Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 3rd October 2008, 07:03 AM

Although I have always been very serious about the study of arms and armour, I must admit that I have always been intriqued by weapons used in movies and illustrations in literature. I have often literally bit my lip while watching a movie, for example a pirate movie, with the swashbuckling hero brandishing a Civil War brass cuphilted cutlass and so on (so as not to annoy others watching with me

I remember seeing the movie "Sleepy Hollow" with Johnny Depp, and the huge bladed chopping sword used by the ghostly Hessian horseman played by Christopher Walken. I found that the Hessians in that region during the Revolutionary War were sans thier horses, and their huge cavalry swords were brass hilt semi basket type hilts with long straight blades, which were less than effective on foot. Naturally, the imagery of the mounted horseman with monstrous fictional 'scimitar' lent well to the license in the movie.

However, I always enjoy, in the case of the fantasy genre of entertainment, trying to discover the possible source or influence in the fearsome and impressive looking edged weapons used, as Queequeg has queried here.
As Vandoo has noted, the double concave tip of the Nepalese kora may have simply been exaggerated, which most of these weapons inherently are. But in many cases they may derive from true classical weapons. Sometimes polearm heads such as naginata and others may be mounted on hilts and used as sidearms, and in this perspective in Stone p.375, there is a 16th century polearm with trident type head with three blades that bring to mind the fluer de lis. These are termed 'korseke', and are broad bladed versions of European military forks with trident like tynes.

Obviously, the three bladed image seems very familiar thinking of many vaguely described weapons in narratives, and it seems that I've seen something like this somewhere! But how many times have we all thought that?

Interesting anyway!

All the best,
Jim

Uh...just saw Fearns post which looks like we crossed......and looks like he's got it....but decided to leave this anyway

3rd October 2008, 07:03 AM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	Although I have always been very serious about the study of arms and armour, I must admit that I have always been intriqued by weapons used in movies and illustrations in literature. I have often literally bit my lip while watching a movie, for example a pirate movie, with the swashbuckling hero brandishing a Civil War brass cuphilted cutlass and so on (so as not to annoy others watching with me I remember seeing the movie "Sleepy Hollow" with Johnny Depp, and the huge bladed chopping sword used by the ghostly Hessian horseman played by Christopher Walken. I found that the Hessians in that region during the Revolutionary War were sans thier horses, and their huge cavalry swords were brass hilt semi basket type hilts with long straight blades, which were less than effective on foot. Naturally, the imagery of the mounted horseman with monstrous fictional 'scimitar' lent well to the license in the movie. However, I always enjoy, in the case of the fantasy genre of entertainment, trying to discover the possible source or influence in the fearsome and impressive looking edged weapons used, as Queequeg has queried here. As Vandoo has noted, the double concave tip of the Nepalese kora may have simply been exaggerated, which most of these weapons inherently are. But in many cases they may derive from true classical weapons. Sometimes polearm heads such as naginata and others may be mounted on hilts and used as sidearms, and in this perspective in Stone p.375, there is a 16th century polearm with trident type head with three blades that bring to mind the fluer de lis. These are termed 'korseke', and are broad bladed versions of European military forks with trident like tynes. Obviously, the three bladed image seems very familiar thinking of many vaguely described weapons in narratives, and it seems that I've seen something like this somewhere! But how many times have we all thought that? Interesting anyway! All the best, Jim Uh...just saw Fearns post which looks like we crossed......and looks like he's got it....but decided to leave this anyway