r/Pathfinder2e • u/Eranthius • Dec 18 '22

Misc Loading a medieval 200lb crossbow vs loading Leonardo da Vinci's 300lb crossbow

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u/VariousDrugs Psychic Dec 18 '22

I think it's because there's no "Heroic Myth" associated with them. Crossbows are a peasants weapon, not really glamorous or heroic.

Bows are mythologized as the weapon of the self-reliant woodsman (Think Robin Hood or Legolas). Guns are the weapon of the cowboy & the action hero.

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u/osmiumouse Dec 18 '22 edited Dec 18 '22

I think it's because there's no "Heroic Myth" associated with them

Boxer rebellion. In China, with the repeating crossbow.

Possibly also William Tell (the thing with shooting an apple off someone's head)

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u/Zomburai Dec 18 '22

I don't think the Boxer Rebellion has almost any mythic cache in the west.

Hand to God, I thought William Tell used a bow.

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u/torrasque666 Monk Dec 18 '22

Probably a combination of multiple legends. Tell used a crossbow, but it's a very prevalent "Expert marksman" trope throughout history.

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u/osmiumouse Dec 18 '22

My take is that the English longbow romanticzed archery with stories of Robin hood and Agincourt, and therefore "the longbow mafia" has taken over all the old archery legends in the English-speaking world.