Posts: 1,532 Location: Tennessee
Sun 19 Mar, 2006 6:14 am
I really need some one to teach me how to utilize the quote feature (where previous different member's text appears in white...)
Al wrote: "Out of curiosity, what made you decide to put the belt attachments so far apart? does it mean the lower strap sits against the back of your legs?"
I would like to wear the scabbard tilted at a 45 degree angle. The Inner Bailey shows what I have in mind, part way down their sword belt page titled as "sword belt for longsword XVth century longsword".
http://www.theinnerbailey.com/swordbelts.htm I actually weighed the scabbard with the scape and rough cut leather to find
balance points with the sword inserted and withdrawn. The lower attachpoint is about 60 mm lower than the balance point of the empty scabbard. The upper riser center line is about 60 mm higher than the balance point with the sword inserted. With the attachment points this far appart on the scabbard, I can make the scabbard tilt angle stable in terms of verticle motion while positioning it over a wide range of verticle tilt. This helps allow my average arm length to re-insert the sword without too awkward a reach.
All wrote: "I couldn't make out what the lower charge is from those pictures, what is it?"
If viewed in normal light, most people can quickly recognize it as a fleur di Lis, surrounded by a dotted texture circle, with vertical lines running behind the whole pattern. Presented this way (similar to Plantard family crest, but without bears on the sides), it is genericly similar to banners of Merovingian kings (Clovis I changed his banner after baptism from "toads/bees" to the lilly around 480 A.D.) There is a lot of controversy about it. Some gnostic conspiricy advocates claimed it originally indicated hereditary blood descent from Jesus Christ. One way or another, it came to represent divine right to kingship/ nobility. The following links should be regarded as somewhat plausible, largely imagined tales.
http://www.scoutmaster.ru/en/hist/pk_toad_lily_en.htm
http://ordotempli.org/the_merovingians.htm
http://www.davincicodedecoded.com/page2.html
What I called a family "Coat of Arms" is a composite of two very similar banners used by a Smythe and Smith family in central England during the 1300's. Banners were used and actually recorded (can be paired to the Abbey Battle Roll in some cases) and preserved as far back as the Magna Carta. Few helms appeared in these banners as of the 1300's (about the time frame for the Crecey), but I added it since the banner was very plain without it. Truthfully, I chose it because it was simple enough for a beginner to detail in embossing! I wished to convey personal identification of the scabbard without having to do something like write a name on it. I figured this was the most reasonable way.