How Do the Catapults at Minas Tirith Work?












13















This question refers to the movie LoTR: The Return of the King.



I'm hoping someone can help me figure out how the Minas Tirith catapults work. I can see how the Uruk-hai catapults function -- they operate by a simple pull-back and release, like flicking a spoonful of pudding at the wall. But how do Gondor's catapults do their job? They seem to have some kind of slingshot-like quality to them, but I cannot for the life of me visualize the mechanics behind their functionality.



How do the catapults of Minas Tirith work?



I'd love to see a drawing, to help me visualize the mechanics of Gondor's catapults. (I don't care about the quality of the drawing if you decide to do one, as long as it makes sense, so don't worry about producing the Mona Lisa!) Of course a verbal explanation is as equally welcome.















share|improve this question

























  • Very well, thank you for asking.

    – Valorum
    May 14 '17 at 7:17


















13















This question refers to the movie LoTR: The Return of the King.



I'm hoping someone can help me figure out how the Minas Tirith catapults work. I can see how the Uruk-hai catapults function -- they operate by a simple pull-back and release, like flicking a spoonful of pudding at the wall. But how do Gondor's catapults do their job? They seem to have some kind of slingshot-like quality to them, but I cannot for the life of me visualize the mechanics behind their functionality.



How do the catapults of Minas Tirith work?



I'd love to see a drawing, to help me visualize the mechanics of Gondor's catapults. (I don't care about the quality of the drawing if you decide to do one, as long as it makes sense, so don't worry about producing the Mona Lisa!) Of course a verbal explanation is as equally welcome.















share|improve this question

























  • Very well, thank you for asking.

    – Valorum
    May 14 '17 at 7:17
















13












13








13








This question refers to the movie LoTR: The Return of the King.



I'm hoping someone can help me figure out how the Minas Tirith catapults work. I can see how the Uruk-hai catapults function -- they operate by a simple pull-back and release, like flicking a spoonful of pudding at the wall. But how do Gondor's catapults do their job? They seem to have some kind of slingshot-like quality to them, but I cannot for the life of me visualize the mechanics behind their functionality.



How do the catapults of Minas Tirith work?



I'd love to see a drawing, to help me visualize the mechanics of Gondor's catapults. (I don't care about the quality of the drawing if you decide to do one, as long as it makes sense, so don't worry about producing the Mona Lisa!) Of course a verbal explanation is as equally welcome.















share|improve this question
















This question refers to the movie LoTR: The Return of the King.



I'm hoping someone can help me figure out how the Minas Tirith catapults work. I can see how the Uruk-hai catapults function -- they operate by a simple pull-back and release, like flicking a spoonful of pudding at the wall. But how do Gondor's catapults do their job? They seem to have some kind of slingshot-like quality to them, but I cannot for the life of me visualize the mechanics behind their functionality.



How do the catapults of Minas Tirith work?



I'd love to see a drawing, to help me visualize the mechanics of Gondor's catapults. (I don't care about the quality of the drawing if you decide to do one, as long as it makes sense, so don't worry about producing the Mona Lisa!) Of course a verbal explanation is as equally welcome.




















tolkiens-legendarium the-lord-of-the-rings movie






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited May 14 '17 at 7:30









Valorum

413k11230093230




413k11230093230










asked Mar 10 '12 at 2:11









SlytherincessSlytherincess

120k106618857




120k106618857













  • Very well, thank you for asking.

    – Valorum
    May 14 '17 at 7:17





















  • Very well, thank you for asking.

    – Valorum
    May 14 '17 at 7:17



















Very well, thank you for asking.

– Valorum
May 14 '17 at 7:17







Very well, thank you for asking.

– Valorum
May 14 '17 at 7:17












3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















25














They weren't catapults per se, they were trebuchets. Whereas catapults like the ones the Uruk-Hai employed are powered by various sorts of tension, trebuchets use a very heavy counterweight to throw their load.






share|improve this answer





















  • 3





    here's a video of a trebuchet they built on Nova once. This is easier to watch than figuring out the diagram.

    – Tango
    Mar 10 '12 at 2:37



















14














As noted, the Gondorian war machines aren't catapults at all, but trebuchets. Basically, a catapult gets its energy from something springy. A trebuchet, on the other hand, gets its energy from gravity. It's generally constructed as an arm on a pivot. On one end of the arm is the counterweight, and on the other is a sling that contains the projectile.



To start, the projectile end is pulled down (via a winch or other mechanical aid) and secured with a trigger of some sort. One end of the sling is permanently attached to the arm, while the other end is held on with a pin that is angled such that it releases the sling when its at the top of its arc. (When firing a trebuchet, the angle of the pin is one of the things you have to constantly adjust to get the thing to release at the proper moment. Too early and you hit the folks standing behind the machine [always fun at a demonstration], too late and your projectile doesn't exactly get far.) You put your projectile in the sling, and then release the trigger. This causes the counterweight to drop, swinging the projectile end of the arm up in an arc, and hopefully releasing the projectile right at that sweet spot so that it continues sailing up and away.



The site I had linked to has gone the way of the dodo. Below are the Wayback Machine links, but unfortunately the pictures are well-hidden. I dug out the diagram - it's the last link below; you're on your own for the rest of them.
http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/trebuchets-a-very-brief-history/
http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/concerning-trebuchets/
https://web.archive.org/web/20140602103934/http://medievalreader.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/trebuchet_copy.jpg






share|improve this answer

































    0














    The Gondorian trebuchets are in appearance fairly standard hanging-counterweight trebuchets. They work by loading energy into the machine by raising a heavy counterweight, loading the projectie into a sling that's attached to the throwing arm (functions as a First Class lever) and releasing the arm.allowing the counterweight to drop which causes the arm to rotate and pull the sling. When the sling reaches a predetermined angle it releases the missile downrange. It's easier to watch than to describe.



    A problem with the Gondorian machines is that even though they appear normal they are pictured as throwing huge chunks of masonry that no normal trebuchet could handle. Well, it's fantasy.





    share








    New contributor




    Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















      Your Answer








      StackExchange.ready(function() {
      var channelOptions = {
      tags: "".split(" "),
      id: "186"
      };
      initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

      StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
      // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
      if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
      StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
      createEditor();
      });
      }
      else {
      createEditor();
      }
      });

      function createEditor() {
      StackExchange.prepareEditor({
      heartbeatType: 'answer',
      autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
      convertImagesToLinks: false,
      noModals: true,
      showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
      reputationToPostImages: null,
      bindNavPrevention: true,
      postfix: "",
      imageUploader: {
      brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
      contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
      allowUrls: true
      },
      noCode: true, onDemand: true,
      discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
      ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
      });


      }
      });














      draft saved

      draft discarded


















      StackExchange.ready(
      function () {
      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fscifi.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f12827%2fhow-do-the-catapults-at-minas-tirith-work%23new-answer', 'question_page');
      }
      );

      Post as a guest















      Required, but never shown

























      3 Answers
      3






      active

      oldest

      votes








      3 Answers
      3






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      25














      They weren't catapults per se, they were trebuchets. Whereas catapults like the ones the Uruk-Hai employed are powered by various sorts of tension, trebuchets use a very heavy counterweight to throw their load.






      share|improve this answer





















      • 3





        here's a video of a trebuchet they built on Nova once. This is easier to watch than figuring out the diagram.

        – Tango
        Mar 10 '12 at 2:37
















      25














      They weren't catapults per se, they were trebuchets. Whereas catapults like the ones the Uruk-Hai employed are powered by various sorts of tension, trebuchets use a very heavy counterweight to throw their load.






      share|improve this answer





















      • 3





        here's a video of a trebuchet they built on Nova once. This is easier to watch than figuring out the diagram.

        – Tango
        Mar 10 '12 at 2:37














      25












      25








      25







      They weren't catapults per se, they were trebuchets. Whereas catapults like the ones the Uruk-Hai employed are powered by various sorts of tension, trebuchets use a very heavy counterweight to throw their load.






      share|improve this answer















      They weren't catapults per se, they were trebuchets. Whereas catapults like the ones the Uruk-Hai employed are powered by various sorts of tension, trebuchets use a very heavy counterweight to throw their load.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Nov 19 '15 at 3:31









      enderland

      3,98162655




      3,98162655










      answered Mar 10 '12 at 2:22









      KevinKevin

      26.5k11111158




      26.5k11111158








      • 3





        here's a video of a trebuchet they built on Nova once. This is easier to watch than figuring out the diagram.

        – Tango
        Mar 10 '12 at 2:37














      • 3





        here's a video of a trebuchet they built on Nova once. This is easier to watch than figuring out the diagram.

        – Tango
        Mar 10 '12 at 2:37








      3




      3





      here's a video of a trebuchet they built on Nova once. This is easier to watch than figuring out the diagram.

      – Tango
      Mar 10 '12 at 2:37





      here's a video of a trebuchet they built on Nova once. This is easier to watch than figuring out the diagram.

      – Tango
      Mar 10 '12 at 2:37













      14














      As noted, the Gondorian war machines aren't catapults at all, but trebuchets. Basically, a catapult gets its energy from something springy. A trebuchet, on the other hand, gets its energy from gravity. It's generally constructed as an arm on a pivot. On one end of the arm is the counterweight, and on the other is a sling that contains the projectile.



      To start, the projectile end is pulled down (via a winch or other mechanical aid) and secured with a trigger of some sort. One end of the sling is permanently attached to the arm, while the other end is held on with a pin that is angled such that it releases the sling when its at the top of its arc. (When firing a trebuchet, the angle of the pin is one of the things you have to constantly adjust to get the thing to release at the proper moment. Too early and you hit the folks standing behind the machine [always fun at a demonstration], too late and your projectile doesn't exactly get far.) You put your projectile in the sling, and then release the trigger. This causes the counterweight to drop, swinging the projectile end of the arm up in an arc, and hopefully releasing the projectile right at that sweet spot so that it continues sailing up and away.



      The site I had linked to has gone the way of the dodo. Below are the Wayback Machine links, but unfortunately the pictures are well-hidden. I dug out the diagram - it's the last link below; you're on your own for the rest of them.
      http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/trebuchets-a-very-brief-history/
      http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/concerning-trebuchets/
      https://web.archive.org/web/20140602103934/http://medievalreader.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/trebuchet_copy.jpg






      share|improve this answer






























        14














        As noted, the Gondorian war machines aren't catapults at all, but trebuchets. Basically, a catapult gets its energy from something springy. A trebuchet, on the other hand, gets its energy from gravity. It's generally constructed as an arm on a pivot. On one end of the arm is the counterweight, and on the other is a sling that contains the projectile.



        To start, the projectile end is pulled down (via a winch or other mechanical aid) and secured with a trigger of some sort. One end of the sling is permanently attached to the arm, while the other end is held on with a pin that is angled such that it releases the sling when its at the top of its arc. (When firing a trebuchet, the angle of the pin is one of the things you have to constantly adjust to get the thing to release at the proper moment. Too early and you hit the folks standing behind the machine [always fun at a demonstration], too late and your projectile doesn't exactly get far.) You put your projectile in the sling, and then release the trigger. This causes the counterweight to drop, swinging the projectile end of the arm up in an arc, and hopefully releasing the projectile right at that sweet spot so that it continues sailing up and away.



        The site I had linked to has gone the way of the dodo. Below are the Wayback Machine links, but unfortunately the pictures are well-hidden. I dug out the diagram - it's the last link below; you're on your own for the rest of them.
        http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/trebuchets-a-very-brief-history/
        http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/concerning-trebuchets/
        https://web.archive.org/web/20140602103934/http://medievalreader.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/trebuchet_copy.jpg






        share|improve this answer




























          14












          14








          14







          As noted, the Gondorian war machines aren't catapults at all, but trebuchets. Basically, a catapult gets its energy from something springy. A trebuchet, on the other hand, gets its energy from gravity. It's generally constructed as an arm on a pivot. On one end of the arm is the counterweight, and on the other is a sling that contains the projectile.



          To start, the projectile end is pulled down (via a winch or other mechanical aid) and secured with a trigger of some sort. One end of the sling is permanently attached to the arm, while the other end is held on with a pin that is angled such that it releases the sling when its at the top of its arc. (When firing a trebuchet, the angle of the pin is one of the things you have to constantly adjust to get the thing to release at the proper moment. Too early and you hit the folks standing behind the machine [always fun at a demonstration], too late and your projectile doesn't exactly get far.) You put your projectile in the sling, and then release the trigger. This causes the counterweight to drop, swinging the projectile end of the arm up in an arc, and hopefully releasing the projectile right at that sweet spot so that it continues sailing up and away.



          The site I had linked to has gone the way of the dodo. Below are the Wayback Machine links, but unfortunately the pictures are well-hidden. I dug out the diagram - it's the last link below; you're on your own for the rest of them.
          http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/trebuchets-a-very-brief-history/
          http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/concerning-trebuchets/
          https://web.archive.org/web/20140602103934/http://medievalreader.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/trebuchet_copy.jpg






          share|improve this answer















          As noted, the Gondorian war machines aren't catapults at all, but trebuchets. Basically, a catapult gets its energy from something springy. A trebuchet, on the other hand, gets its energy from gravity. It's generally constructed as an arm on a pivot. On one end of the arm is the counterweight, and on the other is a sling that contains the projectile.



          To start, the projectile end is pulled down (via a winch or other mechanical aid) and secured with a trigger of some sort. One end of the sling is permanently attached to the arm, while the other end is held on with a pin that is angled such that it releases the sling when its at the top of its arc. (When firing a trebuchet, the angle of the pin is one of the things you have to constantly adjust to get the thing to release at the proper moment. Too early and you hit the folks standing behind the machine [always fun at a demonstration], too late and your projectile doesn't exactly get far.) You put your projectile in the sling, and then release the trigger. This causes the counterweight to drop, swinging the projectile end of the arm up in an arc, and hopefully releasing the projectile right at that sweet spot so that it continues sailing up and away.



          The site I had linked to has gone the way of the dodo. Below are the Wayback Machine links, but unfortunately the pictures are well-hidden. I dug out the diagram - it's the last link below; you're on your own for the rest of them.
          http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/trebuchets-a-very-brief-history/
          http://medievalreader.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/concerning-trebuchets/
          https://web.archive.org/web/20140602103934/http://medievalreader.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/trebuchet_copy.jpg







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited May 14 '17 at 1:33

























          answered Mar 10 '12 at 6:27









          MarthaMartha

          11.5k64988




          11.5k64988























              0














              The Gondorian trebuchets are in appearance fairly standard hanging-counterweight trebuchets. They work by loading energy into the machine by raising a heavy counterweight, loading the projectie into a sling that's attached to the throwing arm (functions as a First Class lever) and releasing the arm.allowing the counterweight to drop which causes the arm to rotate and pull the sling. When the sling reaches a predetermined angle it releases the missile downrange. It's easier to watch than to describe.



              A problem with the Gondorian machines is that even though they appear normal they are pictured as throwing huge chunks of masonry that no normal trebuchet could handle. Well, it's fantasy.





              share








              New contributor




              Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.

























                0














                The Gondorian trebuchets are in appearance fairly standard hanging-counterweight trebuchets. They work by loading energy into the machine by raising a heavy counterweight, loading the projectie into a sling that's attached to the throwing arm (functions as a First Class lever) and releasing the arm.allowing the counterweight to drop which causes the arm to rotate and pull the sling. When the sling reaches a predetermined angle it releases the missile downrange. It's easier to watch than to describe.



                A problem with the Gondorian machines is that even though they appear normal they are pictured as throwing huge chunks of masonry that no normal trebuchet could handle. Well, it's fantasy.





                share








                New contributor




                Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.























                  0












                  0








                  0







                  The Gondorian trebuchets are in appearance fairly standard hanging-counterweight trebuchets. They work by loading energy into the machine by raising a heavy counterweight, loading the projectie into a sling that's attached to the throwing arm (functions as a First Class lever) and releasing the arm.allowing the counterweight to drop which causes the arm to rotate and pull the sling. When the sling reaches a predetermined angle it releases the missile downrange. It's easier to watch than to describe.



                  A problem with the Gondorian machines is that even though they appear normal they are pictured as throwing huge chunks of masonry that no normal trebuchet could handle. Well, it's fantasy.





                  share








                  New contributor




                  Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.










                  The Gondorian trebuchets are in appearance fairly standard hanging-counterweight trebuchets. They work by loading energy into the machine by raising a heavy counterweight, loading the projectie into a sling that's attached to the throwing arm (functions as a First Class lever) and releasing the arm.allowing the counterweight to drop which causes the arm to rotate and pull the sling. When the sling reaches a predetermined angle it releases the missile downrange. It's easier to watch than to describe.



                  A problem with the Gondorian machines is that even though they appear normal they are pictured as throwing huge chunks of masonry that no normal trebuchet could handle. Well, it's fantasy.






                  share








                  New contributor




                  Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.








                  share


                  share






                  New contributor




                  Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  answered 7 mins ago









                  Natsumi MatsuuraNatsumi Matsuura

                  1




                  1




                  New contributor




                  Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.





                  New contributor





                  Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.






                  Natsumi Matsuura is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.






























                      draft saved

                      draft discarded




















































                      Thanks for contributing an answer to Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange!


                      • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                      But avoid



                      • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                      • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                      To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                      draft saved


                      draft discarded














                      StackExchange.ready(
                      function () {
                      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fscifi.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f12827%2fhow-do-the-catapults-at-minas-tirith-work%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                      }
                      );

                      Post as a guest















                      Required, but never shown





















































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown

































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown







                      Popular posts from this blog

                      How to label and detect the document text images

                      Vallis Paradisi

                      Tabula Rosettana