the.com/chain mail
Armor so flexible you could bend it, so annoying it took a knight an hour to put on.
means Armor made of interlinked metal rings, worn as a flexible defense against cuts and slashes.
from 'Mail' comes from Old French 'maille,' meaning a mesh or net link, tracing back to Latin 'macula' — literally 'a spot' or 'mesh' in a net. 'Chain mail' itself is actually a later, somewhat redundant coinage, since 'mail' alone already meant this ring-armor; English speakers added 'chain' for clarity once plate armor arrived and people needed to distinguish the two styles.
- ring count
- a full hauberk could have 30,000 linked rings
- weak spot
- great against slashes, useless against blunt force trauma
- also known as
- just 'mail' — chain mail is technically redundant
- maintenance
- had to be tumbled in sand and vinegar to stop rust