- Joined
- May 18, 1999
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Hi Guys.
Please bear with my detailed description here. It does lead into the titled topic.
My dear wife is 1/2 Polish and this last summer one of the art galleries here in Tulsa had an exhibit on "The Winged Horsemen of The North."
Since Barb is well versed in the artifacts of my Am.Indian culture
I wanted to learn more about hers.
I was absolutely astounded at the things the Polish People had accomplished in the 16th and 17th centuries!!!
They had a Democratic Kingdom that was very tolerant of other peoples and religions and were very accomplished craftsmen in many areas. They also had an influx and were very tolerant of immigration from other countries.
Their porcelain ware was extremely exquisite with very fragile and detailed work. Some of the woodwork was heavy and metal bound reminescant(sp) of old knights and a round table.
There was a mural type painting that showed something like a very old style country fair with jousting, wrestleing and other sports. The men portrayed in the pic all carried some sort of weapon from swords to axes to Turkish style Bows!!!
Now to the topic......
There were two Polish Sabers on display from the 16th-17th centuries!!
These were some of the most beautiful swords I have ever seen!!! Their finish was impeccable as well as the fit. The sabers were a bit shorter in oal and blade length than the ones almost all of us are familiar with from the civil war and the Cavalry days of the Indian FIghters.
One of them had a semi-precious stone handle that really impressed me with its workmanship!!!
The write ups and descriptions of these sabers said they were considered some of the best in the world at that time and I could see why! The blades were about
1 1/4"-1 3/8" wide at the grip and tapered gently toward the point and were slightly upturned there. They were also nicely distal tapered with the spine about
1/4"- 5/16" thick at the handle and evenly tapered to about 1/8" at the tip.
I would have given a lot to have been allowed to pick one of these up and give it a couple of swings in the air.
They looked to be very well balanced and indeed were pieces of bladesmith art!!!
The title of the exhibit "The Winged Horsemen of The North" came from the strange apparatus the Polish Warriors wore behind their saddles.
It was a device that stood about 6 feet high + or - a little and was gracefully curved like bird's wings on both sides. They stood fairly straight up on both sides and were completely covered with long feathers that were mounted to stick out towards the rear and one was made from Eagle Feathers whch impressed me greatly as it shows that Eagles were also revered by cultures other than mine!!
It was said that these devices made a strange roaring sound when the warriors charged the enemy and that the enemy was distracted and confused by the nose and appearance of such fierce
people.
In the heat of combat the devices also made it hard to determine just where the enemy was in the confusion.
Anyone who has watched the Barbarian type movies has no doubt
seen such devices mounted on some of the horses. And to think I always thought that such things were the figment of some Hollywood writer's or director's imagination.
I have forgotten the name that these sabers were called and was wondering if anyone here had heard of the famous Polish Sabers and their proper name? Also wondering if anyone was making a reproduction? I would really like to have a good working reproduction of one of these!!!
They have an appeal to me that the old Cavalry Sabers have never invoked.
Sorry to be so long and I do hope I haven't bored anyone.
Thanks.
------------------
>>>>---¥vsa---->®
Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.
---- Samuel Butler.
Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
Hi Guys.
Please bear with my detailed description here. It does lead into the titled topic.
My dear wife is 1/2 Polish and this last summer one of the art galleries here in Tulsa had an exhibit on "The Winged Horsemen of The North."
Since Barb is well versed in the artifacts of my Am.Indian culture
I wanted to learn more about hers.
I was absolutely astounded at the things the Polish People had accomplished in the 16th and 17th centuries!!!
They had a Democratic Kingdom that was very tolerant of other peoples and religions and were very accomplished craftsmen in many areas. They also had an influx and were very tolerant of immigration from other countries.
Their porcelain ware was extremely exquisite with very fragile and detailed work. Some of the woodwork was heavy and metal bound reminescant(sp) of old knights and a round table.
There was a mural type painting that showed something like a very old style country fair with jousting, wrestleing and other sports. The men portrayed in the pic all carried some sort of weapon from swords to axes to Turkish style Bows!!!
Now to the topic......
There were two Polish Sabers on display from the 16th-17th centuries!!
These were some of the most beautiful swords I have ever seen!!! Their finish was impeccable as well as the fit. The sabers were a bit shorter in oal and blade length than the ones almost all of us are familiar with from the civil war and the Cavalry days of the Indian FIghters.
One of them had a semi-precious stone handle that really impressed me with its workmanship!!!
The write ups and descriptions of these sabers said they were considered some of the best in the world at that time and I could see why! The blades were about
1 1/4"-1 3/8" wide at the grip and tapered gently toward the point and were slightly upturned there. They were also nicely distal tapered with the spine about
1/4"- 5/16" thick at the handle and evenly tapered to about 1/8" at the tip.
I would have given a lot to have been allowed to pick one of these up and give it a couple of swings in the air.
They looked to be very well balanced and indeed were pieces of bladesmith art!!!
The title of the exhibit "The Winged Horsemen of The North" came from the strange apparatus the Polish Warriors wore behind their saddles.
It was a device that stood about 6 feet high + or - a little and was gracefully curved like bird's wings on both sides. They stood fairly straight up on both sides and were completely covered with long feathers that were mounted to stick out towards the rear and one was made from Eagle Feathers whch impressed me greatly as it shows that Eagles were also revered by cultures other than mine!!
It was said that these devices made a strange roaring sound when the warriors charged the enemy and that the enemy was distracted and confused by the nose and appearance of such fierce
people.
In the heat of combat the devices also made it hard to determine just where the enemy was in the confusion.
Anyone who has watched the Barbarian type movies has no doubt
seen such devices mounted on some of the horses. And to think I always thought that such things were the figment of some Hollywood writer's or director's imagination.
I have forgotten the name that these sabers were called and was wondering if anyone here had heard of the famous Polish Sabers and their proper name? Also wondering if anyone was making a reproduction? I would really like to have a good working reproduction of one of these!!!
They have an appeal to me that the old Cavalry Sabers have never invoked.
Sorry to be so long and I do hope I haven't bored anyone.
Thanks.
------------------
>>>>---¥vsa---->®
Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.
---- Samuel Butler.
Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
