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Description
That isn’t a water balloon she is swinging at this guy’s head and he is not trying to pop it with his pointy stick. Their quarrel is so contentious, the authorities have thrown up their hands in disgust and decreed the two should just fight it out in the ring, in public. The betting must have been fierce.

This scene depicts an accepted form for a fight between a man and a woman, a form that attempted to keep the man from having an unfair advantage based on his size and experience. The man had to fight while standing in a hole up to his waist, in this case wielding a club. The woman, armed with a heavy rock wrapped in a long veil, was free to move around him. She could play medieval Whack-A-Mole as much as she liked. But if she got too close and he grabbed her or her veil, he could pull her down. The fight dynamics could change in an instant.

The combatants wore identical simple, close-fitting suits for better grappling. The simple garb prevented one fighter grabbing the other’s clothing or, alternatively, a fighter using parts of his clothing for offensive purposes. Trial by battle, practiced extensively throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. This picture is part of a Fechtbuch, combat manual, written and illustrated by Hans Talhoffer in 1476.

I invite you to visit my etsy shop, www.floss-flash.com, where this and other embroidery patterns created from vintage images can be found for download. Find patterns you won't see anywhere else - medieval, from the sacred to the profane; turn of the century risqué French postcards of both women and men; and arcana, such as Tarot cards.

I researched and adapted this image for use in hand embroidery. The pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell the pattern, either individually or as part of a collection.

Description
That isn’t a water balloon she is swinging at this guy’s head and he is not trying to pop it with his pointy stick. Their quarrel is so contentious, the authorities have thrown up their hands in disgust and decreed the two should just fight it out in the ring, in public. The betting must have been fierce.

This scene depicts an accepted form for a fight between a man and a woman, a form that attempted to keep the man from having an unfair advantage based on his size and experience. The man had to fight while standing in a hole up to his waist, in this case wielding a club. The woman, armed with a heavy rock wrapped in a long veil, was free to move around him. She could play medieval Whack-A-Mole as much as she liked. But if she got too close and he grabbed her or her veil, he could pull her down. The fight dynamics could change in an instant.

The combatants wore identical simple, close-fitting suits for better grappling. The simple garb prevented one fighter grabbing the other’s clothing or, alternatively, a fighter using parts of his clothing for offensive purposes. Trial by battle, practiced extensively throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. This picture is part of a Fechtbuch, combat manual, written and illustrated by Hans Talhoffer in 1476.

I invite you to visit my etsy shop, www.floss-flash.com, where this and other embroidery patterns created from vintage images can be found for download. Find patterns you won't see anywhere else - medieval, from the sacred to the profane; turn of the century risqué French postcards of both women and men; and arcana, such as Tarot cards.

I researched and adapted this image for use in hand embroidery. The pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell the pattern, either individually or as part of a collection.