What's the opposite of "Weapons at the ready?"

Glorelendil · Post by **Glorelendil** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 5:14 pm

Swords can be sheathed, but how does one hold an axe or a spear in a non-threatening way? "...held non-threateningly" doesn't sound like Tolkien.

Is there a specific term for this?

Writing an adventure and I want to describe this.

zedturtle · Post by **zedturtle** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 5:30 pm

I'd probably use "weapons at rest" to indicate that they had possession of weapons but said weapons were not deployed.

zedturtle · Post by **zedturtle** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 5:31 pm

PS I promise that I'll respond to your email tonight; it's non-gym day and timing will be better.

Glorelendil · Post by **Glorelendil** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 5:32 pm

zedturtle wrote:I'd probably use "weapons at rest" to indicate that they had possession of weapons but said weapons were not deployed.

Yeah, that's pretty good. Seems like the opposite of "at the ready".

Stormcrow · Post by **Stormcrow** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 7:11 pm

An axe is "lowered." A spear can be "lowered," but this can also mean "leveled," so it depends on context. A spear-holder might "lower his spear-arm" or even "unready his spear."

Earendil · Post by **Earendil** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 7:37 pm

In general, I'd say "weapons lowered".

As Stormcrow says, that could be ambiguous for spears etc, so in that case I might say they were "shouldered" (like shouldering a rifle) or "put up" (e.g. they put up their spears and let him pass).

I've definitely seen "put up" used of spears in this way, though I'm not sure where - it may even have been in Tolkien!

aramis · Post by **aramis** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 2:53 am

Spears sometimes had sheaths for the tips.

Failing that... lets look at the last spears in routine military use...

The Guidon. It's a spear with a pennant - a shortened footman's lance, to be more specific.
The At-Ease posture is pretty much the least threatening you'll get with an uncovered spear.

ArmyStudyGuide.com has this on how it's done:

Rest Positions

a. On the preparatory command Parade, move the right hand up the staff until the forearm is horizontal and grasp the staff (1, Figure C-2). On the command of execution REST, thrust the staff straight forward keeping the ferrule on the marching surface until the arm is fully extended, and at the same time, execute parade rest as in individual drill (2, Figure C-2).

b. Stand at ease is the same as parade rest, except that the eyes and head are turned toward the commander.

As an aside, note that "Present Arms" happens to be reasonably close to the couched position for charging....

http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/a ... idon.shtml

Glorelendil · Post by **Glorelendil** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 3:49 am

This involves two Beornings out in the wild walking toward the heroes from a distance, one of them carrying a spear and one of them an axe, so standing at ease in formal military posture isn't going to work. I just want to convey the general sense of "non-hostility" to a lay reader, hopefully using Tolkien-esque language.

It's not a super important point, but it occurred to me that I didn't have a good way of conveying "their weapons are sheathed" for weapons that don't have sheathes, but I also didn't want to spend a long sentence describing exactly how they are holding their arms.

It did just occur to me that axes do have sheathes, and that if at least the axe is sheathed then maybe that by itself is suggestive enough.

Falenthal · Post by **Falenthal** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:30 am

"One of them has his axe sheated at his side. The other uses the pole of a spear as a walking staff while he advances to you"?

It seems pretty harmless to me.

aramis · Post by **aramis** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 7:04 am

Glorelendil wrote:This involves two Beornings out in the wild walking toward the heroes from a distance, one of them carrying a spear and one of them an axe, so standing at ease in formal military posture isn't going to work. I just want to convey the general sense of "non-hostility" to a lay reader, hopefully using Tolkien-esque language.

It's not a super important point, but it occurred to me that I didn't have a good way of conveying "their weapons are sheathed" for weapons that don't have sheathes, but I also didn't want to spend a long sentence describing exactly how they are holding their arms.

It did just occur to me that axes do have sheathes, and that if at least the axe is sheathed then maybe that by itself is suggestive enough.

Then carrying it in the hand, leaned against the shoulder, much like the guidon in "Carry Guidon" position. Keep in mind - modern close order drill is a holdover from medieval military training. And the manual of the guidon is the surviving form of the spear training manuals of the 17th C, based upon the spear drills of the 14th to 16th centuries; some rather compelling arguments can be made that they are essentially the Roman manuals.

A legionnaire of the Roman Army might have his javelin hanging off his pack, carried by hand-and-shoulder (like the modern guidon), at the ready for charge (gripped in fist, thumb forward, point forrward, held near waist level) or ready for throw (thumb back, held over the shoulder, point forward)... And there are illustrations and descriptions surviving of marching with the javelin "in order".

If they stop, the at-ease posture also dates back to the Roman legions... Western military tradition really draws from Roman tradition.

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