Fun fact you likely know, given that you think longbows are cool.
The rude gesture "flipping the bird," or raising one's middle finger, originated with English longbowmen. Longbowmen captured by the French at the time would have their middle fingers cut off, pretty much ruining their ability to use a bow. In response, prior to a volley, the longbowmen would show off to the French their in-tact middle digit, then proceed to feather them quite thoroughly.
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US - Eitrigg
Delupi, Amoora, Jisu, Beahru, Rusa, Yeun, Neralyis, Usii, Onnoope, Zaramja, Kaeya, Shawnie, Iziss
While we're on fun facts about Longbows:
Longbowmen were taken at age 7 to train to become a Longbowmen. Without the invention of the compound bow, they had to be specially trained to pull the bow back upwards of 250 pounds. As a result, the entire bone structure in their right arm changed as they grew to be able to do this, which of course, caused some problems in their later years.
Sorry, I'm a history nerd.
The "one-finger salute," or at any rate sexual gestures involving the middle finger, are thousands of years old. In Gestures: Their Origins and Distribution, Desmond Morris and colleagues note that the digitus infamis or digitus impudicus (infamous or indecent finger) is mentioned several times in the literature of ancient Rome. Turning to our vast classical library, we quickly turn up three references. Two are from the epigrammatist Martial: "Laugh loudly, Sextillus, when someone calls you a queen and put your middle finger out."
Actually, trigger released projectile weaponry predates the longbow by at least several centuries. There are well documented instances of Greek and Roman crossbow designs.
The longbow, as Frey described above, was so long in coming because of the strength it required to draw it. The human arm isn't naturally made to hold up to that.
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Have you ever seen the shit these gangs pull off?
They raid a person's house just because he "dissed" them by walking into "their" territory and shoot him, his mom, siblings, and any one else caught in the house at the time...in broad day light.
And then the cops can't arrest them because there's always 20 other people who all say "Na, he didn't do it. He was here with me."
US - Eitrigg
Delupi, Amoora, Jisu, Beahru, Rusa, Yeun, Neralyis, Usii, Onnoope, Zaramja, Kaeya, Shawnie, Iziss
3DS Friend Code: 0146-9205-4817. Could show as either Chris or Chrysia.