A Kabyle Flissa of Algeria

[Conogre]

Very nice...these are from Morocco, rather than Algeria and yours is of roughly the same size as my first one.
As a dagger, I was impressed with the intricate work and lightness of the long, slim blade, wrongly assuming that a sword would be similar and thus more decorative than functional.
Once I held a larger one, my entire assesment immediately changed and made me look at them in an entirely new light, one of the most awesome swords of the region in my humble opinion, and an artistic masterpiece by any standard.
Mike

[ariel]

The full-size ones are usually quite long, about 40-42" total. I handled some and felt that the balance was very poor as a result. I remember reading somewhere that the ideal lenght of the cavalry sword should cover the body of the man holding it just abobe his head (pointing down, of course) and to reach the ground (to get to the fallen foe) when the swordsman was halfway leaning from the saddle. Anything longer was deemed to be too heavy and unwielding. I guess, Flyssa is an example. Also, their very thin tip made it easily bendable (as opposed to Pesh Kabz whose tip was reinforced)
But they are pretty and strikingly exotic, no doubt.

[Lew]

Hi Flavio

Here is a link to an old post concerning Flyssas.

http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001953.html


Lew

[Flavio]

Hello Mike. Why do you say that these are from Marocco? Spring attributes to the Kabyle of Algeria. Have you some other sources? Ariel I don't know wich was the real use of Flissa, but again on Spring's book there is the picture below. Thank you Lew for the link

[Conogre]

I suppose the next logical step is to find out where the "Kabyles" really originate, as Stone identifies them as Moroccan on pg 235-236, while I freely admit to having no actual knowledge of the exact geography involved.
I would imagine the confusion is multiplied by both areas being trade centers with similar or the same pieces appearing in both locations.
Mike
ps...whew!
I stand corrected as to the location of the Kabyles as being in Algeria, with much apparent confusion pertaining to the Berbers in general, who occupy a much greater range.
For now, it would appear that Mr. Stone was at least as bad at geography as myself.

[Jim McDougall]

I recall the discussion on the flyssa, and we got going pretty good discussing the very elusive history and variations of these interesting edged weapons, which range in size from shorter dagger size to very long swords.
Mike,
I think the problem Stone had stating these were Moroccan derives more from the equally elusive geography of North Africa when discussing Berbers, who exceed any such boundaries. The Kabyles are of course of the Berber confederation of tribes (Ar. gabail= 'the tribes' describing Berbers generally by Arabs), but here we are referring actually to the Iflisen which is either a tribe or village or both in the rugged Djurdjura range of Little Atlas Mountains in Algeria.
It seems from references in Brittanica that these tribes are nominally Sunni Muslims of Malakite rite whose center is actually in Morocco. Possibly this, or the wider description of the Maghreb (which includes Morocco and Algeria) or even the dispersement of the Kabyles Berbers into Moroccan regions may account for that designation by Stone.

As can be seen by the earlier thread linked here, much on the flyssa remains unresolved. It would be interesting to hear if anyone out there has come up with any new ideas or observations on them.

Best regards,
Jim

[Conogre]

Thanks of chiming in and filling in the gaps, Jim.....as you can tell, this one caught me entirely off guard.
The only thing I can add is to the comment about the people being nominally Sunni Muslims,(which is where the Moroccan attribution likely came into the picture) while I repeatedly kept coming across references to many Berber sects that have stubbornly held on to their pre-Islamic languages and customs.
I couldn't find anything specific on this, but I've repeatedly seen references to crosses in Berber and Taureg art and weaponry going back to pre-Islamic conversion as well, along with many anecdotes and comments that would seem to indicate that there may be a remnent of animism in the extremely diverse culture as well.
This appears to be another area where change, conversion and modernization have all had major and sometimes immediate impact with tremendous amounts of history and fact likely lost forever.
As to the Flyssa swords, somehow these don't "feel" like your average horseman's sword of the sabre/scimitar style, even those with straight blades, leading me to suspect that this weapon has or had its own unique style of use that's probably another of those matters now lost to the past.
The small grip/hilt would seem to make it very hard to hold onto when combined with the speed and force commonly associated with mounted combat, while the peculiar blade shape would also seem to make it very susceptible to breaking in the middle under those same conditions, while it's obviously a thruster that would be hard to stop.
This area is far outside of any expertiese on my part, but any thoughts would be appreciated as I find it hard to believe that these weren't made to be used more than as status symbols, as is common with so many other types.
Mike