HOW WRONG CAN ONE BE ?
In his book 'The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066', Kelly De Vries (1999) gives a startling account of the armour worn by the warriors from what is now southern Norway.
Despite being a professor of history, despite quoting saga literature (which I suggest he has not or cannot read) he produces this mangled view of armour of the time.
'A final, less often worn defensive armament, the mail-shirt(sic) (1)(hringserkr or hringskyrta), was also used by some Norwegian soldiers. Although known to the Romans as the lorica hamata(2), it had first been made popular by the Carolingian forces of Charlemagne(3), and by the eleventh century was the most influential(4) defensive clothing(5) worn by warriors throughout Europe. The mail-shirt, sometimes redundantly called 'chain-mail', was made of interlocking rings braided together(6) over a leather jerkin(7). It was long, covering from the neck to the knees, with long sleeves(8). Additionally, as depicted in the Oseberg ship tapestry, this Scandinavian armour was painted a bright white colour(9). (ref s).'
(p.198)
1) There is no need for a hyphen here. A shirt of mail is a mail shirt. The words do not need to be assembled into a compund word by the hyphen. In that case, a cotton shirt would have to be a cotton-shirt. A wooden boat, a wooden-boat. Pedantic ? Yes, but this guy is a professor, his job is writing. Presumably in English.
2) Why it is necessary to throw in the faux Latin term which was never used and state that despite this or regardless of this Roman use it had first been made popular at a later date ?
How or why could the Roman use of mail hinder it being used subsequently? I cannot understand this. Is it only me ?
(3) This is a neoplasm. Charlemagne's forces were , of course, Carolingian.
4)Clothing can be influential ? This is wierd.
5)Clothing ?
6) Braiding implies a weaving technique. Mail is made by interlocking rings in rows.
7)Mail forms an independant fabric which needs no support. If it does it is de facto not mail.
8)There is no surviving example from this date and time.
9)This is a failure to understand the saga literature's love of word play. - later in the book he considers that word-play could confuse burning with archery fire! - 'White' is here as in medieval 'white' armour which means it is brightly polished. How paint would stay on a mail shirt is a problem unseen by someone who does not understand what the item is. The constantly moving rings would rapidly scrape themsleves clean of any paint.
Despite being a professor of history, despite quoting saga literature (which I suggest he has not or cannot read) he produces this mangled view of armour of the time.
'A final, less often worn defensive armament, the mail-shirt(sic) (1)(hringserkr or hringskyrta), was also used by some Norwegian soldiers. Although known to the Romans as the lorica hamata(2), it had first been made popular by the Carolingian forces of Charlemagne(3), and by the eleventh century was the most influential(4) defensive clothing(5) worn by warriors throughout Europe. The mail-shirt, sometimes redundantly called 'chain-mail', was made of interlocking rings braided together(6) over a leather jerkin(7). It was long, covering from the neck to the knees, with long sleeves(8). Additionally, as depicted in the Oseberg ship tapestry, this Scandinavian armour was painted a bright white colour(9). (ref s).'
(p.198)
1) There is no need for a hyphen here. A shirt of mail is a mail shirt. The words do not need to be assembled into a compund word by the hyphen. In that case, a cotton shirt would have to be a cotton-shirt. A wooden boat, a wooden-boat. Pedantic ? Yes, but this guy is a professor, his job is writing. Presumably in English.
2) Why it is necessary to throw in the faux Latin term which was never used and state that despite this or regardless of this Roman use it had first been made popular at a later date ?
How or why could the Roman use of mail hinder it being used subsequently? I cannot understand this. Is it only me ?
(3) This is a neoplasm. Charlemagne's forces were , of course, Carolingian.
4)Clothing can be influential ? This is wierd.
5)Clothing ?
6) Braiding implies a weaving technique. Mail is made by interlocking rings in rows.
7)Mail forms an independant fabric which needs no support. If it does it is de facto not mail.
8)There is no surviving example from this date and time.
9)This is a failure to understand the saga literature's love of word play. - later in the book he considers that word-play could confuse burning with archery fire! - 'White' is here as in medieval 'white' armour which means it is brightly polished. How paint would stay on a mail shirt is a problem unseen by someone who does not understand what the item is. The constantly moving rings would rapidly scrape themsleves clean of any paint.