Tinder fungus

A lot of reenactment level work is about learning appropriate historical crafts and skills. This board is for all general skills that don't have their own forum.

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Kortoso
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Re: Tinder fungus

Post by Kortoso »

Keith, I just wanted to throw this in. When I describe how to create sparks with flint and steel, I am at loss to describe the movement using English words. Why? We've been making fire in this way for millenia. The truth is that the meanings of words change as our culture changes.

So anyway, here is the word: strike (v)
Old English strican (past tense strac, past participle stricen) "pass lightly over, stroke, smooth, rub," also "go, move, proceed," from Proto-Germanic *strikan- (source also of Old Norse strykva "to stroke," Old Frisian strika, Middle Dutch streken, Dutch strijken "to smooth, stroke, rub," Old High German strihhan, German streichen), from PIE root *streig- "to stroke, rub, press" (see strigil). Related to streak and stroke, and perhaps influenced in sense development by cognate Old Norse striuka.

Sense of "to deal a blow" developed by early 14c.; meaning "to collide" is from mid-14c.; that of "to hit with a missile" is from late 14c. Meaning "to cancel or expunge" (as with the stroke of a pen) is attested from late 14c. A Middle English sense is preserved in strike for "go toward." Sense of "come upon, find" is from 1835 (especially in mining, well-digging, etc., hence strike it rich, 1854). Baseball sense is from 1853. To strike a balance is from the sense "balance accounts" (1530s).
Hope this is of interest.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
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Le-Loup
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Re: Tinder fungus

Post by Le-Loup »

Kortoso wrote:Keith, I just wanted to throw this in. When I describe how to create sparks with flint and steel, I am at loss to describe the movement using English words. Why? We've been making fire in this way for millenia. The truth is that the meanings of words change as our culture changes.

So anyway, here is the word: strike (v)
Old English strican (past tense strac, past participle stricen) "pass lightly over, stroke, smooth, rub," also "go, move, proceed," from Proto-Germanic *strikan- (source also of Old Norse strykva "to stroke," Old Frisian strika, Middle Dutch streken, Dutch strijken "to smooth, stroke, rub," Old High German strihhan, German streichen), from PIE root *streig- "to stroke, rub, press" (see strigil). Related to streak and stroke, and perhaps influenced in sense development by cognate Old Norse striuka.

Sense of "to deal a blow" developed by early 14c.; meaning "to collide" is from mid-14c.; that of "to hit with a missile" is from late 14c. Meaning "to cancel or expunge" (as with the stroke of a pen) is attested from late 14c. A Middle English sense is preserved in strike for "go toward." Sense of "come upon, find" is from 1835 (especially in mining, well-digging, etc., hence strike it rich, 1854). Baseball sense is from 1853. To strike a balance is from the sense "balance accounts" (1530s).
Hope this is of interest.
Thank you for that, interesting. I get a lot of questions about making fire, & some times I have to go to great lengths to explain the actual movement made to create those sparks.
Keith.
http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.a ... e+lighting
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost.

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Kortoso
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Re: Tinder fungus

Post by Kortoso »

The pleasure is mine, Keith.

Here's where it gets weird. Are you ready?
Monkeys, not apes, striking rocks together.
Those Ancient Stone Tools — Did Humans Make Them, Or Was It Really Monkeys?
It's not hard to imagine some random simian behavior turning into tool-making or fire-making.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
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Le-Loup
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Re: Tinder fungus

Post by Le-Loup »

Kortoso wrote:The pleasure is mine, Keith.

Here's where it gets weird. Are you ready?
Monkeys, not apes, striking rocks together.
Those Ancient Stone Tools — Did Humans Make Them, Or Was It Really Monkeys?
It's not hard to imagine some random simian behavior turning into tool-making or fire-making.
Interesting! I guess we will never know the right of this one Kortoso.
Keith.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost.

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