Polish Obuszek (Axe)

Oliver Pinchot · 27th May 2015, 12:22 AM

It's an obuszek, an accoutrement popular with the Polish gentry. This one is probably mid-19th century. When traveling, foraging, hiking or herding, both Poles and Hungarians carried axes (the Hungarian variant is called fokos) with characteristically long hafts terminating in a spike of greater or lesser dimensions. These served a variety of purposes, alpenstock, camp axe, weapon. Each type has a distinct form of head, the Polish typically crescentic, and thus more reminiscent of European battelaxes. A Hungarian collector once told me it was common for swineherds to throw the fokos at recalcitrant hogs with such skill that they could stun them with the peen without cutting them with the edge. A part of its history perhaps best taken, like porkchops, with a pinch of salt.

kronckew · 27th May 2015, 10:34 AM

i had my suspicions, but didn't want to prejudice responses. i suspect that as a polish upper class version of a shepard's axe it'd be worth a bit more than i paid for it as an indopersian tabarzin. anyhow it will fit in nicely with my ciupagas and fokoses. i gather polish nobility carried these in battle long after the rest of europe stopped. hungarians used a similar 'obuch'.

my granny was from galecia, at the time austro-hungarian, but at times polish (even independent once) and/or ukrainian. when she spoke to her relatives in wien neustadt she spoke an odd mix of austrian german with as sprinkle of polish. and occasionally english words.

kronckew · 12th June 2015, 02:45 PM

the obuszek finally arrived today.the spike & brass balance the head perfectly in the centre 40cm. from either end. the head is still as sharp as a steeled butcher's knife with no signs it's been sharpened recently. the head is 4 inches from edge to the end of the hammer poll which is 1.5 cm. square. the chord across the pints of the edge is 3 inches. (sorry for the mixed units

)

tad short for a walking stick for me and i'm only 5 ft. 8 in. substantial 7/8 in. thick wood haft has a few fine age cracks but the head & butt spike are firm and unmoving. total weight 550 grams.

so, looks like time to move and retitle this thread to the european forum.

anecdote:
the vendor packed the box tight with pink foam chips and even stiffened it by taping it with a rather nice (and expensive) carbon fibre arrow with a seel field point and plastic flights. so it was a two-fer.

Rick · 13th June 2015, 02:59 AM

So you can even defend yourself with the carbon fiber packing material ?

Definitely a twofer .

kronckew · 13th June 2015, 08:41 AM

yup, all i need now is an arrow flinger.

i have my eye on one of these:

27th May 2015, 12:22 AM	#1
Oliver Pinchot Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 464	It's an obuszek, an accoutrement popular with the Polish gentry. This one is probably mid-19th century. When traveling, foraging, hiking or herding, both Poles and Hungarians carried axes (the Hungarian variant is called fokos) with characteristically long hafts terminating in a spike of greater or lesser dimensions. These served a variety of purposes, alpenstock, camp axe, weapon. Each type has a distinct form of head, the Polish typically crescentic, and thus more reminiscent of European battelaxes. A Hungarian collector once told me it was common for swineherds to throw the fokos at recalcitrant hogs with such skill that they could stun them with the peen without cutting them with the edge. A part of its history perhaps best taken, like porkchops, with a pinch of salt. Last edited by Oliver Pinchot; 27th May 2015 at 03:12 AM.

27th May 2015, 10:34 AM	#2
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	i had my suspicions, but didn't want to prejudice responses. i suspect that as a polish upper class version of a shepard's axe it'd be worth a bit more than i paid for it as an indopersian tabarzin. anyhow it will fit in nicely with my ciupagas and fokoses. i gather polish nobility carried these in battle long after the rest of europe stopped. hungarians used a similar 'obuch'. my granny was from galecia, at the time austro-hungarian, but at times polish (even independent once) and/or ukrainian. when she spoke to her relatives in wien neustadt she spoke an odd mix of austrian german with as sprinkle of polish. and occasionally english words. Last edited by kronckew; 27th May 2015 at 10:53 AM.

13th June 2015, 08:41 AM	#5
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	yup, all i need now is an arrow flinger. i have my eye on one of these: Attached Images

12th June 2015, 02:45 PM	#3
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	the obuszek finally arrived today.the spike & brass balance the head perfectly in the centre 40cm. from either end. the head is still as sharp as a steeled butcher's knife with no signs it's been sharpened recently. the head is 4 inches from edge to the end of the hammer poll which is 1.5 cm. square. the chord across the pints of the edge is 3 inches. (sorry for the mixed units ) tad short for a walking stick for me and i'm only 5 ft. 8 in. substantial 7/8 in. thick wood haft has a few fine age cracks but the head & butt spike are firm and unmoving. total weight 550 grams. so, looks like time to move and retitle this thread to the european forum. anecdote: the vendor packed the box tight with pink foam chips and even stiffened it by taping it with a rather nice (and expensive) carbon fibre arrow with a seel field point and plastic flights. so it was a two-fer.

13th June 2015, 02:59 AM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	So you can even defend yourself with the carbon fiber packing material ? Definitely a twofer .