What sort of quiver is authentic?
A. In the UK, the quiver — in the sense of a leather arrow tube — is a relatively recent innovation. It was uncommon before the victorian era. During this era, when the bow was used for sport and hunting, leather hip quivers were quite common. In the medieval era, military archers typically carried their arrows in a canvas bag, which they tied around the waist or back. The bag could usually be tied at the top to protect the fletchings. During the battle, it seems that it was common to stick your arrows in the ground by your feet, rather than keep them in a bag/quiver. This had the dual effect of making the arrows easily accessible, and of making the points muddy. While a glancing blow with a muddy arrow point might not eliminate an enemy from the field of battle straight away, in the days before antibiotics it would likely have kept him out of the next battle. I believe that the concept of the `back quiver’ comes from Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood movie. There doesn’t seem to be much evid
