Hi Jens,
I was not suggesting that the sound of the 'rattle' would have been loud ....and in that sense 'frightening' (
) to the enemy.
One of the possibilities I was suggesting is that the 'sound' itself had 'power' .....not the volume. For instance, the chant 'Om' is melodic and 'pleasing to the ear'.....and yet 'spiritually' 'Om' was the sound of creation...an 'explosion' of energy....a 'power' sound.
If it is a 'protective talisman' ......it would help 'tie down' which culture(s) hilted these swords. We have (on this forum) talked about the symbolism of the design and decoration of ethnographic weaponary. I feel there is a possibility that the sound made by these hilts has some cultural/religious reason which is symbolic,
Kind Regards David