Main > The Armoury
Helm
Sir Brian:
Hard to say, can you post a picture of it? I have occasionally come across some examples of lanyards / chains used to hold the great helm at the base of the neck/upper back as a way of stowage while not being worn. There is one statue of an Italian noble/hero whose name escapes me that has his helm stowed in such a manner. :-\
James de Avesnes:
Here's link to what I'm talking about. It sure does appear to be a chinstrap, but then I am not well versed on this area:
http://diglit.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/cpg848/0049?sid=b9253b385963a07516617181469e881a
Sir James A:
I would wager it's not similar to the cord on samurai helmets, as those had a separate faceplate and head/neck protection. The cord on the samurai armor is what holds it on, but a great helm / sugarloaf / similar styled helm can not be knocked back off your head from a well-placed frontal blow like an untied samurai helmet could. My bet would be on Sir Brian's comment, that it is likely for tying it off and being able to carry it without having to hold it in their hands. Sir Edward made reference to helmet straps worn "around the neck" on some of the earlier period literature last week at MDRF, but I can't remember the exact source.
Sir Edward:
Yeah, it could be a chin strap or a strap for slinging it over your back when you're not wearing it. There are some great helms with holes near the bottom which are believed to be used for this, but it's not a common feature. Then again, there may be only about 20 surviving great helms in the world.
In Chretien de Troyes, there are a lot of references to shields being hung from the neck. I'm forgetting now if he also makes mention of helms being hung this way.
Sir James A:
--- Quote from: Sir Edward on 2011-09-18, 12:59:59 ---In Chretien de Troyes, there are a lot of references to shields being hung from the neck. I'm forgetting now if he also makes mention of helms being hung this way.
--- End quote ---
I think that's what I was remembering, the shield strap.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version