Are Female Armors Denigrating?

[McclaudEagle]

Anyone actually thought of Boudica, Queen of the British Iceni tribes, who led a violent and and almost successful revolt against the Roman invaders? She was certainly no housewife, and her revolts nearly booted the Romans out of Britain :P

 

I'm also pretty sure she didn't face the Romans in a bikini armor.

[myrmaad]

Anyone actually thought of Boudica, Queen of the British Iceni tribes, who led a violent and and almost successful revolt against the Roman invaders? She was certainly no housewife, and her revolts nearly booted the Romans out of Britain :P

 

I'm also pretty sure she didn't face the Romans in a bikini armor.

 

 

Yes I "thought" of her, and I'm quite interested in what you imagine she (and her tribe) were wearing.

[Aurielius]

Anyone actually thought of Boudica, Queen of the British Iceni tribes, who led a violent and and almost successful revolt against the Roman invaders? She was certainly no housewife, and her revolts nearly booted the Romans out of Britain :P

 

I'm also pretty sure she didn't face the Romans in a bikini armor.

Tacitus or Cassius Dio, the only historians of the period to report accurately on the Iceni revolt never mentioned what she wore but the best guess is leather and cloth, something along this vein. Her body was never found after the her final confrontation with Gaius Suetonius Paulinus's legions at the Battle of Watling Street. The Celts usually only carried shields and longwords and had a predilection towards 'Wod' (blue warpaint) as the method of protection not really my first choice for warding off a gladius or a pilum.

 

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4482/boudica2.jpg

Edited January 4, 2012 by Aurielius

[myrmaad]

But we apparently do know she wore a Torc which was worn by men as a symbol of male verility.

[Vagrant0]

On armor covering:

http://famousmonstersoffilmland.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Leonidas-1.jpg

http://i25.lulzimg.com/c334d1.jpg

 

Yes, I know your arguments as to how "That isn't entirely factual." but brew on that to yourself as you reflect upon the game mods that sparked this topic.

 

More than 75% of fantasy art (many artists female) features scantly clad female subjects. And almost all of them are designed in a way which is suiting more to the thematic elements of the piece than anything practical. This is why male armors are also often extremely bulky, solid looking, and heavily ornate.

 

One could argue that bulky male armors are also denigrating since they downplay the features of the person inside the armor and cast them solely as just a frame on which the armor is worn, characterized only by the appearance of said armor.

[Aurielius]

But we apparently do know she wore a Torc which was worn by men as a symbol of male verility.

The Iceni and most but not all Celtic tribal groups of the period drew no distinction between male and female leadership.

[myrmaad]

But we apparently do know she wore a Torc which was worn by men as a symbol of male verility.

The Iceni and most but not all Celtic tribal groups of the period drew no distinction between male and female leadership.

 

 

They certainly were not patriarchal like the romans, but there was definitely a great distinction between male and female symbolism (and roles).

[Aurielius]

But we apparently do know she wore a Torc which was worn by men as a symbol of male verility.

The Iceni and most but not all Celtic tribal groups of the period drew no distinction between male and female leadership.

 

 

They certainly were not patriarchal like the romans, but there was definitely a great distinction between male and female symbolism (and roles).

I agree the Celts were very avant garde for their time, but the patriarchal Romans believed in discipline and cohesion in their Legions, which in the long run was the reason why 12,000 Legionnaires defeated over 160,000 screaming Celts at Watling Street. Gaius Suetonius Paulinus's legions lost about 400 versus 80,000 Celts in the battle.

[SilverDNA]

Well here is another one for that kind of people that like realism in fantasy computer games and like to tank in full plate ... How long does it in reality to take on a medieval full plate armour in and how much time (game terms) passes if you get on your Full plate on ? Anyone thought of that? No .. well funny thing is if an archer with archer with leather trousers and a chain mail shirt would have already shoot 5 hares, one deer and 2 boars. after doing on his armour and and is already starting to prepare supper when a knight emerges in full plate on horseback from the castle ... In case of an surprise attack this would be in reality fatal in all other cases he would get an awesome good supper at the archers place..

Think it over why light armours have been used in cases of surprise attacks in medieval times...

:whistling:

Edited January 5, 2012 by SilverDNA

[dazzerfong]

Well here is another one for that kind of people that like realism in fantasy computer games and like to tank in full plate ... How long does it in reality to take on a medieval full plate armour in and how much time (game terms) passes if you get on your Full plate on ? Anyone thought of that? No .. well funny thing is if an archer with archer with leather trousers and a chain mail shirt would have already shoot 5 hares, one deer and 2 boars. after doing on his armour and and is already starting to prepare supper when a knight emerges in full plate on horseback from the castle ... In case of an surprise attack this would be in reality fatal in all other cases he would get an awesome good supper at the archers place..

Think it over why light armours have been used in cases of surprise attacks in medieval times...

:whistling:

 

There weren't a lot of surprise attacks back then: hell, they even shook hands before they fought!