Flaming arrows

[woody]

Does anybody know how prevelant flaming arrows actually were on premodern batllefields? 

We see them all the time in the movies, and it seems plausible, but I remember seeing a show about the movie Kindom of Heaven, and an historian suggested that the flaming arrow thing was more an invention of Hollywood.

[hawkbow]

not sure brother, but would think an unseen flameless arrow would be more deadly... Hawk

[snakebow]

Tried that trick once. Burnt the hair off my knuckles when I released.

[Hillbilly]

Don't know about Europe, but there are historic accounts from early European explorers describing Southeastern Indians using flaming arrows to fire the palisaded towns of their enimies. There's even an old engraving from the 1600's or so depicting it.

[ricktrojanowski]

Not sure about pre modern battlefields.  However Bo and Luke Duke sure used 'em alot.

[sailordad]

i would think that they would have been used.

could you imagine the pshycological effect on your enemy,just think

there they are hunkered down in the cabin ir their soddie home,guns sticking out the windows ready to shoot at anything and everything that moves,
the people inside thinking tha they were safe, then all of a sudden in the midle of the night hey hear that sond of an arrow being released  pffffffffft
they look and they see this little red flame getting closer and bigger and then it strikes the roof or wall of the their home,then they smell smoke.
then they see flames,then there re more arrows being shot at them,all on fire.

i think tha t would be enough for most people to run outside with gun in their hands and take thier chances wth theso called "savages" whoe were just trying to
protect their land and food stroes.

ya i think they were used, the natives may have been primitive by the whitemans standards back then,however they were far from being stupid, they used
any means they found to be usefull to survive


jmho
                                                                           tim

[bow-toxo]

Does anybody know how prevelant flaming arrows actually were on premodern batllefields? 

We see them all the time in the movies, and it seems plausible, but I remember seeing a show about the movie Kindom of Heaven, and an historian suggested that the flaming arrow thing was more an invention of Hollywood.

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The historian was ill informed. There are a number of crossbow bolts with saturated tow wrappings at the head In the National Museum of Switzerland. A long tanged fire arriowhead is in a British museum. Flaming arrows were used in sieges to set fire to thatched roofs or wooden gates rather than use rams.

[Loki]

They were used but nothing like as prevalent as they are in the movies,Ridley Scott loves a fire Arrow!

This cage Arrowhead was made by Hector Cole,you stuff combustable wadding in the cage,set alight then shoot' but you dont see any flame just smoke.I havent worked out how the 'movie' arrows stay flaming as they fly .

[woody]

That cage arrowhead sure looks fun! 

[mullet]

  There is an old PA article somewhere in the past , about someone, I think in Czech Republic launching some for a celebration. I think it might have been some of Jaroslav's friends or maybe hisself. They were also trying to shoot a electric cable across a cliff, castle , or something,, don't remember.

[Badger]

  Every time I hear of a flaming arrow I think back to my high school days, one of the local high schools would hold a pep ralley each year and a huge bonfire made from all the wood donated from neigborhood folks. The goal for the opposing school was to try and burn the bonfire before the pep ralley. I always wanted to make a flaming arrow that would start that thing going. It was about 100 yard shot from outside the fence as the football team camped out by the woodpile the entire week before the ralley. They had their cars aimed at the gate for a fast getaway if they needed to give chase. We used to brainstorm on how we could burn that woodpile. One of my favorites was donate wood soaked in kerosene and then hit it with a flaming arrow. Steve

[bobnewboy]

Here's a couple of pictures from the evening celebration of a friend's wedding.  Not a common use for a fire arrow, but it worked - it was just a lot of combustible materials tied tightly in place of a pile.  Using big fletchings and being not too far to the target helps a lot too! 

//Bob

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[bobnewboy]

ooops.  Second picture:



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[cracker]

Cool looks like fun.R.C.

[markinengland]

The Turks and Saracens developed arrows for shooting containers full of cumbustible material like greek fire. I think this was a kind of tethered arrow with a cup or similar on the end from which the egg like continer was launched. I think I also remember people writing about fire arrows.

The Turkish bow was used to launch many diferent projectiles ranging from incendary devices, to very short darts to arrows that would cut the bow strings of anyone trying to shoot them back.

Mark in England