The history of humanity showcases plenty of ways to kill in close quarters. Take a look at the...
- Kris
- Urumi
- Flail
- Stiletto
- Khopesh
- Claymore
- Falx
- War-Scythe
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| Farming tools can be deadly in the right hands... (TravelerOnEarth) |
1. Kris
Duelists exchange blows before springing apart, one bleeding from a wound below the ribs. Looking at the kris that landed the blow, both combatants know he's dead.
The kris is an Indonesian dagger, forged with a wavy blade. Intricately decorated, they hold symbolic status as well as being deadly weapons. They are often attributed magical powers - such as giving courage to their owner, warning of an ambush or even marking someone for death if pointed directly at them. Silat (a martial art) practitioners traditionally point or tap the blade of a kris towards the ground at the start of a demonstration to avoid cursing their audience!
The urumi (sometimes called the ribbon or whip sword) hails from the Indian subcontinent. It consists of a solid disc-shaped hand guard with one or more metal ribbons extending outwards, and is wielded in a manner similar to a whip. With circular arm motions and full body spins, the urumi can lash out at far away foes in a curtain of razor edged steel.
Urumi vary in design between regions. The Sri-Lankan version can have as many as 32 blades attached to each handle, and is often used in pairs. One dreads to think about the damage that could do to unprotected flesh - or an inexperienced wielder!
Flails were originally a farming tool, used to thresh wheat and other crops. They consisted of a long haft with a flexible wooden weight on the end - this weight or "swipple" would be swung at crops to loosen inedible husks. The wide availability of the implements and the amount of force they could convey made them a reasonable peasant weapon - though some medieval Germanic fighting manuals also give instruction on how to use them.
Much rarer were the one-handed military flails. Short-handled weapons with a chain and metal ball (often covered in spikes) these would have been dangerous both to an enemy and an unskilled user. There's also debate over whether they existed outside the minds of medieval artists - many museum "examples" have turned out to be inauthentic. The kisten (a spikeless flail) seems to have existed in the Rus territories however, while nunchaku are often credited as having evolved from a farming tool.
The stiletto weapon hailing from Italy that resembles a sharp spike more than a blade. It gained notoriety as the weapon of an assassin, concealable but able to punch through thick leather and fabric. A skilled practitioner could insert the stiletto into a victim and then "wiggle" it, tearing organs and opening a much larger cavity inside the body. Sometimes a variant was issued to Italian gunners as a personal defense weapon and tool.
The stiletto saw a resurgence during the world wars, where soldiers would either modify bayonets or create their own to use as personal defense. The Fairburn-Sykes fighting knife developed by the English "Special Operations Executive" or "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" in WWII combined the stiletto design with sharpened edges. This versatile weapon became the forerunner for most special forces knives today.
The khopesh is an ancient Egyptian weapon, combining traits of an axe and a sword. The blade looks like a backwards hook, allowing it to concentrate the energy of a blow on a single point in the same way as an axe. The the back of the blade could have been used to entangle the limbs of an opponent.
The khopesh is an ancient design and can be found on the Stele of Vultures, a carving dating from 2500BC. The Stele depicts king Eannatum wielding a khopesh as he leads the forces of Lagash against rival city-state Umma.
The claymore (the name means "big sword") was a Scottish weapon favored by highland warriors. It was a large, double-edged sword that was abnormally long by the standards of the time. Observers describe them as unwieldy - and having lifted one myself, I have to agree!
Claymores saw a lot of use during the Jacobite rebellion, where English troops with muskets would be faced with charging highlanders after a brief exchange of fire. The battle of Killecrankie in 1689 was decided when English troops with "plug" bayonets (literally plugs with a blade that were put into the barrel of a musket to make a crude spear) had to face a highlander claymore charge.
The kris is an Indonesian dagger, forged with a wavy blade. Intricately decorated, they hold symbolic status as well as being deadly weapons. They are often attributed magical powers - such as giving courage to their owner, warning of an ambush or even marking someone for death if pointed directly at them. Silat (a martial art) practitioners traditionally point or tap the blade of a kris towards the ground at the start of a demonstration to avoid cursing their audience!
2. Urumi
The warrior weaves a typhoon of steel from a multi-bladed flexible sword - how does one get close enough to strike without being flayed alive?The urumi (sometimes called the ribbon or whip sword) hails from the Indian subcontinent. It consists of a solid disc-shaped hand guard with one or more metal ribbons extending outwards, and is wielded in a manner similar to a whip. With circular arm motions and full body spins, the urumi can lash out at far away foes in a curtain of razor edged steel.
Urumi vary in design between regions. The Sri-Lankan version can have as many as 32 blades attached to each handle, and is often used in pairs. One dreads to think about the damage that could do to unprotected flesh - or an inexperienced wielder!
3. Flail
Brigands circle a group of farmers - with only farming equipment at their disposal, they should be easy prey for armed bandits. At least, that's the idea before a two-handed agricultural flail crushes a skull.Flails were originally a farming tool, used to thresh wheat and other crops. They consisted of a long haft with a flexible wooden weight on the end - this weight or "swipple" would be swung at crops to loosen inedible husks. The wide availability of the implements and the amount of force they could convey made them a reasonable peasant weapon - though some medieval Germanic fighting manuals also give instruction on how to use them.
Much rarer were the one-handed military flails. Short-handled weapons with a chain and metal ball (often covered in spikes) these would have been dangerous both to an enemy and an unskilled user. There's also debate over whether they existed outside the minds of medieval artists - many museum "examples" have turned out to be inauthentic. The kisten (a spikeless flail) seems to have existed in the Rus territories however, while nunchaku are often credited as having evolved from a farming tool.
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| A thin blade could slip through protection... (rihaij) |
4. Stiletto
The noble pales and slumps as though in a faint - an onlooker notices a red spot emerging on his jerkin, revealed to be the entry wound of a stiletto.The stiletto weapon hailing from Italy that resembles a sharp spike more than a blade. It gained notoriety as the weapon of an assassin, concealable but able to punch through thick leather and fabric. A skilled practitioner could insert the stiletto into a victim and then "wiggle" it, tearing organs and opening a much larger cavity inside the body. Sometimes a variant was issued to Italian gunners as a personal defense weapon and tool.
The stiletto saw a resurgence during the world wars, where soldiers would either modify bayonets or create their own to use as personal defense. The Fairburn-Sykes fighting knife developed by the English "Special Operations Executive" or "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" in WWII combined the stiletto design with sharpened edges. This versatile weapon became the forerunner for most special forces knives today.
5. Khopesh
The Pharaoh swings his khopesh from the back of his chariot, concentrating the force of his charge and swing to split his foe in half.The khopesh is an ancient Egyptian weapon, combining traits of an axe and a sword. The blade looks like a backwards hook, allowing it to concentrate the energy of a blow on a single point in the same way as an axe. The the back of the blade could have been used to entangle the limbs of an opponent.
The khopesh is an ancient design and can be found on the Stele of Vultures, a carving dating from 2500BC. The Stele depicts king Eannatum wielding a khopesh as he leads the forces of Lagash against rival city-state Umma.
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| Scottish highlanders would often use claymores during a charge... (KarenRaven) |
6. Claymore
The English and Lowlander Scots face rebellious Highlanders. Muskets fire and the rebels draw steel - including the mighty claymores. Their foes struggle to fire and fix bayonets... woefully inadequate against a meter and a half of honed steel.The claymore (the name means "big sword") was a Scottish weapon favored by highland warriors. It was a large, double-edged sword that was abnormally long by the standards of the time. Observers describe them as unwieldy - and having lifted one myself, I have to agree!
Claymores saw a lot of use during the Jacobite rebellion, where English troops with muskets would be faced with charging highlanders after a brief exchange of fire. The battle of Killecrankie in 1689 was decided when English troops with "plug" bayonets (literally plugs with a blade that were put into the barrel of a musket to make a crude spear) had to face a highlander claymore charge.
7. Falx
The Dacian noble views the solid line of Roman shields with a smirk - an overhand blow of his falx cleaves through shield and armor alike, breaking the line for his allies to strike.The Dacian falx was a two-handed weapon (though arguably, some falx would have been usable one-handed) that curved forwards, resembling a big, bladed hook. The point was able to concentrate a huge amount of force on a victim, but left the user open to counter attack. It could also be used to rip away a shield so an ally could strike.
Roman legionaries found that their armor, shields and helmets couldn't withstand the falx, leading them to reinforce their gear with metal bands and adding additional guards over the shoulders and limbs.
8. War-Scythe
The peasants are revolting - that's the joke, but a modified scythe can do real damage.Usually adapted from the agricultural tool, the blade of a war-scythe projects upwards from the haft rather than being a right-angled hook. This makes it a reasonably effective polearm, able chop at infantry or fend off horsemen.
War-scythes show up in the history of quite a few European countries. Rebels led by the Duke of Monmouth used hastily assembled war-scythes in 1685 England, but the most famous users have to be the Polish. At Racławice in 1794, Polish peasant scythe-men charged and captured professional Russian artillery. Wojciech Bartos is even credited with smothering a lit cannon with his cap in the middle of the assault!
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