Indo-Persian sword with Wootz blade and parrot hilt

[kai]

Hello Titus,

The sword is rather compactly built in design, which makes it very sturdy and easier to chop at something; it'll probably hack and pierce right through metal plate armor with shear mass like butter.

Actually, it's not that heavy - I'm pretty sure it's more build for fast cuts (and stabs) rather than heavy blows (e.g. a Khukuri blade has much more momentum).

And because it's shorter, it makes it much easier to fight at closed range, which makes stabbing and cutting much easier, making it a deadly weapon.

I certainly wouldn't want to face it, especially with no or smaller blade. However, people have to learn using swords and that's where weapons for teenagers came in handy, especially when there was a possibility that blades might have to used for real.

BTW, I'm not insisting that this is the case with my sword just pointing out that it is a valid possibility.

If you look at the Roman sword for example, it's very compact in design...design to get in there and do some serious hacking and piercing. A sword for kids! Psss!

Yeah, but it seems that it evolved from fighting in closed military formations where extra reach can't be fully utilized (or rather was provided by pila). OTOH, the Indian sword size convention does strongly favor longer weapons.

(Note that the draw cut with regular Tulwars already supposes a pretty close quarter engagement - from the western sword play POV, that is. It's still possible that shorter swords like this were specialized back-up weapons for warriors with other primary weapons used at longer ranges. However, there seems to be not much evidence surviving for such a hypothesis AFAIK...)

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

A quite similar sword got sold by Czerny's for a total of approx. US$2450 earlier this year:
http://www.czernys.com/auctions_lot....ta=57&lang=eng

Note the hilt again displays the parrot motif as well as silver koftgari! Longer with a total length of 76.5 cm. Again no scabbard surviving.

From the pics, I can't make out wether the blade is made of wootz - my piece certainly is (of rather low contrast though).

Any comments/updates by forumites specialising on India?

Any additional pieces surfacing? One more example and we have a rare pattern/type emerging...

Regards,
Kai

[ariel]

Folks,
I have a sneaky suspicion that all of those belong to the same pattern as the ones discussed in the next -literally!- thread:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21429

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by ariel

Folks,
I have a sneaky suspicion that all of those belong to the same pattern as the ones discussed in the next -literally!- thread:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21429

I thought I had been dreaming Ariel;.. Please follow up on what you point out... Surely this is the same family? In my view and as you already point out on the other thread these could fuse as one thread...

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

I note Czernys call it a rare sabre...I sympathize with their inability to find the exact name...It is so similar to the design of Pesh Kabz...and in fact also on some Persian Kard... In particular the throat design...and so similar to the Yatagan... (I note vague similarities to the decorative throat on Pihae Keata but only faintly similar...) Again I urge fusing the two threads noted earlier.

[mariusgmioc]

Have no idea what it is, nor where exactly does it come from but if it is wootz, it definitely is antique!

Moreover, Indian blades display probably the widest array of shapes of all blades and I'm not surprised this shape to be one of them as the Indians seem to fancy recurved blades a lot (as seen in Khnajar, Khanjarli, Pesh-kabz, Bichwa, Soussun Pata, etc.).

So wootz and recurved blade, typical Indian guard, clearly point India to me.

Where exactly in India?! Well... that's a completely different story. Good luck with it!

[kronckew]

the hilt reminds me of mine: appears to have a trade blade & was discussed on this forum as possibly so. indian tho nrth was also mentioned. this thread opens more possibilities.

[Roland_M]

Not an expert but as far as I know Indians often copied good blades from other nations, for example the Kilij and Shamshir. I think, this could be an Indian interpretation of a Yatagan.

Roland