Sinhala / Sri Lankan Swords?

fernando · 1st February 2014, 01:01 PM

Magnificent material Prasana.
Although not properly substantial but, i suppose, based on serious evidence, is the 'calachurro', if you allow me to go back to this subject, already posted in #71 and #82. This could have been a non adorned but certainly popular field edged weapon, manifestly used during the XVII century, if not before, perhaps only so far missing chroniclers to have written about it.
It is not a coincidence that Antonio Bocarro mentioned it in 1635, João Ribeiro in 1685 and Friar João de Queiroz in 1687.
This short sword, named by Ribeiro as traçado, potentialy the wrong spelling for terçado, name that, in the short sword typology, refers a rather short sword with a wide blade. He precised its length being of 2 1/2 palms (some 55 cms.); while Bocarro refers to its wide and short blade, although not much curved. Friar João de Queiroz emphasizes its frequent resource in combat.
Sebastião Dalgado (1855-1922), author of works like Dialect Indo-Portuguese of Ceylon, in his Luso-Asiatic glossary, in atempting that calachurro is a portuguesation of Kãla + Churi (dead knife = killing knife) is afirmative in that in modern times its name shifted to Kirichchya, a term borrowed from the Malay keris.
I know i am repeating myself but am wondering that, at light of later research and developments, you might have new assumptions on this subject ... like, for example, atempting on match between the Kãlachuri and some of the images posted, as also with the examples shown by VVV in his post #8, which book H. Parker's Ancient Ceylon you 'might' have.
I am sorry for returning to an old approach ... only hoping it could by now contribute a little more to Siri Lankan swords theme.

1st February 2014, 01:01 PM	#11
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Magnificent material Prasana. Although not properly substantial but, i suppose, based on serious evidence, is the 'calachurro', if you allow me to go back to this subject, already posted in #71 and #82. This could have been a non adorned but certainly popular field edged weapon, manifestly used during the XVII century, if not before, perhaps only so far missing chroniclers to have written about it. It is not a coincidence that Antonio Bocarro mentioned it in 1635, João Ribeiro in 1685 and Friar João de Queiroz in 1687. This short sword, named by Ribeiro as traçado, potentialy the wrong spelling for terçado, name that, in the short sword typology, refers a rather short sword with a wide blade. He precised its length being of 2 1/2 palms (some 55 cms.); while Bocarro refers to its wide and short blade, although not much curved. Friar João de Queiroz emphasizes its frequent resource in combat. Sebastião Dalgado (1855-1922), author of works like Dialect Indo-Portuguese of Ceylon, in his Luso-Asiatic glossary, in atempting that calachurro is a portuguesation of Kãla + Churi (dead knife = killing knife) is afirmative in that in modern times its name shifted to Kirichchya, a term borrowed from the Malay keris. I know i am repeating myself but am wondering that, at light of later research and developments, you might have new assumptions on this subject ... like, for example, atempting on match between the Kãlachuri and some of the images posted, as also with the examples shown by VVV in his post #8, which book H. Parker's Ancient Ceylon you 'might' have. I am sorry for returning to an old approach ... only hoping it could by now contribute a little more to Siri Lankan swords theme.