The Bow and the Arrow as Symbols The power and beauty of the bow and arrow led to the widespread belief that they must possess some magical or spiritual power. This power naturally lent itself to protection from evil spirits and symbols of power and authority. Every culture that used the bow and arrow developed these ritual and symbolic uses, but I can only mention a few here. For the Western Turks, the arrow served…

The arrow is one of the most often overlooked parts of the bow and arrow technology. A common trope in literature and film is that archers can simply pick up the arrows shot at them from different bows and shoot them back. But this would be like trying to shoot a bullet made for a .30-.30 rifle out of .22 rifle. The bullet won’t fit because the .30-.30 bullet is too large for the .22….

Heirs of Anarwyn: Feral (Book 4) Get it as soon as it launches. Pre-Order Now! Shadows in the Night CARRADOC’S BLOOD RAN COLD—and not because of the chill wind fingering the edges of his cloak. He paused at the base of the little knoll beside the ancient stone circle to scan the area. Something was out there. Watching him. Wind moaned as it blasted through the ruins, bending the stiff prairie grass to the ground….

A reviewer of my book 3 in the Archer of the Heathland series, Vengeance, recently criticized me for having my characters Brion and Finola lead armies at the young age of 19 or 20. The reviewer apparently believes that no adult would follow such a young leader into battle. Unfortunately for this reviewer’s argument, the pages of history are littered with young men and women who demanded and received loyalty from much older men and women and…

Hi all, More evidence recently emerged that demonstrates that historically women engaged in combat. I wrote a post three years ago in response to criticism that I was having the women in my books be too effective as fighters against male opponents. You can find that post here: https://www.jwelliot.com/2556/   A new study of a body found on the island of Scilly off the coast of England dated from 100 BCE to 50 BCE throws…