You're right Katana, this topic of elephant warfare has got my curiosity up!
so I've been hittin' the books too. Nice illustrations you posted BTW!
Interesting stuff nKante, and I've heard of elephant swords also, so wanted to see what I could find, as well as how likely was defense against these huge animals.
In 1526, Babur noted, "...the great beasts were very difficult to kill, though they could more easily be driven off", ("Mughal India 1504-1761" D.Nicolle,p.15).
However, in describing battle c.1116 between Seljuqs and Ghaznavids, it is noted that "...the Seljuq troops were able to stampede the elephants into retreat by attacking the leading beast in the only part not completely covered with armour, the vulnerable under belly".
from " The Elephant Armour" by Thom Richardson & Donna Stevens ("Royal Armouries Yearbook" Vol.I 1996, p.101.
Regarding the weaponry attached to the elephant itself, descriptions of them at the Battle of Panipat (1556) says that the trunks were armed with 'spears and knives' (Richardson, op.cit.p.102). Also in the same reference, it is noted
Timur describing the elephants of the Delhi Sultans in 1398, says that sharp poisoned points were fastened firmly to their tusks, and that the Bahmani armies c.1468 attached large scythes to the trunks and tusks of their elephants. In 1535, the Vijayanagar armies fastened knives on their tusks, "...with which they do much harm".
In "By my Sword and Shield" (E.Jaiwent Paul, New Delhi, 1995, p.106) the author describes the tusks of the elephants were "...tipped with sharp metal points".
Richardson (p.103) claims that a pair of the tusk swords still survive at Powis Castle in England, and "...tusk swords are otherwise very rare, the only other examples known to us are two rather small and probably late pairs from the now dispersed Mysore arsenal of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (1794-1868); one of these pairs was offered for sale in London (Sothebys 1991, Lot 553)".
Wonder what these went for?!!
Anybody got that catalog?
To tell the truth, I dont think those elephants really needed swords!
just as you say nKante. But I always thought it was interesting to know if they really existed. These were all the references I could find so far.
As you have noted Katana, the elephants were trained to crush, throw unfortunate victims with their trunks etc. Apparantly they were also key rally points, easy to see! They served sort of as vantage points of sorts for the maharajah, unfortunately up there he became a pretty good target for the archers.
With all this talk about elephants, I cant help thinking of the 'pet' of Victor MacLaughlin in "Gunga Din" !! when it tried to follow them on the suspension bridge! 'bit of a problem there!!'
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All best regards,
Jim