Real Shamshir or Kilij?

[Jim McDougall]

Hello Odevan,
Thank you so much for addressing these terminology issues and for the corrections as required ! It does seem that, as we have noted many times over the years, western application of terms to weapons is often victim of transliteration, semantics, colloquialism among the many factors. It seems that in many cases it is better to offer more description and less applied terminology to avoid miscommunication.

I note, as Erlikhan has aptly noted, that many collectors and dealers haven't the slightest idea what the term 'yalman' means when it is used, in this case generally held to refer to the distinctly widened (stepped) end of the blade.As these are of course apparant on early Eastern European sabres, I was once informed that the term applied to them was something to the effect of 'poila' (I cannot recall exactly) and that it was a Polish word that referred to 'feather'. It was suggested that the purpose of this feature was to add weight and momentum to the cut. I have not been able to further substantiate either assertion, perhaps anyone might care to comment?

I once wrote to a British dealer when researching the curious notches at the end of a sabre blade, and in his interpretation the notch I described was the distinct yalman of the type we are discussing. Therefore his idea of the yalman was that it was termed the 'notch'!!!

That you again for the very well presented information on this! I will adjust my notes accordingly.

All the best,
Jim