Unknown strange thing... tool?

[eftihis]

I dont have a clue what this mysterious object is! It has a hole on the back so it seems it was attached on a shaft.
Any ideas welcome!

[ausjulius]

looks like some sort of voodoo device ???

[fearn]

Perhaps it's an elaborate serving fork?

Those inlays on the wood handle look a bit like some sort of astrological sign, but if it's a ritual tool, it's a new one on me.

My other guess is that it's what we call a doodad here in the US, possibly made by a hobbyist with some time on his hands and, shall we politely say, a unique sense of design?

F

[drdavid]

IMHO it is a highly advanced pair of hedging shears where you set the angle of the cut using the adjustable hands , the inscriptions are to inform the user as to the correct phase of the moon for each hedge plant, unfortunately the mechanism for activating the blades has long since disappeared :D :D :D
drd

[Bill]

What parts, if any, were ever sharpened. Looks almost like a device to cut a rope. In old naval battles, they would load the cannons with steel bars, & shoot high to damage the riggings & sails. I wonder if in some old naval battles they ever threw hooks or gaffs on a rope to try & pull down/damage riggings. If they did, maybe your "device" might be used to cut the offending ropes. ...or a voodoo doodad serving fork

[katana]

The bladed section looks like a set of sheep shearing clippers......perhaps it was used by a 'wandering' sheep shearer.
The 'device' is mounted on a pole placed in the ground.....the two rotating pointers are in fact hour/minute hands......set at the time shearing services are available......hey presto... a mobile sign...that tells you the services offered and his 'opening time' without the use of language....... :D

[mross]

I'll take a WAG and say a masonry or builders tool for mapping angles and positions.

[not2sharp]

Might that be some kind of time keeping device? Perhaps if you set it up correctly it would lead you to the ark of the covenant. :confused:

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/images/the%20new%20ark.jpg

n2s

[ham]

Looks to be a staffhead from a Shi'ite processional, work probably
Hazara (Afghan.) Interesting piece


Ham