A challenge ... what would this be?

[colin henshaw]

It does have a bit of an African look, so with the Christian imagery, this would point to Highland Ethiopia. Ethiopian priests did carry hand crosses in procession usually made of metal...

Just a guess

[roanoa]

Let's avoid making silly comments about religious practises, such as Holy Communion, which I for one take quite seriously. Having said that, I believe this is an Ethiopian SISTRUM. It is missing the top part with the metal disks.

[fearn]

Hi Roanoa,

Do you have an example sistrum that looks like this? Most of the "ethiopian" sistrums shown on Google have much thinner uprights, and I'd expect to see holes drilled through it to hold the disks if it was a sistrum.

Neat object. I didn't know what a lucet was until Jeff brought it up.

Best,

F

[roanoa]

I looked up Google Images for "lucet" and there is indeed a strong similarity, though there is no hole beneath the "fork". The reason why I suggested a sistrum is because of the religious symbols. A simple string could be tied to the fork and there really is no need for holes to be drilled. Again, on Google Images I found a "How to make a sistrum" with a wooden fork and a string (plus the metal disks). So I still believe it is a possibility, though, of corse, I cannot be sure....

[kronckew]

not all the lucets i saw in the internet had holes. i'm tending towards that option. even monks or nuns would have done something like lucetting to occupy their time and make useful cords.

of course, it is also likely to be a plumber's tool.

[David]

Originally Posted by kronckew

not all the lucets i saw in the internet had holes. i'm tending towards that option. even monks or nuns would have done something like lucetting to occupy their time and make useful cords.

of course, it is also likely to be a plumber's tool.

True, there are quite a few lucets in googles images that do not have holes in them, but what most of them do seem to have in common is that they bow outward at the top of the forks to keep the string or rope on the forks while working. Fernando's example does not do this, infact the forks seem to angle in slightly and i think the rope would be likely to slip off, so i don't think this is a lucet.
I am also dubious about whether it is a weapon of any kind.

[David]

Originally Posted by roanoa

I looked up Google Images for "lucet" and there is indeed a strong similarity, though there is no hole beneath the "fork". The reason why I suggested a sistrum is because of the religious symbols. A simple string could be tied to the fork and there really is no need for holes to be drilled. Again, on Google Images I found a "How to make a sistrum" with a wooden fork and a string (plus the metal disks). So I still believe it is a possibility, though, of corse, I cannot be sure....

I don't think this is a sistrum either. Sure you can make one out of it by stringing disks, but i can discern no wear where the strings would have been, nor do i see any wear where the disks would have no doubt struck on the inside of the forks when in use.

[Tim Simmons]

Looks like a pious persons knitting or lace making tool? I think it is most probably European. If it was from Yorkshire it would be worth an awful lot of money.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by roanoa

Let's avoid making silly comments about religious practises, such as Holy Communion, which I for one take quite seriously...

No need to be fundamentalist, roanoa . We are joking here; considering a good faith piece of humor a silly coment, it's a remark that deserves no better classification .

Originally Posted by roanoa

...Having said that, I believe this is an Ethiopian SISTRUM. It is missing the op part with the metal disks.

I find it very hard to be a sistrum, and i don't think it is missing any attachement; there is no marks sugesting so.
BTW, did you know that the sistrum, provenant from the egiptian cult to Isis, was forbidden in the VI century Concilium?
So true that it maintained its existence with Copta Christianism until present days.
Fernando

[fernando]

Thank you all for your sugestions, Gentlemen.
This exercize of trying to find out what an unkown thing is, can be a fascinating theme, specially because of the variety of sugestions put up.
So far we have a lucet, a slingshot ( ), a plumbers tool, a hand cross, and a war club ( ).
Although the lucet seems to be the closest sugestion, i don't think it is one; but i am not based in any evidence to so think.
I could swear it is not from Yorkshire ; i am more certain of that than of the eventualy that it might be a weapon .

Fernando.

[tribalarms]

Could it be a distaff?

[fernando]

Originally Posted by tribalarms

Could it be a distaff?

Also an hypothesis not to discard.
But with those conical prongs, wouldn't the yarn slip away?
Fernando

[Rick]

My Wife who spins, knits, and is a high end Seamstress says it is too small to be a distaff .

On my computer screen 'Nando's full shot of this device renders larger than it actually is .

[David]

Originally Posted by fernando

So far we have a lucet, a slingshot ( ), a plumbers tool, a hand cross, and a war club ( ).

Don't forgets Jim's suggestion of a votive, which i have not discounted yet. In fact, for me right now it seems the most likely.

[kronckew]

the 'plumbers tool' was a reference to the other thread about a lead headed cane whose explanation varied from trench club to rabbit throwing stick and turned out to be a plumbing tool used to bang out dents in lead pipes.

in other words, keep your options open, it could be anything. probably something not mentioned that was in common use way back but is not now.

5 inches is a bit short for a war club i suspect.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by David

Don't forget Jim's suggestion of a votive, which i have not discounted yet. In fact, for me right now it seems the most likely.

My uggly fault, David ... shame on me .
Yes Jim, also a sugestion to consider; i must honestly confess, though, that i still don't see light in the end of the tunnel .
Thank's a lot all the same.
Fernando