Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - The SHASHKA: what, whom, where, when and how?

ariel · 23rd January 2006, 01:01 AM

Just a brief point about kindjals: despite beautifully sharp and even occasionally reinforced points, they were used as purely slashing weapons. Sticking it in was regarded as inappropriate behaviour and no Caucasian would allow himself to be viewed as less than a perfectly noble knight. Just give him a hint of disapproval and he would right away slash your throat (but NOT stab you!!!).
The test for shashkas was (as Rivkin mentioned) cutting though the "burka"(sheepskin overcoat); it was stood up on the ground and should not have moved after a cut, then the upper part should just slowly slide down; slicing though a silk handkerchief or through a careless and less than polite opponent (apparently the origin for the word "gurda"). Khevsurs (who used heavier swords with guards) practiced dueling while kneeling; the parrying was done mainly by small bucklers. They also used fighting rings worn on the right thumb: with sharpened protrusions (gajjiyeh) or without (satiteh).
Astvatsaturyan (who else?) cites a traveler by name G. Radde who witnessed Khevsuri boys practicing with wooden swords. He said they used "primes, secundas, tercies and quartas according to the best examples of fhe fencing art".
Circassian and Daghestani kids learned to use shashkas early on but I am unaware of any desription of techniques. Since they (the Circassians, especially) valued lightness, sharpness and springiness of the blade, and since they did not use handguards, it seems to me that they did not "fence" as such; rather the entire idea was speedy single blow. And then, turn to the next opponent!
They are incredibe people! Fearless, generous to a fault, wily, cruel, stoic, romantic, with almost rabid sense of honor and loyalty (the latter, of course, when it suited them...). There were hundreds, if not thousands, of them who called themselves "Prince" (despite having only a measly flock of sheep) and vendettas were centuries-old. Since everybody was constantly armed, insults were avenged on the spot and, therefore, extreme politeness was the norm. "The well armed society is a polite society" as the NRA says....
And, to boot, Georgian food and wines have few equals: Alexander Dumas-pere, who traveled to the Caucasus, maintained that only two cusines in the world could be called superior: Chinese and Georgian. Coming from the French......

23rd January 2006, 01:01 AM	#5
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Just a brief point about kindjals: despite beautifully sharp and even occasionally reinforced points, they were used as purely slashing weapons. Sticking it in was regarded as inappropriate behaviour and no Caucasian would allow himself to be viewed as less than a perfectly noble knight. Just give him a hint of disapproval and he would right away slash your throat (but NOT stab you!!!). The test for shashkas was (as Rivkin mentioned) cutting though the "burka"(sheepskin overcoat); it was stood up on the ground and should not have moved after a cut, then the upper part should just slowly slide down; slicing though a silk handkerchief or through a careless and less than polite opponent (apparently the origin for the word "gurda"). Khevsurs (who used heavier swords with guards) practiced dueling while kneeling; the parrying was done mainly by small bucklers. They also used fighting rings worn on the right thumb: with sharpened protrusions (gajjiyeh) or without (satiteh). Astvatsaturyan (who else?) cites a traveler by name G. Radde who witnessed Khevsuri boys practicing with wooden swords. He said they used "primes, secundas, tercies and quartas according to the best examples of fhe fencing art". Circassian and Daghestani kids learned to use shashkas early on but I am unaware of any desription of techniques. Since they (the Circassians, especially) valued lightness, sharpness and springiness of the blade, and since they did not use handguards, it seems to me that they did not "fence" as such; rather the entire idea was speedy single blow. And then, turn to the next opponent! They are incredibe people! Fearless, generous to a fault, wily, cruel, stoic, romantic, with almost rabid sense of honor and loyalty (the latter, of course, when it suited them...). There were hundreds, if not thousands, of them who called themselves "Prince" (despite having only a measly flock of sheep) and vendettas were centuries-old. Since everybody was constantly armed, insults were avenged on the spot and, therefore, extreme politeness was the norm. "The well armed society is a polite society" as the NRA says.... And, to boot, Georgian food and wines have few equals: Alexander Dumas-pere, who traveled to the Caucasus, maintained that only two cusines in the world could be called superior: Chinese and Georgian. Coming from the French......