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Michael Curl




Location: Northern California, US
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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 9:12 am    Post subject: Medieval Falx?         Reply with quote

Hello all,

While I cannot find pictures of it at the moment, there is a medieval European weapon that looks very much like a falx, or nagamaki. It has a single edged curved blade mounted on a handle that is about equal in size. It also often has a rondel to protect the hand. My question is, 'what is this thing called?'

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Michael B.
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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 11:54 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Are you thinking of a cut down glaive, or a even a barbiche?
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Russ Ellis
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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 12:37 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I thought "glaive" myself, but perhaps one of these things?


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Russ Ellis
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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 12:41 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Or more likely this one. Both of these are from the Maciejowski bible, the images are from this site:

http://www.medievaltymes.com/courtyard/index.html


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Daniel Wallace




Location: Pennsylvania USA
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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 1:39 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

When you talk about a Falx my thoughts are like Michael's it sounds like something in the glaive family. there are various styles of polearms anyone of which could have a upper rondel.

as for a long handled blade that sports a outward curve nothing comes to mind that has that characteristic.
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Michael G.





Joined: 25 Mar 2009

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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 2:59 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Check out this thread: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=9526

In any case, if the blade curves forwards, it would most likely be considered some sort of bill or war scythe. If it curves back, probably more of what is usually called a glaive. The jeddart staff also has a long thin blade, but is usually attached to the side of the staff , rather than to the tip of the staff like the glaive usually is.
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Len Parker





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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 7:07 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

This is what sprung to my mind, rondel but no curved blade.
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Chad Arnow
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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 7:14 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Could be a glaive or something like this.
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Michael Curl




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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 8:21 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thank you all for the responses. However the weapon I am thinking off, was seen in a 15th century illustration, not the maciejowski bible. Also it was an equal blade to handle ratio.
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William P




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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2011 9:12 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

i would like to quiickly remind that falx isnt quite the right word. since the falx isessentially a concave edged weapon, like the kukri, thracian rrhompaia and war scythe, so id say the war scythe has the greatest parralel to the falx. if were talking about glaive like weapons, different story.
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Dan Howard




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PostPosted: Wed 24 Aug, 2011 1:25 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Yeah, the falx is just a pruning hook - an agricultural tool. The rhomphia is the weaponised version.
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William P




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PostPosted: Wed 24 Aug, 2011 7:52 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Dan Howard wrote:
Yeah, the falx is just a pruning hook - an agricultural tool. The rhomphia is the weaponised version.


Thanks to rome total war among other sources. i was lead to assurme the difference was the falx was a long 2 handed polearm of sorts with the rhomphia being a single handed version

actually pruning hook is another good example you could say its like the agricultural billhook.
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Michael Curl




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PostPosted: Wed 24 Aug, 2011 9:10 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Ya, the blade is not concave, Its curved like a messer.
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Bob Burgess




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PostPosted: Wed 24 Aug, 2011 2:44 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The East Anglian thatcher's eaves knife has a blade similar to that of a scythe, but convex not concave, mounted on a straight handle of equal length - like many agricultural tools such as the bill (billhook) it could also serve as a weapon...
Edge tool collector and historian, with a special interest in the billhook...
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William P




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PostPosted: Thu 25 Aug, 2011 4:32 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

so michael, your not looking at billhooks or war scythes, that leaves that wierd glaive weapon (im used to the glaive being a naginata like weapon,
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Phil D.




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PostPosted: Thu 25 Aug, 2011 5:07 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Do you mean something like the knight on the right in the attached pic...
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Michael Curl




Location: Northern California, US
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PostPosted: Thu 25 Aug, 2011 6:40 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

YES!!! Exactly. Thank you so much. What is this type of weapon called?
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William P




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PostPosted: Thu 25 Aug, 2011 6:42 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

it says the weapons used by the opposing knights is either a type of voulge and a glaive, it looks like the one on the right has the voulge but id doublecheck.
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Bartek Strojek




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PostPosted: Thu 25 Aug, 2011 6:56 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Michael Curl wrote:
YES!!! Exactly. Thank you so much. What is this type of weapon called?


Well, I seem to recall that its a glaive that's handled close to the blade in the picture, so handle is not visible here.

Anyone has full version of this painting handy?
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James Millard





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PostPosted: Thu 25 Aug, 2011 7:38 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Here's a pretty small black-and-white version of the painting. You can see the polearm in question in the bottom-left. The handle does seem to be about the same length as the blade.

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