Caber Tossing

**Pour1Malt** · 14th June 06, 12:42 AM

it wuz prabably a peacock type thing tae impress the lassies....

"och lass, watch ma handle ma muckle pole!!!"

**Planopiper** · 14th June 06, 05:51 AM

I can see using logs as ladders or to cross creeks or ditches, but it seems like it would make more sense to just walk up and set them in place. Actually, I can't see at all how you could throw a log and have it end up leaning against a wall to use as a ladder.

One explanation I heard was that in a battle, tossing a log at the front ranks of the enemy would open up a gap in the ranks. I suppose I can see that. I have no practical experience in that sort of battle, so I can't judge how feasible it would be.

**davedove** · 14th June 06, 05:55 AM

I still think it went something like this:

"Hey Angus, I'll bet you can't pick up that log."

"Sure I can, see?"

"Okay, I'll bet you can't throw it."

"No problem. How's that."

"Not bad. Now can you make it flip over in the air so that the end you're holding lands away from you?"

"Kind of tricky, but how's that."

"Okay, you're strong enough to do that. But can you control it enough so that it lands in a straight out in front of you?"

**Kiltedfirepiper** · 14th June 06, 10:55 AM

I could see that just carryin it to the wall and leaning it up against it would work ....but then you got all those pesky roman types up on the wall shooting arrows and throwing rocks, so it would be quicker to have one really strong/ fast guy get close enough to toss it and get it landing properly than to have more arrow fodder lost by carrying it ....i donno ...just trying to support my theroy

**davedove** · 14th June 06, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by Kiltedfirepiper

I could see that just carryin it to the wall and leaning it up against it would work ....but then you got all those pesky roman types up on the wall shooting arrows and throwing rocks, so it would be quicker to have one really strong/ fast guy get close enough to toss it and get it landing properly than to have more arrow fodder lost by carrying it ....i donno ...just trying to support my theroy

If you follow that theory further, it would make sense to have a number of such men do this at different locations around the battlements. This way you would increase the chances of having the log land right and split the defenders forces to the different locations, instead of focusing all their firepower on one individual.

**cavscout** · 14th June 06, 11:46 AM

A good archer though could pick off this caber tosser quite easily, then with the time it takes to lift a caber and get your momentum moving in the right direction the archer picks off the next guy. Or you have a caber crew to assist the guy and now you've got the fodder that was hoped to avoid.

If there really was a military use for this, it most likely was as an earlier post stated where it was hurled into the enemy line to create a hole or gap in the line. This seems plausible but not likely.

We were trained to look for "weapons-of-opportunity" like writing pens, tent stakes...but never a 16' - 20' pole

**Planopiper** · 14th June 06, 12:04 PM

Again, I don't have any experience in this kind of situation, but I think that archers are only really effective for shooting people that are a long ways from your troops. They didn't shoot people that were right up close because either your own troops would be in the way or they'd be too far away to get a good shot. Archers shot at crowds, I think, not individuals. Just guessing here. In my mind it still beats the other ideas, but I still think there's just as good a chance that someone made it it.

**davedove** · 14th June 06, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Planopiper

Again, I don't have any experience in this kind of situation, but I think that archers are only really effective for shooting people that are a long ways from your troops. They didn't shoot people that were right up close because either your own troops would be in the way or they'd be too far away to get a good shot. Archers shot at crowds, I think, not individuals. Just guessing here. In my mind it still beats the other ideas, but I still think there's just as good a chance that someone made it it.

Well, on the field, masses of archers would fire at masses of troops. Archers behind battlements also fired in this way, but would also individually fire at targets of opportunity. This would include enemy archers, siege engine crews, and maniacs running at your battlements with a log.