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Slings in Irish legend (Read 24623 times)
slingbadger
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #15 - Sep 14th, 2011 at 4:16pm
 
OK, 3 objects identified as sling pouches are currently at the National Museum of Ireland. They were identified by a Dr, Andy Halpin. who works in the Irish Antiquities Division.
  Basically, they are elongated leather diamonds, about 10 cm long. Each one has a hole at each end, although one has had the end torn off. One is plain, one has 4 vertical slashes on it. The last has 6 longer vertical slashes on it.
  Their numbers  are E 180:7033  E190:6006  E:7007
  They were found in Dublin, in an area called Southgate and Fishamble st, and date to the 10-11th cent.

There are 5 other sites in Britain that yield similar types of finds, yet not all of the people there are ready to call them sling pouches. All are about 10 cm and have the diamond pattern, some with a hole broken through. All seem to be associated with Anglo Saxon sites.  If anyone would like a list of the other sites, I'll send you what I have.

  Also, from the Fenian Cycle, Battle of Ventry
  " And 2 Foreigners were set against them that day. And Conncrither siezed his long sided sling (an tabhaill) and put a straight even stone in it, and gave a straight well directed cast, so that it went into the forehead of his adversary, and took the brain out as a lump of blood out the back of his head."
   I think it's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea.
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The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th cent. science has been the discovery of human ignorance  The main difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits.-Einstein   I'm getting psychic as I get older. Or is that psychotic?
 
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thabaill
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #16 - Dec 17th, 2011 at 6:15pm
 
Hi Slingbadger

Do you have pictures of that slings? It would be great to recreate them.

However it seems that all those artifacts could have a Viking-Anglo Saxon Medieval origin not Ancient Celtic.

Best regards.

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slingbadger
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #17 - Jan 9th, 2012 at 6:45am
 
Before the puny humans were in Ireland, there were races of God like beings. Two of them were the Fomors, a race of giants, and the Tuatha de Dannan, the beings that became the Irish gods.
  Of course there was a war over the land. The Fomors had a giant named Balor, with one eye. He had to have someone lift his lid, but when his eye was open, he killed anything he looked at. Basically an unstoppable weapon.
Lugh stepped forward, while the eye was only half open, loaded a tathlum into his sling, and hit Balor in the eye so hard he drove the eye out the back of his head. The eye, which was still potent, looked upon the Fomor army and killed them.
  The text
" A tathlum, heavy fiery firm
  which the Tuatha de Dannan had with them
  It was that broke the fierce Balor's eye
  Of old, in the battle of the great armies."

  The Battle of Moytura
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The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th cent. science has been the discovery of human ignorance  The main difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits.-Einstein   I'm getting psychic as I get older. Or is that psychotic?
 
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thabaill
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #18 - Jan 9th, 2012 at 7:54am
 
Here is the complete history: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/cml/cml13.htm

Please, do you have pictures of the sling pouches found in Ireland? Or is there a link where I could see the design?

I only can find this.

winkleried wrote on Nov 23rd, 2008 at 1:27pm:
How about this one? If I understand correctly it's based off of the Dublin artifacts.

Marc Adkins




winkleried wrote on May 19th, 2009 at 9:53pm:
Here's one a friend of mine just sent me. This is 3 historic slings I made and entered into a SCA Arts and Science Competition in November I belive. From L to R Hededby Sling, Randers Sling, and the Dublin Sling. The theme was Viking Equipment .

Marc Adkins


I find in the first pouch a very strange attachment to the cords in the pouch. And the second I cannot see it very well.

Thank you very much, and happy new year.


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thabaill
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #19 - Jan 14th, 2012 at 4:52pm
 
...
Fig. 5.—Sling-Stone, from Aberdeenshire

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Popular_Science_Monthly/Volume_2/January_1873/Art_...

http://collections.glasgowmuseums.com/starobject.html?oid=145683

Very strange shape for a sling stone.

I wonder if there are any tathlum or brain mixed with lime as an archaeological find.

There is a river-ford in Westmeath called Athnurchar (The Ford of the Sing-cast).

http://books.google.es/books?id=4CUS2j5fw-QC&pg=PA240&lpg=PA240&dq=athnurchar&so...

Greetings.
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wanderer
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #20 - Jan 16th, 2012 at 1:38am
 
thabaill wrote on Jan 14th, 2012 at 4:52pm:
...
Fig. 5.—Sling-Stone, from Aberdeenshire

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Popular_Science_Monthly/Volume_2/January_1873/Art_...

http://collections.glasgowmuseums.com/starobject.html?oid=145683

Very strange shape for a sling stone.

I wonder if there are any tathlum or brain mixed with lime as an archaeological find.

There is a river-ford in Westmeath called Athnurchar (The Ford of the Sing-cast).

http://books.google.es/books?id=4CUS2j5fw-QC&pg=PA240&lpg=PA240&dq=athnurchar&so...

Greetings.

I don't think many nowadays believe these carved balls were actually slingstones. They are quite beautifully carved, and are also quite large for a slingstone. I missed a talk on these at the local museum a few months ago, but I don't think anyone has yet come up with a really convincing explanation of what they were used for. One of the mysteries of Scotland Smiley
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thabaill
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #21 - Jan 21st, 2012 at 8:05am
 
Hi

I agree. It is a very strange shape for a sling projectile. I think that a ball or lemon shape would be more aerodynamic and much better as a weapon.

And they are very beautifully carved so perhaps has a ritualistic purpose.

Greetings.
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #22 - Jan 31st, 2012 at 1:28pm
 
I just finished a course in Celtic literature this past fall and noticed how the Irish loved the sling. It seemed like all their heroes were expert slingers. Outside the Celts, I know of no other culture that reference the sling in their literature quite as much as they do.
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #23 - Nov 21st, 2018 at 10:23am
 
Quote:
Out from Balearic Islands, the modern history of the sling is similar. It was used mainly by the shepherds until the beginning of this Century. In the highlands of the Sistema Central (Central Mountain Range), mainly in the ones of Gredos, Gata and Peña de Francia, there were used slings made of leather strip until the middle 20th Century, as likely were the slings of the Spanish Celts from other times that inhabited this highlands.


Finally I have found yesterday some photos of that type of sling made of one leather strap. This one is from Badajoz. Not far from the highlands mentioned above.

Overall lenght: 115 cm, widest: 6.5 cm

...
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https://imgur.com/a/KTMrMVb

https://www.todocoleccion.net/antiguedades/antigua-honda-para-lanzar-piedras-ani...
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slingbadger
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #24 - Nov 22nd, 2018 at 6:39am
 
Thabaill, here is the sling that was on display when I was there. I know it sucks, but shooting through glass isn't the best.
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DSC00141_0018.jpg (5976 KB | 124 )
DSC00141_0018.jpg

The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th cent. science has been the discovery of human ignorance  The main difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits.-Einstein   I'm getting psychic as I get older. Or is that psychotic?
 
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #25 - Nov 22nd, 2018 at 10:42am
 
That one-piece leather sling looks fantastic.  I tried doing this once but it didn't turn out anywhere near that nice.  It also didn't seem to work very well for me.  Granted, I was really terrible with a sling at the time.  Still am, but not as bad Wink

Just estimating from the picture, it looks like the release and retention cords (are they still called that in a one piece?) are around 2 cm wide for most of their length.  Has anyone used a sling with wide cords like this?  Does this make the sling better suited for certain styles?
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #26 - Nov 23rd, 2018 at 8:55am
 
Hi Slingbadger. Thank you very much.

About what period is that sling?

Hi Joe

This is an offtopic by my side:

You can see that type of leather strap sling at the begining in the movie "Entre Lobos". The kids cast no stone, but it seems it must work like any other sling.

https://youtu.be/yrL5iMmIMUA?t=149

That type of sling has been used since a while ago!
https://i1.wp.com/www.archivoshistoria.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Batalla-de...

But until recently I have had not the oportunity to see one in detail.
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slingbadger
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #27 - Nov 24th, 2018 at 6:44am
 
It was found in Viking age Dublin, so 10-11th cent.
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The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th cent. science has been the discovery of human ignorance  The main difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits.-Einstein   I'm getting psychic as I get older. Or is that psychotic?
 
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #28 - Jan 4th, 2020 at 11:24am
 
Dia daoibh.

I have found this:

...

In this wondeful book:

https://books.google.es/books?id=ZrFMHmsMmWAC&lpg=PA35&dq=teilm&hl=es&pg=PA35#v=
onepage&q=teilm&f=false

But I would like to know the date of the high cross in which it is carved.

Slán!
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Re: Slings in Irish legend
Reply #29 - Mar 10th, 2020 at 6:42am
 
I know a comic that depicts an Irish hero using a sling
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