African curved sword for discussion/comment ?

DaveA · 8th March 2013, 11:10 PM

Here is my shotel. It is 31.25 inches in length, blade is 27 inches and sharp on both sides. The red leather sheath is in pretty good condition although a very tight fit for the shotel and I don't keep it in the sheath for fear of cutting it.

The shotel was the traditional sword of Abyssinia (current Ethiopia). The last picture is a painting that depicts Dejazmach Hailu, governor of Hamasien in the Asmara region, armed with a shotel. Dejazmach  Hailu held office during the reign of Emperor Tewodros II (1855-68)

It is really hard to imagine sword fighting with this weapon. The most evocative description I've heard is this one from the essay "There is no best sword" by Hank Reinhardt

"The natives fight with these swords from behind large, circular leather shields. Rather than try to cut through the shield, or feint it out of the way, they reach around it to hook their opponent with the point of the sword. I think you can image what a strange type of combat it must be. Many years ago, when the movie theaters had shorts subjects, I saw a travelogue that briefly showed two Abyssinians "fencing" with sword and shield. They hopped and ducked and bounced all around, with the long curved swords moving in very awkward ways. Really strange."

8th March 2013, 11:10 PM	#13
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 415	For comparison Here is my shotel. It is 31.25 inches in length, blade is 27 inches and sharp on both sides. The red leather sheath is in pretty good condition although a very tight fit for the shotel and I don't keep it in the sheath for fear of cutting it. The shotel was the traditional sword of Abyssinia (current Ethiopia). The last picture is a painting that depicts Dejazmach Hailu, governor of Hamasien in the Asmara region, armed with a shotel. Dejazmach  Hailu held office during the reign of Emperor Tewodros II (1855-68) It is really hard to imagine sword fighting with this weapon. The most evocative description I've heard is this one from the essay "There is no best sword" by Hank Reinhardt "The natives fight with these swords from behind large, circular leather shields. Rather than try to cut through the shield, or feint it out of the way, they reach around it to hook their opponent with the point of the sword. I think you can image what a strange type of combat it must be. Many years ago, when the movie theaters had shorts subjects, I saw a travelogue that briefly showed two Abyssinians "fencing" with sword and shield. They hopped and ducked and bounced all around, with the long curved swords moving in very awkward ways. Really strange." Attached Images