Hello, my name is Emanuel and I am a flyssa addict

[Emanuel]

I'm done school so I figured I'd go out an get some flyssa.

The top one I got a while ago. It's in almost perfect condition, 36" blade. It seems to be the most refined of the three.

The middle one has an enormous 40" wide, much heavier blade, almost 1cm thick. The decoration appears to be somewhat cruder than the first. It lost the brass sheet decoration it once had on the hilt, evidenced by the tacks that are left in the handle. It's nice to see the actual construction of the hilt, the tang is very thin compared to the blade and bolster. Chregu showed a very similar flyssa recently, but his does not show any trace of tacks on the hilt and it may have never had brass decoration.

The bottom one is the crudest I find. Its decorative elements are larger and simpler. It still has brass on the hilt, but the panels are crudely decorated. What's also interesting is the proportion of the handles. The handle on this piece is smaller and more slender than on the other two, even though the blade is almost as heavy as the middle one and just over 39" long.

The width of the blade makes me wonder...perhaps the narrower blades are simply worn down from many sharpening and were once wider like the middle one.

Overall I'm very torn about what these three flyssa can tell us about time and manufacture. Are the differences indicative of different craftsmen, styles or decline over time? Camille Lacoste-Dujardin has conducted an artistic and thematic analysis of flyssa's decorative treatment, but her work Sabres Kabyles (1958) does not include photos of her sample, some of which are provenanced and dated.

Comments?
Emanuel

[Lew]

Emanuel

Very nice examples you have there I see we have the same love for these wonderful swords but please you need to stop standing in front of those antique sword shops staring aimlessly into the window til the wee hours of the morning.

Hello, my name is Lew and I am a flyssa addict also. You have all seen a pic of my pride and joy but alas the scabbard was lacking the proper brass band work it was being held together by leather string and bits of wire . I spoke with Battara at Timonium and gave him the scabbard so he could restore it to it's former glory. Here is a picture of the finished piece and it was beautifully done. Thanks Jose!

[Emanuel]

That's a beauty Lew. It's those exact same pics of your flyssa that made me fall in love with it.
I've been working on carving a scabbard for a small flyssa for a while now. As soon as it's complete I'll try my hand at bigger scabbards.

Incidentally, I'm reading a book on "Grande Kabylie" from 1847, and there's a mention that the Ifflissen produced the flyssa with local iron and "steel brought from the Orient". There are no additional notes and no way to determine what "the Orient" means, but this brings to mind some flyssa I've seen with visibly laminated blades. At the same time, Lacoste-Dujardin indicated that flyssa blades were usually iron, rarely steel. This might be an error on her part, and it might also suggest that the laminated blades were made from imported pattern-welded Turkish, Persian or Indian billets via the Ottoman ports.

Just a thought...

[Emanuel]

Just bought another one from the bay...somewhat shorter, 32" blade, but looks like the more refined type...
...
...
I tried to look away and let it go...but I couldn't...
...
..
..
Yes...I'm a sick man

[Gavin Nugent]

Gentlemen!!!

It appears you have both found comfort in each other knowing you are not alone in your addictions , great to see such a support network for troubled Flyssa addicts.
I know I am really going to enjoy watching you both talk your way through your troubles....I'd join you but I have enough troubles of my own

Gav

[Tim Simmons]

You have issues to work on.