In the study of ethnographic arms, probably nothing is more challenging than entering the highly subjective area of the development and significance of possible representations in hilt forms and elements. With blades it is fairly clear which types of blades were favored and used in certain regions of various cultural spheres, though often confounded by the entry of trade blades into the equation.These however often have revealing markings helping trace thier possible provenance.
With hilts, these are of course usually locally applied, but when variations of ultra-stylized shapes and forms evolve it is difficult to determine from what point within complex trade routes over vast distances and cultural spheres these might have begun. Factor in the chronological element with constant changes in the various geopolitical presences along these routes and colonial regions and the whole matter is compounded considerably.
In my opinion the character of these triple prong, canted hilts may very well derive from the regions to the east and perhaps from the stylized zoologically oriented hilts of the tribal people there. These are so vaguely stylized that the creatures represented have, as far as I have known, never been definitively identified. They do have the canted configuration seen in these hilts, though the characteristic nock for the back of the hand in the cant of the grip/pommel I am not sure can be specifically traced to these type hilts.
These profiled hilts of the triple prong; the so called 'hawks head' of Southern Arabia, Yemen and the Moroccan/Algerian sa'ifs all have this distinctive hand nock. As far as the Moroccan 'nimcha' version of these, I am personally of the opinion that these derive from the Arabian swords via trade and colonial activity there. An interesting side note is that many 18th century Spanish colonial espadas carry this hand nock feature.
The arrival of this type of highly stylized zoomorphic hilt I would think may well have arrived in India via Arab trade moving westward. As often the case, direct contact is not necessarily the case, as interchange in the various posts and trade entrepots throughout these routes were the confluence of commerce and culture from numerous points and directions.
It would be interesting to know of any subsequent Indian hilt designs which might have evolved from the Akbar example from Goetz' article and post 1603.
By the same token, it would be interesting to consider whether the interesting triple point hilts which are attributed in Elgood to Hadhramaut with thier production in some degree to Hyderabad, might have developed there from the 'prototype' (?) of the Akbar sword. To determine that , of course we would have to discover how prevalent the production of these actually was in Hyderabad; the earliest provenanced examples, and compare those with earliest provenanced examples of these elsewhere.
A great topic for research and discussion, and Lofty, Im glad you revived this thread! With your clear interest in this type of sword, I would be most interested in your thoughts with aspects discussed here so far.
All best regards,
Jim
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