Sword of a Giant ( hormonal)

[mariusgmioc]

Thank you for this very interesting posting!

[Jens Nordlunde]

Thank you Ariel, it is very interesting and you explained it very well.
Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner (r. 1669-1698) is said to have had a gigantic brother, Padam(?) Singh, who for this reason had his weapons made especially for him. His sword is said to weigh 27 kg.

[ariel]

I am glad you all liked this little foray into pituitary endocrinology.

Do you want me to extend my quest and start arguing that tiny Katars and small Tulwar handles were specially made for the warriors with GH deficiency ( pituitary dwarfs)? Na-ah:-)

[fernando]

How cruel .

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by ariel

I am glad you all liked this little foray into pituitary endocrinology.
...

Is there no way of stopping or neutralising the GH or even destroying some of the pituitary and/or any associated tumors? Focused neutron bombardment?

27kg would be heavy even for the biggest giant. A large two handed sword from the era weighs in at considerably less. It would be a death sentence for the dielder if actually used as it would be horribly slow. The myth of huge two handed swords being really heavy has been debunked already. 2.7kg +/- a bit maybe...

[ariel]

Sorry, pushed the wrong button and got a duplicate

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by ariel

I am glad you all liked this little foray into pituitary endocrinology.

Do you want me to extend my quest and start arguing that tiny Katars and small Tulwar handles were specially made for the warriors with GH deficiency ( pituitary dwarfs)? Na-ah:-)

Well, Little people could be very powerful royal attendants, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_dwarf. Can't see why they would not also be armed with custom made arms and armour...they are no different than us, just a bit shorter. An example below of a recognisable one from a well known fiction, along with a painting of a real example from history.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by kronckew

Well, Little people could be very powerful royal attendants, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_dwarf. Can't see why they would not also be armed with custom made arms and armour...they are no different than us, just a bit shorter. An example below of a recognisable one from a well known fiction, along with a painting of a real example from history.

Interesting note Wayne, and well placed. We have had some interesting concurrent discussions on other threads concerning a breast plate which seemed unusually small; a katar whose hilt seemed too small for the hand of an average person; and I brought up armor said to be of Joan of Arc, but thought to be too small.

Clearly 'size does matter', and the examination of both seemingly unusual sizes both too small, or notably large, are of interest..

The occasional note of dwarves has come up in some of these discussions, and while this anomaly as we regard it today, may not have been prevalent (or at least notable) in earlier times. As has been noted, the smaller average stature of humans was the case at large, so perhaps figures even in the range of what we consider today 'dwarves', may not have been deemed 'unusual' enough for special notice.

I thought of mentioning Attila the Hun, who has often been noted as having been a dwarf, but am not confident in the popular culture notions which reign in lore. Actually there seems to be little accord in the material concerning the Huns or Attila himself, but there are many references which call them, and him of course, as small in stature.

It does appear that general discussion on these aspects of arms and armor must be observed on the merits of each individual item, in which of course we can only speculate on its details. As Wayne notes, it does seem feasible that arms or armor may have been specifically made for such persons.

I did note however, that most authorities consider that the Huns did not have ability or materials for forging or making weapons, therefore they must have relied on captured or otherwise obtained weaponry. If they were in any way unusually small in stature, this would seem to have presented a problem.

[fernando]

Jim, do i see you determined to 'merge' topics discussed in different chambers, small breastplates, slim handle katars and all, and bring them to the table to keep the clock ticking .
The notion that armour was made under measure for atypically sized persons is a theme already approached; even with the mentioning of care to build them with proportional consistence, according to their purpose and user's physical capacities.
But i see that i am following the same path, i.e. keep 'raining in the wet'.
In a different note, Attila not having been a notably tall man is more due to his Eastern origins than to dwarfism;those pejorative epithets attributed by his angry Western adversaries (victims).
Dare i also put it that the Huns, not being able to produce armour, was not a particular handicap; even the Romans had to have them produced in places with such vocation ... notwithstanding armour was then a somehow incipient device, compared to the complexity of the setups we have been discussing as of late.
Just further to say that, in case anyone wishes to commission an armour apparatus, here is the system to take your measurements. Ah, and don't forget to wear padded clothes when you take them; makes a hell of a difference .

.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by fernando

Jim, do i see you determined to 'merge' topics discussed in different chambers, small breastplates, slim handle katars and all, and bring them to the table to keep the clock ticking .
The notion that armour was made under measure for atypically sized persons is a theme already approached; even with the mentioning of care to build them with proportional consistence, according to their purpose and user's physical capacities.
But i see that i am following the same path, i.e. keep 'raining in the wet'.
In a different note, Attila not having been a notably tall man is more due to his Eastern origins than to dwarfism;those pejorative epithets attributed by his angry Western adversaries (victims).
Dare i also put it that the Huns, not being able to produce armour, was not a particular handicap; even the Romans had to have them produced in places with such vocation ... notwithstanding armour was then a somehow incipient device, compared to the complexity of the setups we have been discussing as of late.
Just further to say that, in case anyone wishes to commission an armour apparatus, here is the system to take your measurements. Ah, and don't forget to wear padded clothes when you take them; makes a hell of a difference .

.

Fernando, thank you for noting my efforts to 'keep the clock ticking' (i.e. keep the discussion fluid) by responding to Ariel's (OP author) comments in post #11 concerning small katars and 'pituitary dwarfism) and Wayne's post on ' little people'.
However I must apologize for mentioning the other 'size oriented' weapon topics from other 'chambers' which were mentioned by Ariel in his post #11, and had not realized these were not relevant here as they had already been discussed elsewhere, as you point out.

I do appreciate your indulgence in adding your your comments on the observations I added on Attila etc. and do hope my deviation from the possible physiological aspects which may have bearing on 'larger' weaponry by mentioning the converse GH issue of dwarfism does not cause further disruption here.

Gratefully Alex has added a perfectly placed example of another very large Khyber (thank you Alex!) which places Ariel's thesis back on track …..uh, being from Texas, I really like that huge Bowie as well (if it is OK to mention).