Monday, February 19, 2007

Saturday Market

On Saturday I accompanied Aginoth, Mrs Aginoth and two friends to the National Living History Fayre in Warwick.

These are wonderful places, with stalls selling re-enactment and living history stuff from every possible era. Roman soldiers rub shoulders with Tudor women, dandies converse with medieval knights. I love these markets, and there is always something to see.

This season, there were duelling knights with a prize available. Wherever I walked in the huge hall, I was accompanied by the sound of clashing swords and the banging of shields. With the yells of the audience and the screaming of the umpire, all that was missing was the smell of horse manure………
Good, eh??


Anyway, we were there on a mission. The Aginoths needed cloth to make new clothes for the children and Mrs A, and Aginoth needed a new longbow (or so he said! [wink]). Our friends had various needs, and also purchased a longbow from the Dutch bowyers who have recently begun trading at the show.

My own purchasing needs were modest (they have to be, I have no money!). I found Bernie the Bolt (the cloth salesman) had my dress cloth for sale, so I bought a metre so I can drop my hem a couple of inches. No more flashing my ankles and feet and being teased by the boys!

I also needed a tapestry frame (not found anywhere at the show, so we’ll look at the next one!) and brass needles (bought two!) – I know, I know; last of the big spenders……….

While debating my backstory (widow from the Hundred Year War found on the roadside, just with the clothes on her back ‘and scratching’ – the last from my intended employer!!) I asked Aginoth if I would have a weapon to protect myself. He agreed and suggested a bollock dagger.
‘A WHAT?’ I hear you ask.
I was toying with running this as a contest, but anyone can google or wiki ‘bollock dagger’…….

So go on, google it! :-)

cq

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hahahahahaha, I know I know, I shouldn't laugh. But it is funny!

I just had to wikipedia it and I bout fell over laughing.

Thanks for teaching me that bollock IS something other than a naught word lol

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Oh I've got to go look that one up! It sounds like you have really created a "full" character for your part in the re-0enctments...What Fun, my dear!

CyberKitten said...

I couldn't help cringing somewhat when I head about bollock daggers..........

Bobkat said...

Hence the punitive phrase 'to give someone a bollocking' :-)

I have a parrying dagger whicvh is a bit different. I am off to teh fayre being held in March which is more based around weaponry adn armour. I am after a new sword and uantlets.

Paste said...

To save people looking it up:-

'The bollock dagger or ballock knife is a type of dagger with a distinctively shaped haft, with two oval swellings at the guard resembling male genitalia (or bollocks). The guard is often in one piece with the wooden grip, and reinforced on top with a shaped metal washer. The dagger was popular in Flanders, England and Scotland between the 13th and 18th centuries, and in particular the Tudor period. A large number of such weapons were found aboard the wreck of the Mary Rose.

In the Victorian period "prudish" weapon historians introduced the term kidney dagger, due to the two lobes at the guard, which could also be seen as kidney-shaped. (Blair 1962).

The hilt was often constructed of box root (dudgeon) in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the dagger was sometimes called dudgeon dagger or dudgeonhafted dagger in this period. The bollock dagger was probably the precursor of the Scottish dirk.

The bollock dagger is the source of the expression, to get, or give, a "bollocking", meaning to give or receive a severe chastisement.'

Minerva said...

I really wanted to pun and talk about not having the balls to look it up..but luckily someone did put it there for me..

Sounded like fun though!

Minerva

rashbre said...

It all sounds rather violent. I like the 'bernie the bolt' pun, too!

And this time I am here because Michele sent me! Hiya!