Help pls. on 15th-17th C. cutlass & scimitar

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Gonzalo G

... Fer... I was wondering what is the word in english for "alfanje". Maybe your "unscholared" person can tell me, because I don´t know ...

I would be the last person able to tell you, Gonzalo; as said before, that is too much sand for my truck .
I go one place and it says: Scimitar; i go another one and it says: cutlass. Apparently there is no strict translation. Likely this term never turned into english vocabulary.
It seems as alfange is connected to Persian FAchar, or Urdu URchar, originated from the Arabic ARchar (Al khanjar); poping around through the Spano-Arab al-hangal ... pretended by others to be al-janyar (puñal?).
If you go by the digestive description/definition, you fall into the bottomless well of the short, slightly curved wide blade sabres range which, in its widest interpretation, embraces the European falchion, fauchar, bracamarte, messer, storta, the Turc Kiliç, the Indian talwar, the Arab saif ... not to speak about their Spanish (Peninsular?) keen alfanjón, alfanjonazo and alfanjete; even the terciado (so much discussed in the kampilan thread) or the chafarote ... look at me, breathless .
Maybe in a first aception you could consider the alfange a composite 'pattern', partly European and partly Oriental. Shorter but heavier than Oriental sabres, with a false edge that could well come from the longsax, the 'cutlass' or the falchion, generaly equiped with an 'S' guard, like the bracamarte, the messer and some late falchions. Beautyful specimens, like the one attached, were made and exported from renascent Venice ... the pieces you are looking for, Lorenz
It is also written that the term alfanje (later alfange) was used in medieval Iberia to define Moorish curved swords, shorter and wider than scimitars; such being potentially the weapon used in the Muslim conquest of Penisula..
The alfanje is also cited by Cervantes in Don Quixote:

"-Vos sois quien la necesita», respondió el manchego, y abrió la batalla con un tajo tan desmedido, que si el arma fuera un alfanje, allí quedara el portugués para la huesa"

" ... and opened the battle with such an enormous slash that, if the weapon were a an alfanje, there would remain the portuguese for the grave"

End of this unschooled chapter

Fernando

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