CURVED SWORD WITH RAMS HEAD POMMEL

[thinreadline]

Can anyone ID this sword ? It measures 57 cm across the curve , so is quite small with a blade width of 3 cm. The hilt is brass . It is sharp.

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Richmond,
First of all, thank you so much for keeping this array of intriguing weapons and topics coming! Its great to have the opportunity to look into these and learn from them.

This is another of those deeply parabolic bladed weapons which seem to have influence from deeply curved sabres and the clipped tip which aligns to meet the radiused curve on the blade. These features seem to reflect styles popular in Germany and several European countries in thier blades around the end of 19th into the 19th centuries.

This falls into what I think of as a form of intermediate sword which is between daggers and swords in India, more like a dirk, which seem popular in northern India in the 19th century. It seems many of these have khanhjar type 'parrot head' pommels as in these daggers, but are mounted with varying types of recurved, nagan or curved blades like this.

The rams head is termed 'meshamuki' (Pant, 1980, New Delhi, p.113, fig. 294, mesha=sheep, but applies to ram as well). Most of these 'rams head' hilts on daggers or swords seem associated with Rajputs in N. India in the periods noted. According to the Vedas, many animals and creatures are associated as vehicles for various divinities in the Hindu pantheon of deities, and the ram is one for that of the four Agnivashi clans' .

The Rajputs ruled most of the pricely states in Rajasthan and Saurashtra but also extended into other regions as far as the Himalayas and of course Nepal. This may account for the Pahari attrribution for some ram/sheep/goat head weapons.

All the best,
Jim

[Stan S.]

This very interesting. I have a sword with a very similar blade - short, slim, and of high curvature. However my all steel hilt is shaped like that of a khanjar and is decorated in silver foliage. I've been planning to post a picture here to get some more info, as I have never seen another one like it. That is until now...

My sword is just about the only arms related item I purchased on one fo my trips to India (everything else offered to me was either an obvious fake or a chunk of rust costing thousands of dollars). I was told by a seller that this kind of sword was used by the Bhil people in the rural areas, where usually only a chieftan or a high ranking warrior would have one as a status symbol.

Lets see if I can snap a picture to upload

[thinreadline]

Thanks for that Jim ... there a lot more where that came from !
Thats very interesting and confirms my thoughts ... so this will be found a place on the Indian wall ! I liked it but more importantly .. SHE likes it !
Cheers
Richmond

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Hi Richmond,
First of all, thank you so much for keeping this array of intriguing weapons and topics coming! Its great to have the opportunity to look into these and learn from them.

This is another of those deeply parabolic bladed weapons which seem to have influence from deeply curved sabres and the clipped tip which aligns to meet the radiused curve on the blade. These features seem to reflect styles popular in Germany and several European countries in thier blades around the end of 19th into the 19th centuries.

This falls into what I think of as a form of intermediate sword which is between daggers and swords in India, more like a dirk, which seem popular in northern India in the 19th century. It seems many of these have khanhjar type 'parrot head' pommels as in these daggers, but are mounted with varying types of recurved, nagan or curved blades like this.

The rams head is termed 'meshamuki' (Pant, 1980, New Delhi, p.113, fig. 294, mesha=sheep, but applies to ram as well). Most of these 'rams head' hilts on daggers or swords seem associated with Rajputs in N. India in the periods noted. According to the Vedas, many animals and creatures are associated as vehicles for various divinities in the Hindu pantheon of deities, and the ram is one for that of the four Agnivashi clans' .

The Rajputs ruled most of the pricely states in Rajasthan and Saurashtra but also extended into other regions as far as the Himalayas and of course Nepal. This may account for the Pahari attrribution for some ram/sheep/goat head weapons.

All the best,
Jim

[thinreadline]

Thanks. Would love to see that Stan
Richmond

Originally Posted by Stan S.

This very interesting. I have a sword with a very similar blade - short, slim, and of high curvature. However my all steel hilt is shaped like that of a khanjar and is decorated in silver foliage. I've been planning to post a picture here to get some more info, as I have never seen another one like it. That is until now...

My sword is just about the only arms related item I purchased on one fo my trips to India (everything else offered to me was either an obvious fake or a chunk of rust costing thousands of dollars). I was told by a seller that this kind of sword was used by the Bhil people in the rural areas, where usually only a chieftan or a high ranking warrior would have one as a status symbol.

Lets see if I can snap a picture to upload

[Stan S.]

Originally Posted by thinreadline

Thanks. Would love to see that Stan
Richmond

Your wish is my command

[thinreadline]

Originally Posted by Stan S.

Your wish is my command

Oh yes, thats very nice , thanks !
Richmond

[Jim McDougall]

LOL! Good one Richmond....SHE likes it There you have it, you got it made when you find one SHE likes, but if she doesnt......BAD. I'll never forget dragging in a crocodile covered kaskara even with foot pommel....eeeekkkk!
Needless to say, that one was 'outa here'! SHE no likey.

I wanted to add that I had one of these deep curve light sabre/dirk examples in a query last week and was trying to find the detail thinking it had been on the forum. This one had a regular birdhead/parrot head style khanjhar hilt but was deeply chiselled with beads inserted. The blade was again extremely curved, and references showed these types of 17th century (presumbably late, Paul, #62) and "Arms of the Muslim Knight" p.221 , references again to Pahari and Himachal Pradesh. The Pahari attribution is actually a little tough to discern as it is primarily a linguistic reference, but signifys the general diffusion of these open hilt short sabres through northern regions in India.

This does not entirely eliminate certain southern possibilities as there were distinct connections with Pahari influence into the Deccan and as far south as Tanjore in certain degree.

All the best,
Jim

[thinreadline]

Interesting Jim , and well as for HER .... she likes my kaskara with the croc foot grip .... but then she likes anything a bit weird ( even me ! ) .

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

LOL! Good one Richmond....SHE likes it There you have it, you got it made when you find one SHE likes, but if she doesnt......BAD. I'll never forget dragging in a crocodile covered kaskara even with foot pommel....eeeekkkk!
Needless to say, that one was 'outa here'! SHE no likey.

I wanted to add that I had one of these deep curve light sabre/dirk examples in a query last week and was trying to find the detail thinking it had been on the forum. This one had a regular birdhead/parrot head style khanjhar hilt but was deeply chiselled with beads inserted. The blade was again extremely curved, and references showed these types of 17th century (presumbably late, Paul, #62) and "Arms of the Muslim Knight" p.221 , references again to Pahari and Himachal Pradesh. The Pahari attribution is actually a little tough to discern as it is primarily a linguistic reference, but signifys the general diffusion of these open hilt short sabres through northern regions in India.

This does not entirely eliminate certain southern possibilities as there were distinct connections with Pahari influence into the Deccan and as far south as Tanjore in certain degree.

All the best,
Jim