So you are looking for the kind of bow with deflexed tips and side nocks? Yes, thats the Hedeby bow. Itīs named after a viking settlement in Schleswig-Holstein (northern Germany) that existed bethween the 9th and 11th century. Most of these bows were made out of small diameter yew trees. The draw weight of these bows was around 80 to 100 lbs. There is in fact a fragment of a childrenīs bow made out of elm. Hedeby bows were actually also used in Ireland.
The Nydam bow on the other hand does also have long tips with side nocks, but they werenīt deflexed. Archaeologists found ships from the 4th century AD in Nydam, Denmark. There were 40 bows aboard. These bows were also mainly made out of small yew trees , but there is one bow that could have been made out of pine. Other findings suggest that this kind of bow was in use for a very long time -at least from the 1st century AD to the 12th century. Thatīs more than 1000 years!
I have actually built a bow of the Nydam type.
