Today we have two videos for you, the first is a video of Nathan explaining some aspects of boar spear design in light of medieval hunting traditions, and the second is a video review of our Fébus Boar Spear by our friend Kurt Holtfretter - thanks Kurt!
We've had some really good questions about boar spear design and the function of various parts of the spear, especially the toggle guard below the socket. Today Nathan explains how boar hunting was done in the medieval period, the role of dogs, and why you might want a moveable toggle instead of big wings on a spear you are using to hunt a dangerous animal in the woods. The pictures in the video are from Gaston Fébus' mid-14th century hunting book.
As always, our swords and other weapons are entirely made by us, by hand, at our shop in Minneapolis, MN. Sword blades are hand ground of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. All of our products are made to look, feel, and function just like the historical originals on which they are based. Arms & Armor is dedicated to quality and authenticity. For over four decades we have worked with museums, collectors, and scholars around the world to develop a deep understanding of European weapons; knowledge we use to make products that exemplify the finest qualities of the very best historic pieces. When we select historic items to reproduce, being pretty isn't enough, they have to move with grace and beauty, and beg to be used when in the hand. These are pieces that feel as good as they look, and that work as well as they feel. Our mission is to craft items that recreate the look, feel, and function of the best historic originals.
You should totally follow Kurt's channel for lots of insightful work on Historical European Martial Arts.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at many HEMA events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985
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