by carlsojos » Sat Dec 17, '11, 10:47 pm
I'm guessing it's a de-evolution of a helmet design to decrease weight. The idea is to not get hit in the head, but I think that a ducking motion in response to a swinging blade would impact one of the spikes instead of the main band, partially converting the blow to torsional energy and decrease the compressive/shear force that would otherwise be making the lady lose her mind.
In some stories, the princess is her own hero....