Used for thousands of years throughout northern Asia, the Mongolian composite bow is a masterwork of engineering. This type of bow differs from the more widely recognized European long bow, which consisted of a single, long piece of shaped wood. The Mongolian composite bow used several different natural components to construct a flexible and powerful bow that could easily outperform other bow designs of its time, making it a formidable weapon.
History
The Mongolian composite bow was used well into the 12th century as a tool for hunting and waging war. Traditionally, different size bows were constructed for different practices. Larger bows were used for distance shooting, and smaller bows were used at closer range. The relatively short length of even the longest of Mongolian composite bows allowed for it to be easily used from horseback, hence its alternate name, the horse bow. Today, traditional sport archers still use the Mongolian composite bows in competition.
Materials
The materials to construct the traditional Mongolian composite bow vary from region to region, but the primary items include wood, horn or bone, sinew and glue. Birch and bamboo were popular choices. Ibex horn was frequently selected for the back of the bow because of its innate curvature, although bone from various animals also was used. Sinew, which is extremely elastic, provides flexibility to the bow, allowing it to snap back into position when shot. The glue used is derived from freshwater fish. The swim bladders of the fish are first soaked in hot water to extract protein from them. The resulting protein-rich liquid is then boiled to a thick consistency. Traditional bow strings are constructed of animal hide, although silk or cotton also can be used.
Design
Unlike the straight European long bow, the Mongolian composite bow is a type of recurve bow. When unstrung, the limbs of the bow bend forward and away from the grip in somewhat of a semi-circle. Stringing the bow brings the limbs inward to form double curves with larger backward curves that extend from the grip, leading to smaller curves that bend forward again at the end of the limb. This shape provides a significant amount a shooting strength in the bow while still allowing the archer to draw the bow properly.
Construction
Animal tendon is first dried, then beaten to release the individual strands of sinew. A wooden grip and limbs for the bow are formed. The strings of sinew are then applied to the back of the bow limbs using fish glue. Bone or horn is cut into thin sections and applied inside the limbs with glue. Extensions to the limbs, called sayahs, are then spliced to each end of the bow. The sayahs each have a nock on the end to hold the bow string.
Drawing the Bow
The Mongolian composite bow is drawn differently from European bows because of its immense strength. Known as the Mongol release, the arm holding the bow is extended and the bow string is drawn back behind the ear. The string is not drawn with the fingers, but the thumb, which is wrapped around the string and held in place with the index finger. A special ring, usually made of jade, agate, metal or bone, is worn to protect the thumb from injury.
Member Comments