View Single Post
Old 07-18-2011, 11:08 PM   #16 (permalink)
Thymeclock
Banned
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 865
Thanks: 29
Thanked 111 Times in 83 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter7307 View Post
I am no expert on this but I thought knights held the lance under the right arm and across the body thus facing their opponent who was on their left.

The idea being if the knight struck another with the lance it would not push back directly but at an angle thus lessening the force attempting to shift them out of the saddle.

Anyone know for certain?

Peter
It goes back much further than that, to Roman times and the Latin terms of dexter and sinister.

We get our word for dexterity and that of being right handed from 'dexter', and the word 'sinister' describes being anything other than that.
  Reply With Quote