Unusual Western Weapons!

Discussion in 'Western Martial Arts' started by Louie, Jan 24, 2008.

  1. Louie

    Louie STUNT DAD Supporter

    Similiar to their oriental counterparts, many of the Western Medieval Masters also taught their students how to fight with a variety of unusual weapons!

    This illustration shows a leg sweep using an agricultural scythe.....

    Louie
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Phantom Power

    Phantom Power Valued Member

    That's gonna sting in the morning! :eek:
     
  3. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    Right after you are cautioned by the fashion police he he he he.

    The Bear.
     
  4. bulkathos72

    bulkathos72 Valued Member

    Those thingss are big and slow. They are used to clear tall grass.
     
  5. Louie

    Louie STUNT DAD Supporter

    Hi bulkathos

    I think the idea behind the training and using farming impliments, was that they could pick up any type of weapon and use it!

    Louie
     
  6. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    Also in medieval europe you were expected to fight for your lord should it be required. Weapons were damn expensive so it wouldn't be unknown to have peasant armies using farming implements. And A little training goes a long way as they say.

    The Bear.
     
  7. lklawson

    lklawson Valued Member

    There must be some other reason. This illustration appears to me as Renaissance not Medieval and the farmers weren't reading expensive, hand written and illustrated books.

    This might just be intended to explore off-beat weapons or it might be illustrating Judicial Combat or something (speculating, not having seen any context for this illustration such as text or surrounding illustrations).

    Peace favor your sword,
    Kirk
     
  8. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    Peasant Armies were around in 1500 and 1600s. Louie what's the date for the picture?

    The Bear.
     
  9. Louie

    Louie STUNT DAD Supporter

    Don't have the book in work with me so will post more details & pics later...

    The costumes in all the illustrations certainly suggests wealth, the book is hand written and illustrated which would be very limited edition and very expensive.
    A wide variety of weapons and techniques are illustrated from longsword to modified flails adapted for combat.

    I don't have a translation from this work but I know that Fiori was dead against passing any of the details of his book onto the peasants...

    Louie
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2008
  10. Stolenbjorn

    Stolenbjorn Valued Member

    The clothing indicates 16th/17th century
    I have never seen that picture before.
     
  11. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    Louie does ferret out the most unsual of stuff.

    The Bear.
     
  12. Cudgel

    Cudgel The name says it all

    I do recall vaugly s a mention of some Holy Roman Emperor or teh other sponsoring a wide variety of different lists involving less common weapons. Maybe this a product that?
     
  13. Yohan

    Yohan In the Spirit of Yohan Supporter

    I think the insinuation is that this is not REALLY a combat manual in the same sense as some of the other manuals that have been posted here. I think it's likely too. This may follow the same line of reasoning as people who learn the nunchaku in modern times. There's really no point, it's just a bit of fun.
     
  14. Louie

    Louie STUNT DAD Supporter

    Modified Nunchuks....

    The book from which the pictures were taken, is the fighting manual of Paul Hector Mair c.1550 - more details on Mair's book can be found at; http://www.higginssword.org/guild/study/index.html

    The following pic shows the modified agricultural flail with spikes....

    Louie
     

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  15. Louie

    Louie STUNT DAD Supporter

    The Sickle

    This illustration shows training with what looks like the "toothed" sickle, another peasants tool, normally used for cutting corn...

    Louie
     

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  16. nready

    nready Verifying DMI pool....

    One it is interesting that these books have been added to the computer. They are just cool looking. Of interest to me the books you know.

    The thing I noticed on the page in post 14 looks like the image rubbed off from the page three of that book causing a shadow. Kind of sad, yet amazing more of the book did not get damaged or lost in such a way.
     
  17. max Chouinard

    max Chouinard Valued Member

    John Ramsay did spoke to us about the tinkers using some types of serrated sickles in their fights (even today), I did saw these images before but never made the connection.
     
  18. misanthropic777

    misanthropic777 New Member

    Mair was working on a compendium-style collection of all the techniques he had run across as a collector of fechtbuch's, IIRC. His book used a contemporary (to him) illustrator, so what you get is the techniques being shown by people dressed in 16thc. German clothing.
     
  19. Louie

    Louie STUNT DAD Supporter

    Medieval ROCK in a SOCK

    This 'unusual' weapon is from Talhoffer's 1459 manuscript -

    The "ROCK in a SOCK" is used here by a woman against a club weilding male who is handicapped by having to fight from inside a pit!!!
    This match looks as though it's been set up as a form of public entertainment but fighting from a pit in this situation may also have been part of Talhoffer's training????
    Perhaps representing fighting from a seige tower against someone higher on the battlements?
    And would Being paired up against a woman be one method of messing with the warriors 'focus'?

    Any suggestions :)

    Louie
     

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  20. RAbid Hamster

    RAbid Hamster Herr Trubelmacher

    this is a judicial duel ... rather than nip down the Samaritans for counciling ... bloke put in hole, the wife gets a brick in a sock and they sort out who gets the remote control that evening in a sensible fashion.
    If this was how you sorted out domestics today ... the police would have an easier time of it .... and it would make great entertainment on SKY Sports 3.

    found the link I was looking for...
    talhoffer judicial duel
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2008

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