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. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 02:03:38 -0500 From: rmhowe Subject: Re: [SCA-AS] skis? To: Arts and Sciences in the SCA 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 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" Subject: Re: [SCA-AS] skis? To: "Arts and Sciences in the SCA" Check out the Norsefolk_2 files [a Yahoo group], I believe Halvgrimr has some pictures there of Norse skis from in period. Finn Edited by Mark S. Harris winter-travel-msg Page 2 of 2