Honestly, what I know about archery involves exactly five facts:

– longbows require training from a very young age, and the body and required muscle ends up being ‘built’ by the bow (THANK YOU AGINCOURT PROJECT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL)

– crossbows can be a bitch to reload, apparently

– recurve bows look a bit like the { symbol that is used on music scores

– bows are measured (?) in pounds of force drawn

– I could probably only hurt someone with one by clubbing them over the head with it

Regardless of my utter ineptitude, here are some archery thoughts. Feel free to join in!

Yeah, I do feel that there would be an unpopularity towards archery in greater Dwarven society because of the heavy elven association? But even so, many many Dwarves learn it, and they aren’t dissuaded or looked down upon if they feel drawn to it in any way. Skill is skill, and deadly skill that can also lead to dinner is useful, after all. In The Hobbit, the Company tries to shoot the white hart in Mirkwood (cos Beorn gives them bows and arrows). And Thorin actually holds off the besiegers of Erebor at arrowpoint using the extremely dramatic phrase, ‘begone, ere our arrows fly!’. 

I guess if archery were totally frowned upon (as opposed to simply unpopular), then Thorin and Kili would not have learned how to use it at all. But still. I suppose some people would prefer crossbows! They’re pretty crafty little things, and require a lot less practice and pack a LOT of punch. 

There was a really good post going around not too long ago about the different bows used, and it appears that Kili’s was a recurve. And yeah, it is fancy! 🙂