A very special 'tulwar'

[Roland_M]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

In Germany they are called 'Panzer stecher' as far as I am informed, so they must have been knnown in Germany as well. They are, however, rare.

Hello Jens,

yes "Panzerstecher (eng. armor piercer)" or (Estoc, Bohrschwert eng.: bore sword) is correct. The lower dull part of he blade is intended to be grabed with the free left hand to bring more power to the thrust with both hands.
In Germany or generelly Europe many techniques were known with the Estoc in both hands to give a better lever or more momentum behind the thrust.


Roland

[Jens Nordlunde]

If I remember correctly, the length of the 'blade' is about the same length as a firangi blade, maybe a bit longer.

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by fernando

Yes, Tirri doesn't give dimensions but, looks like a very large and heavy weapon.
I wonder why he gives Aurangzeb reference only to the the hilt style and not to the whole sword ... providing we can call it a sword.

Question: some Indian maces have tulwar handles but they are not called tulwar, right?
Do you think that your weapon is a tulwar - a sword - or a spear?
It looks like a spear to me...

[Jens Nordlunde]

Thank you Roland:-).

Tirri calls it a 'Trusting Tulwar'. Which I find is wrong, that is why I wrote 'tulwar', as I did, as I did not know what it was called in English - I only knew the German name.

[ariel]

Interesting....

Many authors assert that stabbing with swords was not a part of fencing techniques used in India. This one seems to contradict their statements. One possible explanation might be an idea borrowed from the Turks?

But then, I have a typical Pulwar-like sword with strongly reinforced point: a "stabber" if I ever saw one.

[Jim McDougall]

I think avoiding the name game is advisable, as has been noted, these type blades (i.e. stabbing, thrusting, armor piercing etc.) have been known in various countries and cultures. As with blades of all kinds, they are typically mounted with localized styles of hilts, which has little effect on the character of the weapon overall.

As noted by Jens, the term 'panzer steicher' (loosely armor piercing in German) is used descriptively there, while in France it is an 'estoc'; in Poland a 'koncerz' and in English often termed a 'tuck'. These were as noted, usually secondary weapons carried under the saddle and used as required.

They were on occasion quite long, in Poland as long as 62" blades, ranging to more manageable 36" in other cases, seldom ever weighing over 4 lbs. The section on these blades for thrusting was triangular, squared, or a flattened hexagon and some rhomboid....and I would imagine the variations were in accord with intended manner of use......however in no cases were these made for cutting and edges were not sharpened.

I would point out here that in many cases these were much akin to the zweihander in their uses, one being that of hunting. The so called parry hooks on these swords blades were actually to prevent the advance of a wounded animal up the blade rather than parry in combat.

Many of these estocs similarly had two hand hilts, so might have been used in many ways depending on circumstances.

In the hunt, it would seem feasible that a weapon such as this with notable length might be used to 'spear' an animal such as boar etc. though it would be challenging despite the reach with a hilt of the 'tulwar' form. These were not designed in what I have understood on swordsmanship in their use, as intended for thrusting but only slashing cuts. Though it would seem that if properly held with finger around guard it might be possible.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Kubur

Question: some Indian maces have tulwar handles but they are not called tulwar, right?
Do you think that your weapon is a tulwar - a sword - or a spear?
It looks like a spear to me...

For me, i would refer to the blade as the name giver and would call it an Estoc with a Talwar hilt ... while regarding the different spells of Estoc (tock, tuck, tucke ) .
In Norman's page 22-23 we can read how Sir John Smithe deals with this weapon typology.
«tocks very conveniently worne after the Hongarian and Turkie manner under their thighs which tocks are long narrow stiffe swords onlie for the thrust»
Whether the hilt type varies among countries/cultures and blade differs in profile and cross section (almost a rod some times ?) is another business. So happens with their purpose to perforate mail or only bodies, i guess.
The name Mec is apparently modern Turkish, pairing with European Panzerstecher or Hegyestor.

[Kubur]

Hi
For me estoc is not a weapon.
It's a way of striking an opponant.
But even the rapiers used for the estoc have sharp edges.
Is it possible to have close ups of the Indian mysterious weapon?

[Jens Nordlunde]

Kubur, you can see that the picture I have shown is from the book, and this is not too good, so to make a blow up would not help.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Kubur

...For me estoc is not a weapon...

I would understand that some forms of estocs are not swords but, they are certainly weapons.

Originally Posted by Kubur

...It's a way of striking an opponant...

There could be a question of terminology depending in the various languages but, "estoc" would be the weapon, a strike (blow) with it, would be an "estocada".

Originally Posted by Kubur

...But even the rapiers used for the estoc have sharp edges...

Perhaps not all had or needed sharp edges; it is a question of going back in time, when the true rapier was a long, narrow, rigid, nearly edgeless single-hand thrusting blade with a thick, tapering cross-section and very narrow and sharp point.
And if you go further back in time, prior to rapiers, you would find that, there were special Medieval thrusting swords, called estocs or tucks which were used since the 1300s. They were large, heavy, stiff, two-handed blades specifically designed to puncture or beat on plate armor. They were not handled like rapiers but are directly related to the use of Medieval swords held by the blade (what was called at the “half-sword”). Yet, it is conceivable that the idea for a rapier could have developed from an estoc or tuck.
They had many names in different countries and were essentially just sharp metal rods with square or triangular cross-sections and typically two large, round hand guards.
(Part of the above, courtesy of Arma Association)

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by fernando

They had many names in different countries and were essentially just sharp metal rods with square or triangular cross-sections and typically two large, round hand guards.
(Part of the above, courtesy of Arma Association)

Of course, you are perfectly right.
My only problem here is that I'm not sure that the weapon presented above is a sword. To me it's a spear with an handle...
I'm not sure that it was used with two hands, the forte has a twisted part and it's not very user friendly...

[Roland_M]

Originally Posted by fernando

And if you go further back in time, prior to rapiers, you would find that, there were special Medieval thrusting swords, called estocs or tucks which were used since the 1300s. They were large, heavy, stiff, two-handed blades specifically designed to puncture or beat on plate armor.

Hi Fernando,

your explanation is almost perfectly right. But with a long Estoc or "Panzerstecher" it is nearly impossible to puncture a hardened quality iron plate armor. Even a 1000 pound crossbow from a distance of 10-15 meters, hardly manage it, to cut deeper than one inch into a hardened iron plate armor.

So the Estoc or Panzerstecher is designed to find the gaps and holes in the enemys armor. The armpits are never fully protected for example. So it was a most important technique, to find the gaps in the armor around the armpits.

By the way, the Tulwar here is a battlefield sword, as a hunting sword it needs a stopper, as on boar spears, ~25cm away from the point. Otherwise it would be a deadly exercisze to catch a boar with this sword. It will probably run completely through the blade, even when the heart is punctured, and hurt or kill the hunter.

The Tular is either a weapon for the battlefield or maybe has been used for the finishing stroke (coup de grâce) for badly hurted enemys and/or own soldiers after the battle.


Roland