winter-travel-msg - 1/20/09
Winter travel in Medieval times. Skis, snowshoes, ice skates.
NOTE: See also the files: travel-msg, Dog-Carts-art, On-the-Road-art, Horn-Working-art, bone-msg, wood-bending-msg.
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Stefan at florilegium.org
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Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 02:03:38 -0500
From: rmhowe <MMagnusM at bellsouth.net>
Subject: Re: [SCA-AS] skis?
To: Arts and Sciences in the SCA <artssciences at lists.gallowglass.org>
Deborah McBean wrote:
<<< Would someone be so kind as to suggest where online I might find
information about winter travel in medieval Europe? Specifically, I
want to know if skis or snowshoes were used. I know that the French in
Canada were using snowshoes fashioned after those of the First Nation
people in the 1700s, but it is the early medieval era that I am
interested in.
Deborah >>>
See OLAUS MAGNUS DESCRIPTION OF THE NORTHERN PEOPLES, Rome 1555 (in
three volumes) London. 1996 & 1998. The Hakluyt Society.; No. 182, 187
and 188 in the Second series, edited by Peter Foote with annotation
derived from the Commentary by John Granlund. Volume I: XCIII, (2), 288
PP with 2 tables, 2 maps and 141 woodcuts. Volume II: (6), 289-770 PP
with 194 woodcuts. Volume III: V, 771-1248 PP with 139 woodcuts. Cloth
cover, gilt device on front cover, gilt title on spine, dj. 22.2 x 14.2.
ISBN: 0904180 433 / 581 / 59X
There are a number of articles on the use of canon bones (metacarpals
and metacarsals (front and back legs) of cattle, etc. They can
frequently be found in books on the Vikings including from Viking
to Crusader (as can a couple of skis if I recall correctly). The
method of use was to strap them to your feet and Olaus Magnus
shows the method of using them on ice, with an iron pointed pole
between your legs pushing backwards. It's been a while since I
looked at Viking Artefacts by James Graham-Campbell (kind of rare)
and I don't recall if there are any in it.
For the far north I would suggest Manker, Ernst:
People of Eight Seasons: the Story of the Lapps.
Svenska Forlags Ab Nordbok, Gothenburg, Sweden/ 1975. Color
photos and b/w illustrations. Hardbound. There are various
editions of this thing but it is not terribly sought after
- although it is not documented as to time of most of the
objects. Likely the time didn't matter as much as the function
in the environment. It released about the time of, and similar
to, The Viking by Greta Almgren (which was better documented).
There are many illustrations of skis, sleds, etc. in it.
There is probably a bibliography of mine (I update them from
time to time on Bone or bonework or boneworking in the
http://www.florilegium.org">http://www.florilegium.org if you are interested in pursuing
the skates. The bottoms were scraped / drawknived flat and
the holes in the back and front vary from article to article.
Magnus, OL [SCA], Manx, Regia Anglorum, GDH
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 22:43:44 -0800
From: "Arthur Slaughter" <fion at cuttingedge.net>
Subject: Re: [SCA-AS] skis?
To: "Arts and Sciences in the SCA"
<artssciences at lists.gallowglass.org>
Check out the Norsefolk_2 files [a Yahoo group], I believe Halvgrimr has some pictures there of Norse skis from in period.
Finn
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