Weapons & Warriors: The Cutlass of the Europeans

Art by TL Jeffcoat

The most famous sword used by pirates in the 1600’s and 1700’s is often rumored to have been invented by pirates, but my research turns that out to be an unproven legend. The Cutlass has been a common tool for sailors for centuries. Its blade is strong enough to cut heavy ropes and canvas, and small enough to be used in close quarters combat. The blade was short enough to easily avoid getting entangled in various riggings found on a sailing vessel while fighting off a boarding party, or boarding another vessel.

The blade is broad, flat, curved, and about 2 feet in length (approximately 0.61 meters). Only the outside of the curved blade is sharpened, and the handle is usually protected by a hand guard of some kind, either a cup shaped piece of elaborately designed metal, or a simple loop. This gives the Cutlass an additional technique with the backhand or jab using the pommel or guard to strike an opponent that is too close to slash with the blade. The hand guard is also useful in protecting the sailor from losing fingers when a blade strikes the handle.

Weapons & Warriors: The Halberd of the Europeans

The Halberd, also known as the Swiss Voulge, was a very popular weapon among the Swiss soldiers during the 1300’s and 1400’s. It was not as long as many of the other polearms, but was still a capable weapon against charging cavalry. The halberd is a combination of staff and axe, and unlike a lot of the longer polearms, it was very useful in melee combat against most any weapon. 

Art by TL Jeffcoat

The warriors who trained with halberds were called Halberdiers. Unlike pikes and spears, which are best used thrusting or planting against charging enemies, the Halberd could be held like a staff, or even similar to a daneaxe except with less power and more finesse. The axe blade and spike gave it an extra “edge” in fighting against swords and morning stars. The longer reach of a halberd could often deter an untrained opponent. 

Weapons & Warriors: The Tepoztopilli of the Aztecs

This weapon could be considered a cross between an axe and a spear. Its fat head and razor sharp edges made it possible to slash or chop like a pole-axe, but the pointed tip and long shaft also made it ideal for thrusting like a spear. Although it was enough like a spear to be throwable, the wide head made it less reliable than other ranged weapons used by the Aztecs. Most likely, this was used against charging enemies, before the Aztec infantry drew clubs and Macuahuitl for closer combat.

The Tepoztopilli art by TL Jeffcoat

The length of the entire Tepoztopilli is around 5 to 6 ft (almost 2 meters) and is one solid piece of wood. The head is about a half foot long and edged with obsidian shards. Each obsidian razor was glued into slots with a plant resin. Like the Macuahuitl, the obsidian edges are potentially sharper than a steel razor. One of these shards is sharp enough to shave with. The pieces were spaced out along the head so that after they penetrate the enemy, the sides of the shards could catch and either break off into the body or hook the spear and cause even more damage.

Weapons & Warriors: The Ballistic Knife of the Russians

Art by TL Jeffcoat

This week, I wrote about a weapon that is not so much an ancient weapon, but something unique and very cool. If you are looking into getting one of these bad boys for your collection, be aware of the laws for your ares. I was searching for one of these to add to my collection, but after learning about several laws banning this knife in most of the USA, I have decided to instead write about it for Weapons & Warriors.

It is a common belief that the Spetsnaz (Russian Special Forces) were trained and skilled in using Ballistic Knives. I have never found any trustworthy verification that the Ballistic Knife training was anything more than rumor or propaganda. However, I did find plenty of information about the Spetsnaz training in throwing knives to quietly eliminate enemies out of reach without making too much noise. Since the Russian variation of the Ballistic Knife is spring loaded, it’s pretty quiet, and therefore it is possible that the Spetsnaz also master firing the Ballistic Knife alongside throwing knives. Aside from the show the Deadliest Warrior using the Ballistic Knife as a Spetsnaz weapon, I found a couple sources that speculated the Spetsnaz trained with the weapon, but rarely used them.

Weapons & Warriors: The Hand-Cannon of the Hussites

Art by TL Jeffcoat

I’m going to discuss a couple things about the Hussites today. The main focus is the Hand-Cannon, but I want to start with the War Wagon, also known as a Wagenburg. These things are pretty straight forward and are the primary reason the Hand Cannons were so successful. It’s a wagon with a big wooden box on it. Holes are cut out so the crossbowmen and gunners could poke their weapons out and shoot the charging enemies. The Hussites would ride these wagons close to the where the enemy was setting up camp or marching and then would form circles or squares with several wagons. They tied the wheels together with chains and then placed shields and pikemen behind the chains to keep anyone from trying to charge through. If anyone was foolish enough to barge through these openings, they would probably have their head caved in by the flail wielding farmers waiting to begin the counter attack.

Counterattack? Yes, the Hussites weren’t the typical army of the 1400’s. They weren’t trained soldiers and they weren’t led into battle by a king. They did have an amazing general, who used tactics he possibly learned while fighting with the Tartars. It didn’t hurt to also have some of the best gunsmiths in Europe as part of the movement. Once their enemies attempted to flee, the Hussites would charge out into the field using cavalry to flank the fleeing soldiers and the men with flails and pikes to kill everyone trapped. The Hussites weren’t known for taking prisoners. This is pretty much how the first Crusade against them ended.

Weapons & Warriors: The Claymore of the Scottish

Art by Steven DeVon Jones

Most people these days think of William Wallace and the movie Braveheart when they hear the word Claymore. The sword that William Wallace used was not actually a Claymore, but was similar. His sword was of the heavy two handed variety and may have been related to the Claymore along some sword family tree of some kind, but it wasn’t a Claymore.

William Wallace’s sword has been rebuilt and preserved over the years. It is on display in Scotland, but some historians believe only part of the sword’s blade was the original sword of Wallace. A few hundred years can be hard on a sword. The hilt and crossguard on William Wallace’s sword is different from the Claymore, but that could be from its reconstruction. The part of the weapon believed as being the original is a portion of the blade, which also verifies that it was never a Claymore. The tip of the blade narrows towards the end to a point. The Claymore does not narrow a whole lot until its triangular tip.

The name Claymore comes from the Gaelic word "claidheamh mòr," which means Great-Sword. One thing that made the Claymore stand out in comparison to other swords, including the other types of two handed swords, was the leather wrapped ricasso that was between the blade and the crossguard. The entire sword was long enough that the average man could place the tip on the ground and the hilt would reach his armpit, which is about four and a half feet.

Update on Weapons & Warriors

Just wanted you guys to know that I updated the post on the now Hawaiian Leiomano. I originally posted it under the Māori section because last year I had a theme to each group of posts. This year I'm tossing the themes to the wind and just posting about whatever weapons tickle my fancy; like the Scottish Claymore, and a few others. Several of my favorite weapons belong to cultures that really didn't have anything unique or original besides that one weapon. Like the Claymore. So I had skipped many of my favorites in favor of those cultures that had a large variety of unusual weapons. So long story short, after a comment on the Leiomano, I went back and researched the weapon from a Hawaiian perspective instead of forcing it into the Māori arsenal. I have to admit, I think the post is much better now. So now I'll get back to editing the Claymore post and get it up sometime this week. Hope everyone is having a great year so far.

Here is the link to the updated Leiomano post, which is also moved under the Hawaiians on the Weapons & Warriors page. 
 

Fantasy Weapons Lore: Grond of Morgoth

Some of you have heard the name Grond. For those three people left in the world that hasn’t seen the Return of the King, then you have now met one version of the weapons known as Grond. This is the massive flaming wolf headed battering ram that Sauron’s army of orcs used to smash the magic gates once built by an ancient race of men with elven blood and long lives. That’s a mouthful. Throughout the thousands of years of history in Middle-Earth, Grond has taken a few forms that are suspected to be designs of Sauron’s masterful engineering and magic.

During the time of the Return of the King, Grond was a one hundred foot battering ram that stood sixty feet tall. The head was forged from black iron. In the movie, the mouth was filled with fire, but I don’t believe Tolkien envisioned it that way. About the only use fire would have coming from the mouth is intimidation. Tolkien was an experienced military man who served during World War 1, and although the orcs are a flashy raging mass of unthinking hate, they weren’t unorganized when directed by Sauron’s generals like Gothmog. I would assume that just the sheer size would be enough to scare the Gondorians. Hauling fuel for the fire would be an unnecessary additional resource to be carried across rivers and mountains all the way from Mordor. That said, it did add some nice cinematography for the film so it got two thumbs up from me, no matter how impractical it was.

Netflix, Azeroth and Other Distractions

Well it has happened and just in time for Nanowrimo. The dreaded Writer’s Block has come to visit me. It seems that lately, if I’m actually trying to write anything new, my mind goes completely blank. I ask myself what’s wrong, but deep down I know the answer. I just have trouble accepting it.

Pic by Blizzard Entertainment

“Writer's Block: Situation when writer cannot write: an inability on the part of a writer to start a new piece of writing or continue an existing one” – Bing Dictionary

I don’t really have writer’s block in the sense that I can’t write because I’ve lost my creativity. I do have writer’s block because I’m blocking my own creativity. I’ve filled my head with distractions. Fantasy Football, Mists of Pandaria (the awesome new World of Warcraft expansion), and the worst of all… Netflix.

The title of this post was going to be Sex, Love and Other Drugs because I finally got around to seeing that movie. I absolutely loved it, but those things fuel my writing, unlike the stuff in the title I went with.

Weapons & Warriors: The Dadao of the Shaolin

The Dadao is also called a Chinese sabre, Chinese Big Knife, or Chinese Great Sword. This heavy blade has served several purposes over the centuries in China. Some Shaolin monks train in the use of this sword and some daring monks train to use both the Dadao and the Jiujie Bian together. One way to describe the Dadao is that of a machete on steroids.

The blade of the Dadao is perfectly designed for chopping and was modeled after an agricultural tool for harvesting. The Dadao is considered a peasant's sword because it is a pretty simple and does not require a lot of training. The heavy blade and long handle balances the sword so that it is not difficult to maneuver despite its weight. Although it is not a light sword, it is not as heavy as an axe. However, the broad blade is designed to cut with the same power as an axe. The long handle allows for wielding with one or two hands.

The blade is only about two feet in length and the handle is just over a foot. The entire sword’s weight will vary from two pounds to close to four pounds depending on the type of and quality of metal used to forge it. The blade widens at the tip and curves slightly back to the wielder to increase the momentum of the tip. The width of the blade gives the Dadao the strength and speed to chop through bone and leather armor with ease.

Writers Ramblings: Reconstruction

Took this pic while sailing past Canada with my Sanyo. Your welcome.

You have probably noticed something missing from my blog today. Last night I went through the entire thing and pulled down all the pictures I had linked. I redid the “About TL Jeffcoat” page and put up new pictures that I have either made or paid for.

I happened to run across a blog post by Roni Loren yesterday that scared me. Not just a little bit either. I’m not a wealthy man, and I always thought I was safe, but after what happened to Roni, I realize some people aren’t satisfied with an apology. Although it seemed a little heartless over something that Roni had no idea she was doing illegally, the person who sued her was completely within their rights.

Many artists and photographers have expressed through Roni Loren’s blog comments that they are often more than willing to share if they are simply asked. All of that makes perfect sense. You don’t just take someone’s car to the store without asking first. I disagree with the hostility she met after she promptly complied with their demand to remove the picture, but I’m not going to rage about it. Getting mad and ranting about it wouldn’t make anything better for anyone and that’s not what my blog is about.

Weapons & Warriors: The Jiujie Bian of the Shaolin

If you thought the idea of beating someone to death with a chain was thought up by some mobster or street gang, you’d be wrong. The Shaolin Monks have been administering chain whippings since before 500 AD. However, the difference between a monk and a thug is a wide gap in training and expertise. The Shaolin don’t just use any chain either. They have specially designed chain whips called the Jiujie Bian.

More commonly referred to as the Nine Section Chain Whip, or Nine Link Chain Whip, the Jiujie Bian is the most dangerous weapon in the Shaolin arsenal to train with and possible one of the most dangerous weapons to learn in the history of Earth. The Shaolin Monks train for many years to master this dangerous device. More people are reported injured while training with the Jiujie Bian than with any other weapon in the world. Many monks still train and practice to this day for showing off their techniques to tourists. There are also other versions of the Jiujie Bian that vary in the number of links from seven to thirteen.

Weapons & Warriors: The Liuxing Chui of the Shaolin

There are two variations of the Liuxing Chui, also known as the Meteor Hammer or Dragon Fists. It gets its name from the lightning speed and power at which it strikes an opponent. The Liuxing Chui is one of the many chain weapons used by Shaolin Monks and requires excellent strength, reflexes, and years of and training to use safely. Once mastered, this blindingly fast weapon is virtually impossible to predict. It’s capable of disarming and then crushing a man’s skull in seconds.

The design of the Liuxing Chui is very simple. The chain or rope has a steel ball attached at either one end or both ends. The chain or rope varies in length depending on the version of weapon. Each steel ball weighs over 6 pounds. The ball is swung in circles as fast as possible before striking at opponents. Six pounds at high velocity is enough force to shatter the skull like a watermelon that’s been slammed on the ground, very messy.

Fantasy Weapons Lore: Excalibur of Arthur Pendragon

There is some confusion on the origin of one of the most famous legendary swords in history. So let’s set things straight. There are actually two swords in the legend of King Arthur and Excalibur is the second one he wielded. Excalibur was said to have been made by an Elvish smith from the island of Avalon. It was magically imbued so that nobody could defeat its owner. To aid the sword, its scabbard was also magically enchanted so that anyone wearing it would never bleed and could heal their wounds instantly.

The other sword used by Arthur Pendragon is known as the Sword in the Stone and was nothing more than an extravagant typical broadsword that was used by his father, Uther Pendragon. When Arthur was born, Uther was slain in battle. Merlin took this sword and jammed into the rock and enchanted it so that only the true heir of Uther Pendragon could pull the sword. Arthur’s half-sister, Morgan le Fay was not the heir as long as Arthur was alive and is why she never claimed the blade of her father. This is not Excalibur, despite a lot of popular movies, books and cartoons making the blades the same.

Eventually Arthur came to the sword in the stone and retrieved it, making himself the king of Britain. Merlin gave him his support and Arthur went on to gather the people under the new banner of Pendragon. That would also involve some battles as Arthur’s father was a warmonger and not very well liked by several rulers. Many lords joined with Morgan le Fay, Arthur’s half-sister, who felt cheated out of the throne by a brother she didn’t know existed.

Weapons & Warriors: The Fu Tao of the Shaolin

If you have ever played any recent versions of Mortal Kombat, then you have seen the wickedness of the Fu Tao. Kabal's favorite toy is not a game designers conjured up idea of a crazy pair of swords. These things are for real, and they are really deadly.

To watch a Shaolin Monk perform with Fu Tao is a wonder to behold. These hooked swords are as dangerous to the Monk wielding them as they are to their opponent. The monk will constantly twirl the swords and with a flash he can strike with the razor sharp edges.

The sword blade is narrow and the tip curls forward into a hook. The edges are sharpened so that anything that slips into the hook can be snared. The hooks have a variety of uses, including tripping an opponent or disarming. Another trick used by Shaolin is hooking two swords together to double the reach of the deadly blades twirling them out and slashing with the razor sharp dagger below the handle. The hand guard is a sharpened crescent moon with the points facing away from the hand. No matter what angle the blade strikes from, it can slice into a foe with ease.

Weapons & Warriors: The Yueya Chan of the Shaolin

This crazy looking pole arm is better known as the Monk’s Spade. Shaolin Monks carried a shovel when they traveled for various reasons, including digging holes for any corpses they might came across, so that they were given proper burial. The flat sharp blade also served as a weapon used in self-defense. The Shaolin Monks are pacifists and will not harm anyone, unless they are attacked. Once threatened however, the Shaolin have proven to be lethal adversaries.

The spade eventually evolved into the pole arm it is now and is one longest lasting weapon arts still practiced in the Shaolin arsenal today. I read somewhere it first appeared over 2,500 years ago. A crescent moon shaped blade was added to the pole opposite of the spade to sharpen both ends, and offer more balance to the cumbersome weapon. The overall length of the Yueya Chan is between six to seven feet and can vary in weight from 10 to 25 pounds, or even more. The width of the flat blade ranged between eight inches to more than a foot.

Weapons & Warriors: The Māori Behind the Masks

The Māori warriors started training at an early age. They specialized in a martial art called Mau Rakau, which included training in the various weapons they used. In one on one combat, a Māori warrior was quite formidable. They did not fight like savages as some might have suspected when they stumbled across these warriors while exploring New Zealand. The Māori are a proud people and more than just powerful proud men, they are spiritual and intelligent. They are excellent astronomers, navigators of the seas, as well as amazing wood and stone carvers.

The history of the Māori people was only recorded orally for many generations until Europeans came to New Zealand and began writing down everything they learned. The first encounter by Europeans with the Māori was not pleasant and friendly. More than likely it was a misunderstanding of the Pōwhiri.

The Pōwhiri is a welcoming ritual and part of it involves three warriors advancing and showing off their skills before making an offering to the newcomers. If the offering is picked up, then the strangers are considered peaceful. If it is not, then the strangers become hostile or untrustworthy to the Māori. Four sailors and only one Māori were killed in that encounter. Apparently the story that was told to the rest of the world was frightening enough that no explorers returned for decades.

Weapons & Warriors: The Tewhatewha of the Māori

This axe-like wooden club was another weapon that was not wielded in the same manner a European invader would have anticipated at first glance. Like many weapons designed by the Māori, they were not used to chop at an enemy like an axe or club. Forward strikes and counter attack slashes were the preferred techniques. Something else confusing to someone who was expecting to battle against an axe was that the sharpened end wasn’t the end with the axe shaped head.

The entire weapon was carved from one solid piece of wood. One end was carved with a fat flat end about half a foot wide that resembled a lumber axe. The rest of the length was nearly five feet and tapered into a sharpened point. At the bottom of the axe-head a hole was drilled and feathers were tied by a cord to dangle. Sometimes designs were carved into the wide flat portion of the head.

Weapons & Warriors: The Stingray Tete of the Māori

This was another weapon I saw on The Deadliest Warrior TV show. I don’t believe it was primarily a Māori weapon, but it was occasionally used by them. As you know, I don’t usually talk about spears unless there is more to them than a stick with a sharp end. This spear is definitely one of the wicked ones. I think this spear is almost as frightening as Makrigga to look at. Although it is less likely to disembowel you, it delivers its own kind of pain in the form of poisonous barbed stingers.

The word Tete is used by Māori for any short spear that is designed for the head to break off once it impacts its target. Most often these look like your average spear with the spearhead made of whale bone, sometimes the bone is carved into three points which allowed a wider impact point for striking at fast moving animals. The particular Tete I’m talking about today replaces the whale bone with several stingers from Stingrays. The stinger of one of these marine animals houses poison inside. Lucky for most people who are stung by a Stingray, the poison is not really lethal to humans. The incident with Steve Irwin (aka: Crocodile Hunter) was a freak accident. The stinger actually pierced his heart, and that is why he died, not because he was poisoned to death.

Weapons & Warriors: The Leiomano of the Hawaiians

I first saw this bad boy on The Deadliest Warrior  TV series and I instantly fell in love with it. It resembles the Hungry Wood of the Aztecs, but it is not as razor sharp or durable. It is also not long and flat, but the weight of it and the jagged sharp teeth are just as deadly. It is scary enough to look at, but when you realize the sharp edges are real shark teeth it adds to the fear.

According to The Deadliest Warrior, the Māori were known to use this weapon, but the Leiomano was more of a Hawaiian weapon and the name Leiomano is Hawaiian. Hawaiians are more known for using it, but the simplicity and abundant resources available to make these clubs made it a possibility for Māori to either create their own or take one from an island north of New Zealand. There are many different kinds of Leiomano. The Hawaiians made fat paddle like versions to long and thin versions that resembled the Aztec Macuahuitl.

On The Deadliest Warrior they referred to the Leiomano as simply the Shark-tooth Club. After some researching, I found that many Polynesian islanders made use shark tooth weapons as well. It wasn't just a Hawaiian weapon, although its first designed versions are from Hawaii. I don't know if the Māori somehow acquired the design from interactions from Hawaiians or if they eventually came up with it on their own.