Big, Heavy Flyssa - wield like a shashka?

kronckew · 22nd October 2015, 07:40 PM

interesting link back to that thread, emmanuel.

i note the rather realistic mannikin (attached) is carrying a second shorter flyssa vertically in his sash which looks more like mine (also attached).

p.s. - rather odd hat. makes him look rather silly i think.

DaveA · 22nd October 2015, 07:49 PM

Alas, I am unable to access either of the links to the videos. The first one returns server error, the second one asks me if I want to buy the domain

The illustrations both depict flyssa that are shorter than the one I have. To tuck it in a belt and not have the scabbard touch the ground, the flyssa hilt would need to point forward at a high degree, or cross the body front and center. As depicted in the illustration, my flyssa would scrape the ground.

- Dave

kronckew · 22nd October 2015, 07:58 PM

further east, horsemen frquently carried a longer narrow thrusting sword for use if their lance broke or was lost, an estoc, - it was used like a shorter lance which was not carried on their person, but strapped to their horse. i wonder if the longer flyssa were also horse mounted only.

there is a point where you either cannot draw the sword, or need help. i have seen illustrations of chinese that carried long anti-horse swords who paired and the drawing shows them each drawing the other partners sword rather than their own! see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...68&postcount=9

it also shows a man next to them gingerly palming the spine of his sword well down the blade, being careful not to put his fingers over the edge, as he removes from or reinserts into his scabbard.

Emanuel · 22nd October 2015, 08:04 PM

That's unfortunate. Perhaps a youtube search will bring up something similar.

The flyssa scabbards have one or two belt loops so they were worn with a belt/sash. The oldest dated flyssa actually still has a belt with it: http://vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11842 .

I don't think that the small flyssa one was ever worn with the long one. Camille Lacoste-Dujardin's research suggests that they only started making the small ones after about 1850 when the long sword was obsolete and the French were finalizing their conquest of Algeria. Production shifted away from the Iflissen Kabyles and turned to small daggers and the curved flyssa types.

Emanuel

kronckew · 22nd October 2015, 08:11 PM

one must consider that the mannikin photo was also, like the other photo, staged, by the curators who dressed it and probably had no idea what they were doing. i still hate that hat

i really like that wide bladed one in your last thread ref by wodini at http://vikingsword.com/vb/attachment...id=95588&stc=1 - that one is a chopper!

DaveA · 22nd October 2015, 08:23 PM

As an amusing aside, I once visited a small museum of arms in the town of Torin, Italy. No one was there but the janitor, my wife and our friend who served as translator. The janitor overheard our conversation and perhaps decided I was not fully ignorant. He eagerly gave us a tour. I remarked to him that some of the exhibits were incongruous collections of weapons and other items that in no way could possibly go together. That started a tirade by the old guy who proceeded to point out all the idiocies in the exhibits. He loved that museum and the artifacts. He was very well informed — evidently more so than the curator!

- Dave A

22nd October 2015, 07:40 PM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,239	interesting link back to that thread, emmanuel. i note the rather realistic mannikin (attached) is carrying a second shorter flyssa vertically in his sash which looks more like mine (also attached). p.s. - rather odd hat. makes him look rather silly i think. Attached Images

22nd October 2015, 07:49 PM	#2
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 417	Links dead Alas, I am unable to access either of the links to the videos. The first one returns server error, the second one asks me if I want to buy the domain The illustrations both depict flyssa that are shorter than the one I have. To tuck it in a belt and not have the scabbard touch the ground, the flyssa hilt would need to point forward at a high degree, or cross the body front and center. As depicted in the illustration, my flyssa would scrape the ground. - Dave

22nd October 2015, 08:23 PM	#6
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 417	the janitor and the museum curator story As an amusing aside, I once visited a small museum of arms in the town of Torin, Italy. No one was there but the janitor, my wife and our friend who served as translator. The janitor overheard our conversation and perhaps decided I was not fully ignorant. He eagerly gave us a tour. I remarked to him that some of the exhibits were incongruous collections of weapons and other items that in no way could possibly go together. That started a tirade by the old guy who proceeded to point out all the idiocies in the exhibits. He loved that museum and the artifacts. He was very well informed — evidently more so than the curator! - Dave A

22nd October 2015, 07:58 PM	#3
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,239	further east, horsemen frquently carried a longer narrow thrusting sword for use if their lance broke or was lost, an estoc, - it was used like a shorter lance which was not carried on their person, but strapped to their horse. i wonder if the longer flyssa were also horse mounted only. there is a point where you either cannot draw the sword, or need help. i have seen illustrations of chinese that carried long anti-horse swords who paired and the drawing shows them each drawing the other partners sword rather than their own! see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...68&postcount=9 it also shows a man next to them gingerly palming the spine of his sword well down the blade, being careful not to put his fingers over the edge, as he removes from or reinserts into his scabbard.

22nd October 2015, 08:04 PM	#4
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	That's unfortunate. Perhaps a youtube search will bring up something similar. The flyssa scabbards have one or two belt loops so they were worn with a belt/sash. The oldest dated flyssa actually still has a belt with it: http://vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11842 . I don't think that the small flyssa one was ever worn with the long one. Camille Lacoste-Dujardin's research suggests that they only started making the small ones after about 1850 when the long sword was obsolete and the French were finalizing their conquest of Algeria. Production shifted away from the Iflissen Kabyles and turned to small daggers and the curved flyssa types. Emanuel

22nd October 2015, 08:11 PM	#5
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,239	one must consider that the mannikin photo was also, like the other photo, staged, by the curators who dressed it and probably had no idea what they were doing. i still hate that hat i really like that wide bladed one in your last thread ref by wodini at http://vikingsword.com/vb/attachment...id=95588&stc=1 - that one is a chopper!