Ground quiver Ī ground quiver is used for both target shooting or warfare when the archer is shooting from a fixed location. While popular in cinema and 20th century art for depictions of medieval European characters (such as Robin Hood), this style of quiver was rarely used in medieval Europe. They were also used in Ancient Greece and often feature on sculptural representations of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. This style of quiver was used by native peoples of North America and Africa, and was also commonly depicted in bas-reliefs from ancient Assyria. Arrows can be drawn over the shoulder rapidly by the nock. The Bayeux Tapestry shows that most bowmen in medieval Europe used belt quivers.īack quiver A y-shaped harness for a back quiver features on this bronze statue of Artemis, goddess of the hunt, mid-4th century BC.īack quivers are secured to the archer's back by leather straps, with the nock ends protruding above the dominant hand's shoulder. Some variants enclose almost the entire arrow, while minimalist 'pocket quivers' consist of little more than a small stiff pouch that only covers the first few inches. Many variations of this type exist, such as being canted forwards or backwards, and being carried on the dominant hand side, off-hand side, or the small of the back. They are found across many cultures from North America to China. The most common style of quiver is a flat or cylindrical container suspended from the belt. The top left archer was caught unprepared and has hastily thrown his belt quiver about his shoulders, as well as forgetting his helmet. Norman archers depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.

Legacy leather condor back quiver