Hun bow
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Image:Hun bow.jpg The Hun bow is an asymmetric, composite and reflex bow. It was invented in Central Asia and carried to Europe first by the Huns.
Its asymmetric shape allowed the bow to be increased in size without restricting its use from the saddle of a horse. Since the Hunnic peoples were already nomadic in nature, they needed a long range weapon that could be used from horseback. While shooting a longbow requires proper stance and a long draw, the recurve nature allows massive amounts of energy to be imparted to the arrow from a relatively short draw, allowing the rider to shoot more arrows in less time and be able to do so on horseback. The lower part had to be shorter to facilitate movement across the back and neck of the horse, but the upper part was not so constrained and could be longer. The result was a stronger, longer-range bow than that of the Germanic tribes of Europe. Quite simply, the users of the Hunnic bow could shoot down their enemies before they could use their bows. The ability to fire off many arrows in a short span of time combined with the mobility imparted by mounts made Hunnic ambushes truly devastating. The asymmetry, however, led to less accuracy, although this was offset to some extent by the fact that the weapon was a composite bow.
The respect that the Goths had of the Hun bow was transmitted orally for a millennium among Germanic tribes and comes down to us in the Scandinavian Hervarar saga. The Geatish king Gizur who commands the Goth forces taunts the Huns and says:
- Eigi gera Húnar oss felmtraða né hornbogar yðrir.
- We fear neither the Huns nor their hornbows.
The Hungarian bow is an improvement of the Hun bow.