Shepherd's axe

kronckew · 20th June 2014, 07:36 PM

The Shepherd's axe (Slovak: valaška, Hungarian: fokos, Polish: depending on region - ciupaga, rabanica, uobuszek, cekanka, Czech: valaška, Romanian: baltag, Ukrainian: бартка, топірець) is a long thin light axe used in past centuries by shepherds in the Carpathian Mountains, especially in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Hungary. The features of a shepherd's axe combine a tool with a walking stick, that could be used as a light weapon.

picked this one up via ebay last week, delivered yesterday. 40 in. long. axe head is 6 in. wide with a 4 in. edge. weight is 866 grams. head is brass, chrome plated before it was engraved, so the brass shows thru. edge is about as sharp as a butter knife, at that, i would imagine it would do the job it was designed for.

not sure which regional name applies.

20th June 2014, 07:36 PM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,183	Shepherd's axe The Shepherd's axe (Slovak: valaška, Hungarian: fokos, Polish: depending on region - ciupaga, rabanica, uobuszek, cekanka, Czech: valaška, Romanian: baltag, Ukrainian: бартка, топірець) is a long thin light axe used in past centuries by shepherds in the Carpathian Mountains, especially in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Hungary. The features of a shepherd's axe combine a tool with a walking stick, that could be used as a light weapon. picked this one up via ebay last week, delivered yesterday. 40 in. long. axe head is 6 in. wide with a 4 in. edge. weight is 866 grams. head is brass, chrome plated before it was engraved, so the brass shows thru. edge is about as sharp as a butter knife, at that, i would imagine it would do the job it was designed for. not sure which regional name applies. Attached Images