I've often thought of bata techniques I've seen being akin to how one would use a long handled axe in battle.... Giraldus Cambrensis who was in Ireland in the late 12 century speaking of the weapons of the Irish, he says, " they use pikes, javelins, and great battleaxes, exceedingly well tempered;" and, that " they wield the axe with one arm, their thumb extending along the shafts, and guiding the stroke, from whose violence neither helmet, nor coat of iron mail, arc sufficient protection; whence it has happened in our days, that a single stroke has severed a heavy- armed horseman in two, thorough his massy covering of iron armour, one side falling one way, and the other a contrary way." How powerful must the arm be, and how well tempered the weapon., to achieve what is here related by an eye-witness and an enemy! " These hatchets' he says, " they always carry in their hand, as walking- staffs, ready instruments of death, not requiring to be unsheathed like a sword, or bent like a bow ; without further preparation than raising the arm, it inflicts a deadly wound." An impartial history of Ireland, from the period of the English invasion to the present time: By Dennis Taaffe 1811 Louie
Interesting stuff - thinking of the shape you can see how it could be used as a 'walking aid'. Not sure what the local police would say if I decided on this look as an alternative for my walking stick That write-up says a lot for their weapon smiths and the strength of the guys who carried them.
from what i've been told the irish have a history of good smithing, and apparently invented chain mail.
Most martial historians hold that the Celts are the first documented to use maille. However, it should be noted that the maille they uses was what is known as "butted." The ends rings were simply pushed together at the ends. This made chains which were not as strong. The links would separate as soon as the mouth of the link was opened wide enough to slip the dia. of the wire through. It's not certain, but most hold that the Romans (or some intermediary) made the next, and arguably most important, evolution in maille technology: rivetting. The ends of the links were flattened, punched through, and then a thinner wire rivet was passed through and peened. This made links which would deform, stretch, and change shape (absorbing energy while doing so) without separating or being pierced. Of course, it comes at a cost. Rivetting maille is a massively time consuming and tedious task. But it works great. Peace favor your sword, Kirk
A Sparth Axe or similiar! Ken models one here... http://neohemas.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/some-pics-of-basic-stance-work-using-the-irish-sparth-axe/ Louie
