Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

katana · 29th February 2008, 10:50 PM

I thought it a good idea to look at this from a different ‘angle’….to see if it was ‘possible’ for an Elephant to wield such a sword with it’s trunk. All references I can find say ‘yes’ the trunk is a very complex organ and utilizing small sticks (held in the trunk) to itch themselves or to remove parasites is common ‘wild behaviour’.

“….It is fascinating to watch one of them pick up a stick with its trunk and use it to itch themselves. The dexterity they have with both their trunks and their feet is amazing….”

Also….

“….The nineteenth-century French anatomist Georges Cuvier estimated the number of muscles controlling the movements of the trunk at 40,000, a figure that was long accepted. By dissecting trunks, my colleagues and I have recently been able to investigate the workings of these organs, down to the microscopic level. We believe that what Cuvier called "muscles" are actually small subunits of muscles, or muscle fascicles. We painstakingly counted the tiny fascicles on carefully sectioned regions of an Asian elephant's trunk and arrived at an estimate of about 150,000 (148,198, to be exact) muscle fascicles for the entire trunk…..”

An interesting reference to the Elephant’s intelligence…
http://www.natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic5/elephant.htm

Also to illustrate the dexterity and intelligence of elephants…… http://www.elephantart.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=69

I am beginning to think that…

1. The painting ‘evidence’ suggests that there is possible ceremonial / religious symbolism associated with an Elephant brandishing a sword.

2. An Elephant could indeed hold such a sword with its trunk, however, I personally feel that if a ‘battle’ version was successful, they would be much more common.

3. I also feel that a ‘Battle Elephant’ during conflict would have enough to do, without having to coordinate its eyes and trunk to use the sword effectively. The Tusk type sword extensions and ‘spikes’ strapped to the trunk utilized the ‘natural’ attacking behaviour of the animal, the attached ‘weapons’ making it more efficient.

If there is definite evidence of real age with this ‘sword’ , perhaps it is indeed ceremonial or processional or symbolic.

Regards David.

29th February 2008, 10:50 PM	#23
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	I thought it a good idea to look at this from a different ‘angle’….to see if it was ‘possible’ for an Elephant to wield such a sword with it’s trunk. All references I can find say ‘yes’ the trunk is a very complex organ and utilizing small sticks (held in the trunk) to itch themselves or to remove parasites is common ‘wild behaviour’. “….It is fascinating to watch one of them pick up a stick with its trunk and use it to itch themselves. The dexterity they have with both their trunks and their feet is amazing….” Also…. “….The nineteenth-century French anatomist Georges Cuvier estimated the number of muscles controlling the movements of the trunk at 40,000, a figure that was long accepted. By dissecting trunks, my colleagues and I have recently been able to investigate the workings of these organs, down to the microscopic level. We believe that what Cuvier called "muscles" are actually small subunits of muscles, or muscle fascicles. We painstakingly counted the tiny fascicles on carefully sectioned regions of an Asian elephant's trunk and arrived at an estimate of about 150,000 (148,198, to be exact) muscle fascicles for the entire trunk…..” An interesting reference to the Elephant’s intelligence… http://www.natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic5/elephant.htm Also to illustrate the dexterity and intelligence of elephants…… http://www.elephantart.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=69 I am beginning to think that… 1. The painting ‘evidence’ suggests that there is possible ceremonial / religious symbolism associated with an Elephant brandishing a sword. 2. An Elephant could indeed hold such a sword with its trunk, however, I personally feel that if a ‘battle’ version was successful, they would be much more common. 3. I also feel that a ‘Battle Elephant’ during conflict would have enough to do, without having to coordinate its eyes and trunk to use the sword effectively. The Tusk type sword extensions and ‘spikes’ strapped to the trunk utilized the ‘natural’ attacking behaviour of the animal, the attached ‘weapons’ making it more efficient. If there is definite evidence of real age with this ‘sword’ , perhaps it is indeed ceremonial or processional or symbolic. Regards David.