Unfortunately for contemporaries, today one can regularly hear stories about mass shootings from pistols, machine guns, rifles and other firearms. The classic mechanical crossbow and traditional bow require more skill to handle and are less rapid-fire, so they are a thing of the past. And along with them, a quiver disappeared from our life - this is an organic addition to the ancient long-range weapons.
But what exactly does the word mean? How did it appear in Russian?
In search of meanings
First you need to figure out for what purpose it was used. In a broad sense, a quiver is generally any storage for shells. The term means:
- case with hard walls;
- bag for arrows.
Today, in artworks, a standard image is drawn when the arrows deftly pull the arrow from behind and release it into the opponent in a jump. This is slightly different from how it originally happened.
Ancient times
In Russia, the meaning of the word "quiver" was not known at all. But what did hunters and warriors use then?
A tool hung on their belt. It was cylindrical in shape, so it contained the maximum number of arrows and was always on the belt at the foot shooter. The problem arose when riding a horse: the tool was losing relevance, since:
- shaking spoiled arrows;
- it was difficult to get at least one of them;
- "Shells" could crumble.
If it was a simple hunt, then, of course, there was nothing to worry about. What if you need to go to another city or drive a fast beast? It was then that close social and cultural ties with the Turkic peoples came in handy. They developed a sagaidak for horse archers, an important part of which is the quiver. Differences from Tula were significant.
The flat shape made it possible to fix the case, rigid ribs protected from impacts and when falling. In the internal part, special partitions were made that prevented any hanging out, shaking of arrows. This made it possible to make long horse-drawn trips without fear for the safety of ammunition.
Nowadays
There were no archers in the army, nor in the villages. Therefore, the terms associated with them were gradually erased from the people's memory. For residents of the 21st century, a quiver is absolutely any container for arrows, even if by design it is a tool. In this sense, you can safely use the word when discussing your favorite character, when writing a historical book or in conversation with experts. And if you focus on the differences between the cases, you will be able to demonstrate your erudition to the interlocutor!