King Canute's (r. 1016 - 1035) Forest Laws mention Greyhounds. The First Crusade was in 1096. I could see Salukis brought back and added to the breeding stock, but Greyhounds were already present in England. Randwulf
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: *Note: I would love greyhound people to teach me other sides to the following theories I have and am not trying to start an argument!* Rumor has it that greyhounds were the product of Bedouin gifts to European knights during the Crusades. The Bedouin have always been a very giving culture, and still offer salukis as gifts to guests they respect. Every welcomed visitor got a saluki, while only Princes received Arabian horses. What better gift than a gift of Allah which helps you hunt for food? The reason I am partial to this theory is two-fold. Greyhounds are bred for British terrain and are much more mobile over long distance. Salukis have the speed without as much endurance because of their job pack hunting gazelle with the aid of a hawk or falcon. The Bedouin still let out the first pack and keep reserve hounds fresh for the final attack -- which would have been necessary when they hunted lion and other large game that are no longer indiginous to the ME. Also, I have a theory in reference to artwork supporting the greyhounds' breeding from salukis, but would *love* someone versed in medieval art to help me support or deny my theory. I've found the whippet and wolfhound in art from England and Ireland prior to the Crusades, but the representations of the dogs get bigger around the 1300s -- looking more like greyhounds. The first recognized saluki was not recorded in England until the 20th century, though, so we may never know outside of conjecture and what DNA testing tells us. Which is that greyhounds and saluki are only 1 gene apart. And many of them look so much alike -- how could you tell unless you knew the entire lineage? There is a brilliant article by someone on "What is a Sighthound" -- I will try to find it. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/PJ_qlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA_Coursing/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
