Vikings

Hi Dave.

I was looking at your website and I saw this:

"Disc 4: The Viking art of the Rope ..."

Can you tell us a little bit what that´s about. I googled it and couldn´t find anything.

Cheers!

thanks for the question mate

well to be pedantic 'viking' now used as a NOUN was originally a VERB ... you went out to do some 'viking' .. i.e. pillaging etc..

The people themselves mainly called themselves Norsemen or Danes.. Hence 'Dane Law' in England etc..

most seafaring peoples used ropes for all kinds of things, as well as other ship's tools .. the truncheon was developed from the belaying stick and so on..

because of the type of ship and rigging the norsemen used, there were plenty of shortish pieces of very strong rope, about 2-3 feet long, and many norse warriors had a pice of rope looped in their belts. there are quite a few old illustrations of warriors with ropes on their belts or worn as a second belt

these were used for tying up prisoners, looping together to make longer ropes etc etc etc..

and like every decent adaptable warrior race, they also used ropes as weapons, especially for strangles and controls, and it is a couple of thes eties and strangles I use ... there are a few very nefarious methods of taking out sentries with the ropes.. silent and efficient..

mind you I dont have many uses for taking out sentries myself these days..

the series that this particular DVD is from is about old arts that are nearly forgotten, and other than Glima and other 'viking' wrestling arts, this is the only Norsemen stuff I have managed to find any research on

Interesting stuff, thanks. Where did you find the source material?

David Turton wrote:there are a few very nefarious methods of taking out sentries with the ropes.. silent and efficient..

mind you I dont have many uses for taking out sentries myself these days...

Comes in very handy waiting to be served in queues and suchlike...or am I too used to living 'down South' nowadays...?

Mick

Thing is Mick .. I just cant imagine you queuing full stop mate
or indeed any pushing in in front of you

Main sources were Manchester Library, Royal Armouries Leeds... mainly (due to my slight reticence to use 'technology) I tend to go for book stuff in reference libraries etc..

Salford Uni used to let non students use their fabulous library, but that was many years ago

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SHUTUP...bloody vikings...

Nick

that was a great epsiode of Python mate.. thanks for the remind

..and the first python reference of 2009 goes to Mr.Hughes