasid and a cavalry turma to play the latter).
Hossein/Greg
From: corun at access.digex.net (Corun MacAnndra)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Chinese - yes or no ??
Date: 29 Jun 1993 19:08:28 -0400
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
In article <20q7fd$2o0 at bronze.lcs.mit.edu> greg at bronze.lcs.mit.edu (Greg Rose) writes:
>Fiacha writes:
>>I do not know of any Mongol games so I make no judgement in that area.
>
>The two principal Mongol games of which I am aware are Nishapur and
>Rug-by (but you need an Abbasid and a cavalry turma to play the latter).
There is another called Aklagh Tarteesh, which translates loosely as "picking
up sheep at a gallop." No, really.
In service,
Corun
==============================================================================
Corun MacAnndra | God runs electromagnetics on Mon., Wed. and Fri. by
Dark Horde by birth | the wave theory and the Devil runs it by quantum
Moritu by choice | theory Tue., Thur. and Sat. -- Sir Wm. Bragg
From: adelekta at kentvm.kent.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Chinese - yes or no ??
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 93 13:07:03 EST
Organization: Kent State Univ.
corun at access.digex.net (Corun MacAnndra) writes:
>There is another called Aklagh Tarteesh, which translates loosely as "picking
>up sheep at a gallop." No, really.
This sounds remarkably similar to bozkashi, a central asian game whose name
translates as "goat catch." These livestock games sound like a pretty common
nomadic pastime... :)
-Zimra al-Ghaziyah
From: hrjones at uclink.berkeley.edu (Heather Rose Jones)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Gaelic Sport
Date: 18 Jun 1996 04:07:39 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
CB36478 (cb36478 at aol.com) wrote:
: Anyone know the orgins of modern gaelic sport. Hurling, gaelic football,
: handball? Bibliographical source?
I know there are references to a sport translated as "hurley" in the
medieval tale of Cuchulain -- I'm not familiar enough with the modern
sport to know how close the two seem. The chances are that somewhere in
some Irish journal there will be at least one in-depth article on the
subject, but I can't give you any more specific pointers than that.
Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: viking games and competitions?
From: priestdo at cs.vassar.edu (Greg Priest-Dorman)
Date: 22 Dec 1993 12:25:18 GMT
In article <1993Dec20.152318.25809 at bsu-ucs> 00mjstum at leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu (Matthew J. Stum) writes:
Other types of sports probably not suitable to the SCA are
... stone lifting/tossing.
I have some very nice memories, and no scars or bruses, from a rock
throwing competition at an event a few years back - come to think of
it, I believe it was an MSR event, not SCA but either way, if you
have enough room for archery, you have enough room for rock throwing
(less room? - use a bigger rock) It was interesting watching "styles"
evolve. If I recall the winner tossed starting from a crouched
position with his back to the line, throwing over his head, keeping
his back to the line! Anyway, it was alot of fun to do and watch.
Is there refrence to rock throwing in the north (I know that giant
chucked a rock at Thor once but that's about it)?
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: nostrand at bayes.math.yorku.ca (Barbara Nostrand)
Subject: Re: tennis, anyone...?
Organization: York University
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 1994 00:07:11 GMT
Noble Cousins!
Arbeau in Orcheosgraphy (sp) also specifically mentions tennis as a pastime
played by young men. He says that there are 3 pastimes for young men:
Tennis, Fencing and Dancing and only Dancing is appropriate to do around
and with young ladies.
Your Humble Servant
Solveig Throndardottir
From: Russ Gilman-Hunt <Russ_Gilman-Hunt at continue.uoregon.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Gaelic Sport
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 07:00:01 -0700
Organization: University of Oregon Portland Center
Heather Rose Jones wrote:
> I know there are references to a sport translated as "hurley" in the
> medieval tale of Cuchulain --
(snip)
>
> Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn
And if I remember correctly, they played it with a ball and a stick.
Although according to Charles Squire's _Celtic_Myths_And_Legends_, the
ball was about the size of a human brain and fairly hard. I can't find
the exact page right now, but it was a pretty gruesome detail that
happened to stick in my, uh, never mind. ;)
Lord Conchobhar of Kamrun (Clan MacGuinness) W.O.A.W.!
Russ_Gilman-Hunt at continue.uoregon.edu
From: The Shrew <shrew at pioneer.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Gaelic Sport
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 17:27:12 -0700
Organization: Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire
There is a game that the Celts play at most of the Ren Faires I have
done, with a ball and a stick...but they call it something like "shinty".
I can truthfully say, after watching the survivors crawl off the field,
that there are no brains involved....either with the equipment or the
players.....tee hee. sorry. Do you know anything about this one? Or is
it the same game with a different name? Just curious.
Play Faire!
the Shrew ~~~~( 8:>
Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire
From: s.krossa at aberdeen.ac.uk (Sharon Krossa)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Gaelic Sport
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 21:43:46 +0000
Organization: Phuture PhuDs
The Shrew <shrew at pioneer.net> wrote:
>There is a game that the Celts play at most of the Ren Faires I have
>done, with a ball and a stick...but they call it something like "shinty".
> I can truthfully say, after watching the survivors crawl off the field,
>that there are no brains involved....either with the equipment or the
>players.....tee hee. sorry. Do you know anything about this one? Or is
>it the same game with a different name? Just curious.
>
>the Shrew ~~~~( 8:>
>Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire
The modern Irish play a game with ball & sticks called hurling, while the
modern Scottish Gaels play a game with ball & sticks called, in English or
Scots, shinty, and in Gaelic either camanachd (according to the TV sports
report) or iomain (according to my modern Scottish Gaelic dictionaries,
where, at least to the Scots, hurling/hurley is called iomain Eireannach).
The stick/club used for shinty, hurley, or golf, is called (in modern
Scottish Gaelic) a 'caman'. I have no idea what the game was called in
period though the term shinty only shows up in the 18th century in Scots,
and there isn't a historical dictionary of Scottish Gaelic available just
yet.
Shinty is vaguely like field hockey in nature, although the danger to life
and limb is apparently higher in shinty ;-)
Effric neyn Cannich vic Herrald
mka Sharon Krossa, who has played the odd friendly at US Ren. Faires, but
wouldn't dare even suggest the idea of her playing the game in Scotland...
Sharon Krossa: skrossa at svpal.org (permanent)
-or- s.krossa at aberdeen.ac.uk (until November 1996)
From: Ian Gourdon mka Dan Stratton <agincort at imperium.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Period games and sports - children and adult
Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 18:28:37 -0500
Organization: Glen Awe Enterprises, a Division of Yoyodine
Mark Waks wrote:
> >Tennis and croquet are both period, don't know if today's tennis racket
> >can pass for period though.
>
> Tennis *is* period, although it's changed a bit. Where do you find
> croquet, though? Games sorta vaguely like croquet existed in period
> (indeed, billiards began as a tabletop variant of them), but croquet
> as we know it was, I believe, invented around 1820ish...
>
> (I actually came across a book recently that gave the name of the
> fellow who invented the game, but I don't remember off the top of
> my head which book it was in...)
>
> -- Justin
G'day Justin,
I've played tennis with the Jamestown Fort reinactors, which is barely
post period, but their research should be good. They likely could
comment on technical details. The main differences are; the feather
stuffed home-made tennis balls, and the raquets aren't tensioned nearly
as highly as modern ones...
Ian Gourdon
From: damouth at euclid.eecs.umich.edu (Daniel Damouth)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Anyone have sources for battledore?
Date: 4 Mar 1997 05:47:40 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
One of the most fun activities I saw at an event was medieval badminton,
called battledore I believe. It's playing with wooden paddle-like things
and a small dead ball of some sort. I remember the rules that were
taught at that event, I think, but it would be better if someone more
expert would come forth and describe the activity.
In fact, if someone could document the rules to me I would very much
appreciate it and might even act as facilitator for battledore in my
region of the Middle Kingdom. I love it so much. I have never
lost a match :)
I hereby issue challenge to all battledore champions. Let me know
where there is a battledore tourney and I shall make efforts to
attend and face you.
-Daniel of Cynnabar, who is competing in a badminton tournament
this weekend :-)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: hlf at holmes.acc.Virginia.EDU (H L. Falls)
Subject: Re: Anyone have sources for battledore?
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 1997 19:52:04 GMT
Daniel Damouth <damouth at euclid.eecs.umich.edu> wrote:
>One of the most fun activities I saw at an event was medieval badminton,
>called battledore I believe. It's playing with wooden paddle-like things
>and a small dead ball of some sort. I remember the rules that were
>taught at that event, I think, but it would be better if someone more
>expert would come forth and describe the activity.
>
>In fact, if someone could document the rules to me I would very much
>appreciate it and might even act as facilitator for battledore in my
>region of the Middle Kingdom. I love it so much. I have never
>lost a match :)
Someone around here introduced a similar-sounding game which he
calls "kingly bats", which (from what he said, I don't have the
documentation to hand -- sorry) he adapted from a Norse game/shield
practice. It's played with buckler/small shield bats (round, center
(strap) grip, about a foot in diameter) and a hollow-plastic toy
baseball. (Supposedly the Norse used small rocks, but we do plenty
of damage to ourselves with the baseball!)
I don't know if this is anything like the game you have in mind,
but maybe it'll give you a starting point. I can try to get in
touch with him for more information, if you like.
>-Daniel of Cynnabar
--Landi Haraldsson
From: Andrew Tye <atye at efn.org>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Viking Longball
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 21:44:13 -0800
Organization: Oregon Public Networking
On 5 Mar 1997, Michael Newton wrote:
> I read once in a history of baseball of a game known as viking Longball,
> the object of the game was to hit a ball over a line. Can anyone direct
> me to some more detailed rules?
>
> Thorbjorn Bjornson
We used to play a game called Norse Stickball here in An Tir. The rules
had been reconstructed by some gentle back in the earlies and were
published in one the back issues of the Elf Hill Times. Unfortunately, I
do not know which one. The game was until a couple of years ago one the
main events at the Egil Skallagrimsonar Memorial Tourney that our barony
has been hosting for about 22 years now. It has been cancelled/banned, I
believe, because of liability concerns at the Kingdom level. (A couple of
the rules that I remember were: Karate blows were discouraged. All body
parts removed must be returned to their owners at the end of the game.)
The two teams (shirts/skins) got to divide a large kettle of Atholbrose at
the end of the game. If I look/ask around I can probably find the
citation and rules.
Ivar Hakonarson
Adiantum, An Tir.
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: mondsee at idirect.com (Dana Cushing)
Subject: BOUZKHASHI = Sheep Rugby
Date: 13 Mar 97 01:51:09 UTC
Steve Smith wrote:
> Once Upon A Time, I heard a description of a sport called "sheep rugby".
> I would appreciate it very much if someone could provide me with a
> description and/or set of rules for this noble sport.
>
> -- Etienne
Here in the good city of Eoforwick we have played this wonderful game
for two generations... the original sheep "Murphy" and his offspring
"Also Murphy". ;)
The rules for playing on foot as we see it:
Establish two poles a goodly jog apart - each team claims one (colored
flags help)
Place sheep in middle in circle
Scrum for sheep
Run toward oponent's pole
Oponent try to grab sheep and run it round the other way
(Please note that the above is completely optional, because...)
Once the sheep has done a figure-8 the idea is to place it back in the centre
(to make the game shorter one can simply play the
head-for-the-oponent's-pole-and-loop-around-to-ours version)
The reason this is so much fun is that it's completely unpredictable
until the sheep hits the goal. The fact that several people are hit,
ganged up on, etc. just adds to the excitement.
The game was apparently afghani sheep polo originally.
Ludende bene!
Austrechild
(PS... There was an article written by a local (?) in TI some time ago -
I highly recommend it for a more detailed version.)
From: david.razler at worldnet.att.net (David M. Razler)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: BOUZKHASHI = Sheep Rugby
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 06:56:38 GMT
The sport, as played in Afghanistan, is more like polo with a vengeance (in
fact, spectators are frequently killed at matches)
The object of the game involves your team of horsemen maintaining possession
of a sand-filled goat skin and getting it over a course, while preventing the
other team from doing same, by roughly any means possible to someone armed
only with a horse.
As I recall, size of the teams is rather large and not fixed, nor is the size
of the field, one of the reason spectators get run down.
One of the funniest speeches I ever heard came at the start of the Soviet
occupation of Afghanistan, given by former columnist Jack Anderson, who asked
how the Soviets "ever hoped to control a people whose national sport is goat
dragging?" and proceeded to describe the National Passtime.
dmr/Aleksandr
David M. Razler
From: Brian Dorion <brian.dorion1 at sympatico.ca>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: BOUZKHASHI = Sheep Rugby
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 21:43:52 -0500
Bouzkhashi has a long tradition up here in Ealdormere. It is usually
played with a stuffed sheep (there is a long lineage of great sheep that
have given their all for this game!).
Bouzkhashi is played on a field with three marks. In the center is the
home plate and close to either end of the playing area is a team marker.
There are two teams who are both armed for armoured combat. Each team
starts on their marker. The sheep starts on the home plate.
The sheep must be carried around both team markers and be returned to
home plate. The winning team is the team that places the sheep upon the
home plate. It doesn't matter who carries the sheep around the team
markers, only who puts the sheep back onto the home plate.
A warning: Do not get carried away with fighting. Too often team A
will notice that while they have been happily murdering team B, a member
of tean B will have casually picked Murphy up, carried him around the
team markers and won the game. Stay focused on the victory conditions,
or fight whatever makes you happy.
A version is to play resurrection Bouzkhashi. That's a real endurance
test.
Konrad
From: fridrikr at news.vivanet.com (Thomas W. Ireland)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: BOUZKHASHI = Sheep Rugby
Date: 14 Mar 1997 13:44:47 GMT
Michael Newton (MELCNEWTON at postoffice.worldnet.att.net) wrote:
: ateno at panix.com (Eric A. Rhude) wrote:
: >We in Ostgardr play a version of this modified for heavy weapons
: >fighting.
: >We take the head of a Roman Legionaire (usually 10-15 lbs of sand
: >in a bag and duct taped) and sew it in fabric and choose three even
: >sides.