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Wulfhere was consecrated in 854. In 866 the viking Great Heathen Army attacked and captured York, and the following year the 'Danes' (as the English called vikings in general at the time) defeated an attempt to recapture the city, by Anglo-Saxon forces, the following year. Wulfhere made peace with the invaders and stayed in York. 675), king of Mercia (658–75). Wulfhere was in hiding after his father Penda's defeat and death until a successful rising in 658 expelled the Northumbrians and made him king. He was a Christian: how he became one is unknown. Events in his reign illuminate the relationship between a king's role and his faith. Wulfhere or Wulfar (died 675) was King of Mercia from 658 until 675 AD. He was the first Christian king of all of Mercia, though it is not known when or how he converted from Anglo-Saxon paganism. By wulfhere on Monday April 04, 2016 @09:27AM Attached to: Oklahoma Video Vigilante Uses Drone To Wage War Against Prostitutes and Johns +5, Informative. Comment Re:Ad Blocking (Score 1) 159.
A mystery sword made by the Vikings and engraved with the word Ulfberht has stumped archaeologists. The sword is forged in such a way that it looks to have been made by technologies that weren’t available until 800 years after the Viking era.
Around 170 of the swords have been found, all of which date from between 800AD to 1000AD, but the technology that would have forged them is from the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s and 1900s.
A television programme has looked into the mystery in more detail called, ‘Secrets of the Viking Sword’. Its researchers say that to forge the iron which the swords are made of, the ore needs to be heated to around 3000 degrees (F). It then liquefies and the impurities are removed. It is then mixed with carbon to strengthen the iron. However medieval technologies, which are what the Vikings would have been using, would not have been able to heat any metal or substance that high a temperature. In those days, the impurities would have been removed by hammering them out of the iron.
In contradiction to this, the Ulfberht contains almost no impurities at all and it has thrice the amount of carbon in it than any other metals that are known to have existed at the time. The metal the swords are made of is known as crucible steel.
Furnaces that could heat metals and substances to extremely high temperatures what not invented until the industrial revolution when the tools for heating iron to these temperatures were also developed.
A blacksmith has consulted with the television programme’s researchers and has said that to make a sword like the Ulfberht Is highly complex and difficult. The blacksmith is the only person who has the skills and tools available to try to reproduce the metal of the Ulfberht. He believes that whoever made the sword during the Viking era would have surely been thought to possess magic powers since the metal was and still is so special and unique, Ancient Origins reports.
The sword bends but doesn’t break, it stays razorsharp, and is very light weight, and so to soldiers it would have been thought of as almost supernatural.
The blacksmith spent many days working to try to recreate the Ulfberht using medieval technology, and finally did produce a similar metal with great skill and hard work. Researchers now believe it is possible that the knowledge to make the swords originated in the Middle East and that trade routes between there and Europe would have spread the knowledge and technologies. When those trade routes eventually closed, due to lack of use, so too did the Ulfberht ceased to continue being made.
I recently offered to teach a class at an event called, 'Heraldry in War.' The aim of the class was to show that the origins of heraldry were rooted in the need for identification on the battlefield. Below, is the handout:
Introduction
Many people may not realize it, but what they commonly thinkof as a coat of arms had its origins in war. They think of arms as beingdecorative, something you put on your stationary or over the mantle of yourfireplace. We in the SCA know differently however. We know that heraldry hadits origins in warfare.
History of Heraldry
From ancient times onward combatants in war have usedemblems to signify who they were. Egyptian artwork shows pictures of standardswith various emblems upon them. They were apparently used to designate rulersor other important people. Ancient Mesopotamianart shows a similar usage of emblems. In the Book of Numbers it is described how the Twelve Tribes had standardsupon which were emblems designating their tribe. Later the Greeks and Romans would usestandards and ensigns to designate units and high ranking individuals. Anexample of such a use is the eagle of Augustus’ Xth Legion. With the Greeks webegin to see emblems appearing on shields. The Romans made use of emblems on theshields of individuals to designate which unit they belonged to.
What we think of as heraldic devices were first seen duringthe reign of Charlemagne. Seals and banners with emblems denoting individualscame into use at that time. Medieval European heraldry evolved out of theseusages of symbols to identify combatants in battle. The Leges Hastiludiales of Henry the Fowler in 938 CE requiredcombatants in tournaments to show four generations of the use of ensigns toenter. The earliest evidence of a specific individual being awarded arms is in1128 when the arms of Geoffrey IV of Anjou were given to him by his father inlaw King Henry I of England. Seals depicting heraldic devices appeared lessthan a decade later in England.
In the decades that followed the use of heraldry spread. TheCrusades while not the cause of the spread of the usage of heraldry certainlycontributed to the need of it. King Richard the Lion Hearted was the firstEnglish king to use a heraldic device officially, and is thought to be a reasonfor others adopting heraldic devices. Sometime between 1240 and 1250 the Glover'sRoll, the first known Roll of Arms was compiled. A Roll of Arms is a pictorialdepiction of the heraldic devices of nobles and knights. Since the idea of armswas to identify a person, there became a need to ensure that each set coat ofarms was unique, and by the 15th century France and England had bothformed a College of Arms to ensure that no two people used the same heraldicdevice.
Wulfhere Meaning
The Purpose of Heraldic Devices
The purpose of a heraldic device is much the same in the SCAas it was in the Middle Ages, to identify a combatant. And as such certainrules are used to ensure that a fighter can be identified from across thefield. This means that the symbols or charges on the shield should be big andbold. Size matters when it comes to charges placed on a shield. If they are toosmall they cannot be identified.
Contrast also determines whether a device can be identifiedacross the field. It is because of this within heraldry there is a rule calledthe Rule of Tincture. The Rule of Tincture is that no metal can go on a metal,and no color on a color. The colors are black, blue, green, purple, and red.The metals are yellow and white which represent gold and silver.
Complex designs are also not easily identified on the fieldof battle. For this reason, simple designs are preferred. Because of this ourCollege of Arms has a complexity count to prevent a device from becoming toocomplicated. The more simple a device isthe more readily it is identified.
Finally, just as what done in the late Middle Ages, theCollege of Arms registers devices to ensure that each one is unique. The reasonfor this is so that two people are not confused on the field of battle becausetheir arms resemble each other’s too much. While it is not required to registeryour device it is greatly encouraged. Should anyone ever enter a CrownTournament for example using the same device, the one whose device has beenregistered would get to use it during the tournament.
Badges and Banners
Badges in battle play a role similar to heraldic devicesexcept instead of identifying someone as an individual, they identify someoneas a member of a unit, be it a household, shire, barony, principality, kingdom,or similar group. Everyone knows when they see the gold striking falcon on apurple tabard on someone that that person is a member of Calontir, either partof our army or a herald or someone else giving service. Banners perform asimilar function. When someone sees a banner flying over an army they canreadily identify who they are by the badge used on it. Thus if you see the goldstriking falcon on a purple banner flying over an encampment you can restassured that they are Calontir folk.
Conclusion
Just as in the Middle Ages, heraldry plays an important rolein warfare in the SCA. It allows both combatants and spectators to identify whois on the field. It is allows us to follow our favorites even when they areconcealed by armor. It also allows us to identify units and armies during abattle.
Bibliography
Wulfhere Meaning
Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles A Complete Guide to Heraldry: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd. – 1950
Jones, Robert W. BloodiedBanners: Martial Display on the Medieval Battlefield: Boydell Press 2010
Wulfhere Of Mercia
Reynolds, Ernest Introductionto Heraldry: Methuen and CompanyLimited – 1958
Wulfhere The Last Kingdom
Wagner, Anthony Richard Heraldryin England: Penguin Books -1953
Woodcock, Thomas S. TheOxford Guide to Heraldry: Oxford University Press - 1988
Wulfhere Last Kingdom
Woodward, J. ATreatise on Heraldry: British and Foreign: with English and French Glossaries: NabuPress - 2010
