Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons
FAQ Calendar Today's Posts Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 21st July 2015, 10:17 AM   #1
BANDOOK
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: AUCKLAND,NEW ZEALAND
Posts: 624
Default MAHOUTS DAGGERS FOR COMMENT

A UNMATCHED PAIR OF MAHOUTS DAGGER FOR COMMENTS ,BOUGHT ABOUT 20 YEARS BACK IN JODHPUR,RAJASTHAN,INDIA
MEASURE APPROX 64 CMS AND QUIET HEAVY,CENTRE PART IS BULBOUS
REGARDS RAJESH
Attached Images
        
BANDOOK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd July 2015, 03:00 PM   #2
VANDOO
(deceased)
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: OKLAHOMA, USA
Posts: 3,138
Thumbs up

VERY INTERESTING AND ORNATE ITEMS MORE SWORD LENGTH THAN DAGGER OR KNIFE. I WONDER IF THEY WERE WORN BY THE MAHOUTS OR PART OF THE ORNATE HARNESS OF THE ELEPHANT. THESE ARE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT SEEN BEFORE OR EVEN HEARD OF BUT VERY COOL.
VANDOO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd July 2015, 10:14 PM   #3
Jim McDougall
Arms Historian
 
Jim McDougall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,938
Default

These are really fascinating! and I must say I had not heard of these 'daggers' before, though obviously we are usually familiar with the ankus, the goads used by these mahouts which are well covered in Elgood's "Hindu Arms & Ritual".

One very esoteric facet of the mahouts and elephants would be the rather bizarre 'tusk swords' mounted on many of these elephants with their combat trappings. These are much debated and few examples or records exist, but seem to go well with these in the little discussed topic of elephants use in Indian warfare.
Jim McDougall is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd July 2015, 11:26 AM   #4
BANDOOK
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: AUCKLAND,NEW ZEALAND
Posts: 624
Default

THANKS VANDOO AND JIM FOR YOUR INPUTS,THESE WERE IN STORAGE FOR LONG TIME,SO I FINALLY FOUND THEM AND POSTED IT HERE AS I WOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM,CHEERS
BANDOOK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd July 2015, 07:18 PM   #5
kronckew
Member
 
kronckew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Room 101, Glos. UK
Posts: 4,178
Default

carthaginian elephant drivers apparently carried a spike that they could drive thru the elephant's craniovertebral junction to kill it if it went out of control after being wounded and fleeing the battle, started attacking their own troops to get away. apparently elephants were rather hard to kill with arrows and javalins, one was recorded as having been struck with 60 of them before it succumbed. (not sure if that was with or without armour, which they generally wore.)

indian war elephants i would hazard, might require the mahout to a similar 'mercy' spike or dagger. a strong blade with a two handed grip and weighted to add momentum to a downward strike might look just like those. the hooked spike ankus they also carried was more for control via the hooking ears and the occasional poke with the spike & not long or sharp enough to wound or kill the ellyfant.

p.s. - the last recorded use of elephants in a battle was apparently in 1987.

Last edited by kronckew; 23rd July 2015 at 07:46 PM.
kronckew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24th July 2015, 12:18 AM   #6
spiral
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,712
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by kronckew
p.s. - the last recorded use of elephants in a battle was apparently in 1987.

That's interesting Kronckew, I guess that was Africa somewhere?

spiral
spiral is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24th July 2015, 04:35 AM   #7
Battara
EAAF Staff
 
Battara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,217
Default

Thanks for posting these - never seen the like before.
Battara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24th July 2015, 07:50 AM   #8
kronckew
Member
 
kronckew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Room 101, Glos. UK
Posts: 4,178
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by spiral
That's interesting Kronckew, I guess that was Africa somewhere?

spiral

oddly enough it was iraq during one of their wars. the elephants were used to transport artillery. apparently they can go places where motorized vehicles and horses can't.

it reminded me of one of my favourite old movies, 'gunga din'. where he warns the approaching brits by blowing 'stand to' on his trumpet, for which he gets killed, but the column deploys and also sets up a pair of gatling guns carried by elephants. (or was it field howitzers?). great charge by the lancers too. thta was set in the 19c.

edited:

they were gatlings
Attached Images
 

Last edited by kronckew; 24th July 2015 at 09:34 AM.
kronckew is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:04 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.