Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 18th February 2019, 07:14 PM

[QUOTE=Victrix]Jim,

You show another interesting example above from Konopisky and Moudry. This is the typical Hungarian ”Madonna” sabre which tended to be decorated with a string of pearls (”Perlenreihe”) along the knuckle guard. The battle flags of the hussars often had a picture of Virgin Mary and it’s not impossible that the pearl line on the sabre guard could represent the beads on a rosary. See another picture below from Ungarischer Säbel und Husaren-Pallasch (2010). I have a cruder version of this sabre without the pearl decoration. This makes me wonder if these more decorated sabres are not for parade use (”prunksäbel”). The Serbo-Croat specimen is almost comically impractical for fencing, and the sword posted by Hotspur falls in the same category. I was thinking that the knobbly guard might be useful as a knuckleduster in a melé but Hotspur’s sabre has the knobbly bits on the inside of the guard (imagine what that would do to your knuckles!).

Kind regards,

Now theres some GREAT thinking!!! and your are right...........Austro-Hungary WAS the Holy Roman Empire.......and well noted on the Catholic religious icons on the blades..........A ROSARY!!! Why not?

For many years blades carried formations of dots impressed which were believed to represent 'Paternosters' in the same fashion. I had not thought of that, and it is a compelling suggestion that 'pearls' may represent these beads.

Good observation on the knuckleduster idea as well, and while these fist bolstering features are known on daggers, not so much swords....but still an intriguing notion. Right.......inside the hilt.....bad.

18th February 2019, 07:14 PM	#16
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,747	[QUOTE=Victrix]Jim, You show another interesting example above from Konopisky and Moudry. This is the typical Hungarian ”Madonna” sabre which tended to be decorated with a string of pearls (”Perlenreihe”) along the knuckle guard. The battle flags of the hussars often had a picture of Virgin Mary and it’s not impossible that the pearl line on the sabre guard could represent the beads on a rosary. See another picture below from Ungarischer Säbel und Husaren-Pallasch (2010). I have a cruder version of this sabre without the pearl decoration. This makes me wonder if these more decorated sabres are not for parade use (”prunksäbel”). The Serbo-Croat specimen is almost comically impractical for fencing, and the sword posted by Hotspur falls in the same category. I was thinking that the knobbly guard might be useful as a knuckleduster in a melé but Hotspur’s sabre has the knobbly bits on the inside of the guard (imagine what that would do to your knuckles!). Kind regards, Now theres some GREAT thinking!!! and your are right...........Austro-Hungary WAS the Holy Roman Empire.......and well noted on the Catholic religious icons on the blades..........A ROSARY!!! Why not? For many years blades carried formations of dots impressed which were believed to represent 'Paternosters' in the same fashion. I had not thought of that, and it is a compelling suggestion that 'pearls' may represent these beads. Good observation on the knuckleduster idea as well, and while these fist bolstering features are known on daggers, not so much swords....but still an intriguing notion. Right.......inside the hilt.....bad.