Ten weirdest blades on the planet?

[ariel]

OK, boys and girls,
TRY TO BEAT THIS ONE!!!!!!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_4698wt_1167

[fearn]

Sure Ariel, happy to.

This was posted by Matchlock over in another thread. It's a 17th century Italian lantern shield. Do note the toothed blade/spike sticking out of the shield boss.

F

[Royston]

I think this one definitely deserves a mention.

Royston

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by freebooter

Yep, the only thing strange about the link was me posting it, the correct link is up there now....thanks

Originally Posted by freebooter

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=naga

Got that one covered Royston, I added your posting earlier, a very nice piece by the way.
I was out bid on one recently, certainly something I wish to add to my personal armoury.

Gav

[ariel]

Sorry, boys, no cigar.
Yours are functional: the shield more or less so, but the dao can be used with no problems.
Just imagine how to use my example! It is truly weird!

[fearn]

Originally Posted by ariel

Sorry, boys, no cigar.
Yours are functional: the shield more or less so, but the dao can be used with no problems.
Just imagine how to use my example! It is truly weird!

Hi Ariel,

You might want to re-read the first entry in this thread:

Second point: let's limit this to "standard" weapons, by which I mean that we should focus on blades associated with particular groups and built for particular reasons, rather than one-off pieces of art that are both goofy and non-functional.

So, what standard is that cheese knife from hell that you showed? Does it even have a name


F

[CourseEight]

I have one, and also Oriental-Arms recently sold one:

http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=2957

A "Zulfikar Sousson Pata" maybe?

[Gavin Nugent]

Guys, off topic, though still within the parametres of the discussion, What is the correct spelling of the Sousson Pata?
I only ask as I have recently added a superb early example to my personal collection.
Is it Sousson Pata or Sosun Patta?

Thanks

Gav

[CourseEight]

Elgood actually spells it "Sosan Pattah" I think since it's not a word originally written in our alphabet, it's more a question of phonetics than anything else.

[fearn]

Works for me. Since it's probably not an over-sized cheese knife, does it have a known function (social or otherwise), or is it one of those weapons that (to paraphrase Pratchett) is designed to be seen, rather than used?

BTW, I think the lantern shield falls into that category. Aside from the fact that it's a left handed weapon in a right-handed milieu, can you image trying to stab someone with a blade that comes off your elbow at a 15 degree angle to your arm, while trying not to spill hot lantern oil over your forearm, while said lantern is shining light 90 degrees away from your target? Functional is not the word here.

F

[Gavin Nugent]

I'm pretty sure these would rate on the weird list and they are users.

http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s061_full.html

Gav

[kronckew]

that tis but a child's bat'leth

similar to the one used here in london
by the UK metropolitan police for crowd control.

[Gavin Nugent]

Beam me up!!!

[fearn]

Originally Posted by kronckew

that tis but a child's bat'leth

similar to the one used here in london
by the UK metropolitan police for crowd control.

While we joke about it, it does make you wonder how far back such goofy blades go.

I'm not talking about the Chinese wheel weapons, exactly. I've got a pair of modern deer horn knives myself, and once upon a time I even learned a set for them. The martial artist who made those famous (Dong Hai Chuan, founder of baguazhang) worked as a tax collector in China, and he carried a pair of deer-horn knives prominently wherever he went. People knew of him by reputation, and knew about those knives, and (apparently) didn't give him much trouble. That's a useful kind of weapon.

No, I'm more thinking of things like that bat'leth, which is basically an art-piece turned into a mass-produced "martial arts" weapon, whether it's useful or not.

How long has this kind of thing been going on? How often were smiths inspired by some story or picture or other to make a weapon? Or how about those Chinese weapons that incorporate seven stars, rings, multiple tips and piercings, because one of the heroes in The Water Margin carried a sword like that? Has anyone got an old example?

F

[Tim Simmons]

That policemans expression is so cool you might even think he has been practasing in the mirror. No he has been dealing with scummers for too long and seen it all before.

[David]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

That policemans expression is so cool you might even think he has been practasing in the mirror. No he has been dealing with scummers for too long and seen it all before.

Yeah Tim, i think he's probably thinking something like, "Really...you're using a Klingon weapon....seriously???"
Is this how they get around the sword ban in England? Fantasy alien weapons?

[Rick]

Originally Posted by kronckew

that tis but a child's bat'leth

similar to the one used here in london
by the UK metropolitan police for crowd control.

"Don't let me catch you with one of these . "

[kronckew]

in actuality, someone was caught robbing a convenience store with that, the police of course confiscated it. i understand two seven-elevens in the states were similarly robbed with bat'leths. obviously a major crime wave.
there is a variant called the sword of kahless that even more resembles the chinese single handed form, in that it also has a central point and a sigle hand grip area.


i think someone on the star trek team must have visited an indian arms and armour museum, there are so many odd and unusual forms there including double ended. the chinese run a close second also. maybe a pre-industrial asian visit by klingon's

i'd not be surprised at a similar ancient form.

[Jussi M.]

Any credit card you might have with a sharpened edge.

Hugely popular amongst the criminal population of Russia.

[fearn]

Originally Posted by kronckew

in actuality, someone was caught robbing a convenience store with that, the police of course confiscated it. i understand two seven-elevens in the states were similarly robbed with bat'leths. obviously a major crime wave.
there is a variant called the sword of kahless that even more resembles the chinese single handed form, in that it also has a central point and a sigle hand grip area.

i think someone on the star trek team must have visited an indian arms and armour museum, there are so many odd and unusual forms there including double ended. the chinese run a close second also. maybe a pre-industrial asian visit by klingon's

i'd not be surprised at a similar ancient form.

Hi Kronckew,

I'd guess Chinese. Most of the Star Trek people are based in California, especially LA and San Francisco. There's a thriving Chinese martial arts community here, but not a lot of Indian martial arts or their weapons. Based on simple proximity, I'd guess Chinese influences first.

Best,

F

[KuKulzA28]

Originally Posted by fearn

Hi Kronckew,

I'd guess Chinese. Most of the Star Trek people are based in California, especially LA and San Francisco. There's a thriving Chinese martial arts community here, but not a lot of Indian martial arts or their weapons. Based on simple proximity, I'd guess Chinese influences first.

Best,

F

No intention to drag this further off topic from the original "weirdest blades" but it does seem that while Chinese, Japanese, and Korean arts have had their big boom, with Filipino arts coming close behind now... Indian and Indonesian martial arts haven't really grown in great popularity ..or at least are just beginning to. Ten years ago I've heard of Taekwondo, Mantis boxing, Wing Chun, Aikido, Jujutsu, etc. but not Arnis or Kali until a few years ago.. and I did not hear of any Silat in the Western World until more recently... and even more recently Kalaripayattu, Shastar Vidiya, and "Gatka". But now there's Maul Mornie (Silat Suffian Bela Diri) touring the world, teaching classes... there's a few Silat teachers in the US. There's Pencak Silat Sunda that is open for international students... Kalaripayattu schools are opening across southern India, and I believe one in Germany. And while the sparring-based Gatka has been around, Nihang Niddar Singh (Shaster Vidiya) is now teaching martial arts in the UK. Of course these arts have been around in their respective locations, but as for dissemination into the wider world, many did not until recently.

Very cool. Now... back on topic...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by Montino Bourbon

This one has a protective cover around it... I'm surprised that no one here thought of this!

And a finger knife, nasty little thing to keep hidden!

On the left, the wrist knife is called an "Ararait" of the Turkana tribe.
On the right, the finger knife is a variant of the Ngigolio knife of the Turkana, but bears some resemblance to the Corogat, and finger knife used by several tribes for extracting teeth.

For what its worth

Dave A.