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Originally Posted by estcrh
Depending on the source "tabar" simply means "axe", Egerton in "Indian and Oriental Arms and Armour" uses tabar to describe crescent, hoe, triangular, long curved, forked and short curved axe heads.
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Interesting and most salient point, the use of certain specific terms for various weapon forms is indeed a slippery slope in the study of ethnographic arms. Much of this is the result of transliteration, semantics and other disruptions in using terms used locally in their respective cultures. In other cases, there is the instance of common parlance used by collectors and those historians who study these weapons, and often errors perpetuated by subsequent writers on them.
Case in point here is Egerton, who is a venerable and most respected author whose seminal work on Indian arms has stood as a benchmark for many serious students of these weapons. It must be remembered that he wrote in 1880, and there has been considerable research done since then.
It is indeed intriguing to see these entries in Egerton's catalog, in which this entire series of axes are termed 'tabars', to which I would agree that the term is indeed a Persian word for 'axe', hence the diminutive 'tabar-i-zin which means effectively 'saddle axe'.
In todays studies of ethnographic weapons, we would recognize these varying forms of axe as 'bullova' and known as forms from the tribes of Chota Nagpur as previously noted.
Egerton probably was unaware of the now accepted term for these axes as 'bullova', as they are referenced in Stone who wrote in 1934, and listed as his reference, "Sport and Adventure in the Indian Jungle", Mervin A. Smith, London, 1904.
With regard to the use of terminology on weapons, Stone did unfortunately follow Egerton in due course with his use of the term katar, for the transverse grip daggers well known to us by that name. In an ironic twist, Egerton shows the original plate (Plate 1,p.23)of the early reference on Indian arms, the "Ain -I-Akbari", a treatise on arms at the time of Akbar, where these type daggers are termed properly 'jamadhar'. In his subsequent entries, Egerton consistently uses the term katar for these daggers, which spurred the incorrect use of the term by following writers, including Stone.
("Indian Arms and Armor" Pant, 1980,
pp.162-163)
To add to the confusion which clearly illustrates the proper terms and use of them for certain Indian weapons, item #376 in Egerton shows a proper 'tabar'* which is a 'triangular' (actually trapezoidal geometrically) head axe (plate X). Then he shows a crow bill (zaghnol, #471) as a 'buckie"; then #473, a 'buckie' (actually a bhuj) and most puzzling another tabar , #474, as a 'buckie'.
* by 'proper' 'tabar', I mean the commonly held form typically thought of in general discussion of Indian arms without parlance deviation. I did find that in some cases Indian tabars were indeed crescent shaped (in Haider, p.233, on Mughal arms).
In "By My Sword and Shield" (E.Jaiwent Paul, 1995, p.84), it is noted that G.N.Pant (op.cit.) stating that "...tabar consisted of a triangular blade with one broad cutting edge"
However, in defense of the use of the term widely, in "The Tabar of a Turkish Dervish" (A.S. Melikian-Chirvani, "Islamic Arms & Armour" ed. Robert Elgood, 1979, pp.112-115). ..the author describing a piece shown in Paris in 1886, a crescent head with sweeping downward 'beard', and that"..this remarkable piece is indeed a tabar, which is Persian for 'axe'".
He also notes the tabar is of larger size traditionally than the tabarzin.
Also noted is that while this piece is a tabar, Islamic India can lay no claim to it.
It is interesting that these would be called 'tabar' as the Turkish word for axe is 'balta'...but it seems that term is used more specifically to the double crescent head axes carried by the Sultans bodyguards.
Terms can be confounding, as shown here. The term 'tulwar' in India is a general sort of term for sword, and is applied equally to shamshirs in Indian context. The term kilij well known in Turkey, is another term for sword, not only the familiar pistol grip sabres or the pala with pronounced yelman.
We can go on forever here with what we often term 'the name game'.
It seems that in many references, the term axe is used along with proper qualification including any locally used terms etc. and that seems most agreeable.
The profusion of photos is most impressive, as well as the illustrations of lanyard bearing examples as requested. While colorful and wonderful visually it would be good if they were captioned so as to be more helpful to those reading here. Also, it is helpful if photos, just as with quoted references are cited or referenced. Much as with references from various resources, it helps if images come with context and description.