medievl-kites-art - 11/24/00
"Knights and Kites" by Lady Ella du Soleil.
NOTE: See also the files: toys-msg, Toys-in-th-MA-art, medieval-tech-msg, warfare-msg, parchment-msg, paper-msg.
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NOTICE -
This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set
of files, called Stefan's Florilegium.
These files are available on the Internet at:
Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author.
While the author will likely give permission for this work to be
reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first
or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris
AKA: Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
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This article was originally published in the "Phoenix" in May 1997.
Knights and Kites
by Lady Ella du Soleil
It is generally accepted that the kite was invented in China long
before written history. Commonly, 1000 BC is thrown out as a round
figure of a date for kite invention. After all, the Chinese had silk
in 2600 BC and bamboo was everywhere. But evidence has surfaced that
a number of cultures developed the kite independently, or
independently developed variations on the Chinese kite.
Dutch, Portuguese and English merchants began routine voyages to the
Far East in the late 16th century. These journeys afforded an
opportunity for sailors to learn construction for Chinese plane
kites. But this is not the first introduction of the kite to Europe.
Windsocks, whose structures consist of a hoop with a hollow tube of
fabric sewn to it fixed to the top of a pole, have been flown in
Europe since about 105 AD. When in use, the windsock was held up into
the wind or above the head of a horseman. They were usually of animal
shapes with gaping mouths. These windsocks came into Europe during
the time of the Mongol invasions. The slithering and undulating
windsocks had a number of military uses including signaling, helping
archers judge the strength and direction of wind, and serving as a
standard for ceremonial purposes. Illustrations in the Psalterium
Aureum (9th Century), and the Bayeux tapestry show the windsock in
use as a large dragon, or Draco. With a smoking torch in the mouth of
the windsock (some say placed there for effect, others say placed
there for lift), one can see how a fire breathing war Draco worked
its way into the myth and popular literature of the period.
Windsocks themselves have no lift, i.e. they don't really fly, and
they are, therefore, not true kites. At the beginning of the 14th
Century, someone figured out it takes wings to fly. But, the windsock
was still so well liked that instead of scrapping it and starting a
fresh idea, wings were added.
Walter de Milemete's De nobilitatibus (1326) manuscript shows a
winged windsock being used to drop a fireball into a besieged city.
Figures illustrate that the kite was rather large; it took three men
to control the winch that moored the kite. It is possible for large
kites to actually lift people off the ground, so a bomb carrying kite
could have worked. But, I suspect the controllers were as likely to
set themselves on fire as they were to catch an enemy because of
variations to the wind's direction and strength.
The Winged wind sock continued to be experimented with in Europe for
the next hundred years or so, then interest in it fell. The Europeans
seemed to discover just how inefficient the design was by the end of
the 14th Century. The winged windsock was replaced by the Pennon Kite
in the beginning of the 15th Century.
The first recorded description of the Pennon Kite appears as a
captioned illustration in Conrad Kyeser's Bellifortis, (1405), a
study on military technology. Manuscripts of this century describe
the same basic parchment kite design with a cloth tail and three
different bridling techniques. Considerations are also made for wind
conditions.
In 1558, a young man named Giovanni della Porta was experimenting
with kites. His sophisticated design was similar to the Chinese
models. His kite models were an evolution of the Pennon kite, but
with a unique and efficient tail. He writes of it in his Magiae
naturalis. Della Porta suggested that kites be used for lifting
lanterns and fireworks at night. He also lifted kittens and puppies,
in an attempt to spur interest in human flight.
Kite evolution continued up to the modern age and della Porta's dream
of winged human flight went unrealized until the early 20th Century.
Still, kite enthusiasts search for the perfect breeze.
Bibliography:
de Milemete, Walter. Treaties de Nobilitatibus Sapientis et
Prudentiis Regum. 1326.
Hart, Clive. Kites: An Historical Survey. Frederick A Praeger, Pub.
1976. New York.
Morgan, Paul and Helene. The Ultimate Kite Book. Simon and Schuster.
1992. New York.
Pelham, David. The Penguin Book of Kites. Penguin Books. 1976. New York.
Yolen, Will. The Complete Book of Kites and Kite Flying. Simon and
Schuster. 1976. New York.
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Copyright 1997 by Emilie Bush. <emitoneb at hotmail.com>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy.
If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in
the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also
appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being
reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
<the end>