Shepherd's Axe out of a Trail Hawk

Uath

Uath

Joined
Oct 25, 2003
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A Shepherd’s Axe is a tool/weapon that originated in the Carpathian Mountains and spread throughout Eastern Europe. Interestingly, they came from Wallachia, the homeland of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula).
There’s nothing really new about the Shepherd’s Axe. It’s a light axe head; with a hammer poll mounted on a shaft long enough to be a walking stick. The axe head acts as the handle of the stick. It often had a metal tip on the butt end.
These axes were the constant companion of the lonely shepherd, but they were also used in warfare.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd's_axe

Klimek3.jpg


I'm going to make a Shepherds' Axe for myself. I already have the perfect axe head, a Cold Steel Trail Hawk. All I have to do is whittle a 35" handle (that's the perfect length for me, 1/2 my body height). In a traditional Shepherd's Axe, the head is flush with the end of the handle, so it better be set well before you trim it.

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Here's the Cold Strrel Trail Hawk (For those of you who don't know). It's dropped forged, carbon steel, differentially heat treated. I think a real Romainian Shepherd from the 17th century would have given his eye-teeth for one.

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The first photo shows a valaška, or ciupaga:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciupaga

The second one is a fokos.

The Hungarian fokos was originally a light cavalry weapon, and was widely used by Hungarian light cavalry and irregulars until the 18th Century.

http://pctrs.network.hu/clubpicture/1/1/2/4/_/gravirozott_acel_fokos_1_1124072_4120.JPG

http://www.biharlap.hu/files/Image/Fooolye/HirKepek/fokos.jpg

http://www.grozerarchery.com/acc/uj/fokos.gif

During the 19th Century it became the weapon of choice of peregrine students, herdsmen, outlaws and village watchmen, who spent a lot of time on the roads or outdoors, and had to defend themselves against animals (wolves, dogs), or robbers.
By the early 20th century only a few herdsmen used it, if at all.

The valaška, or ciupaga remained in use for a lot longer, not only by herdsmen in the mountains, but also by the swine herders in the plains. The Hungarian name for the swine herder’s axe is ‘kanász balta’.
 
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Cool info, thank you so much. They all seem to follow the same formula; small axe head with a hammer poll, mounted on a walking stick. As we all know, this kind of weapon would be a great companion on ANY lonely road or pasture. A walking stick is pretty handy also.
 
I went to a Hammer In last month and one of the attendees was walking with a valaška. It was well made, handsomely decorated and very sharp. I might make one for myself one of these days.
 
Now that you mention it, the Trail Hawk does look like a likely fokosh mod. I believe TOPS had a fokosh similar to that one some years back as well.
 
Uath said:
Cool info, thank you so much. They all seem to follow the same formula; small axe head with a hammer poll, mounted on a walking stick. As we all know, this kind of weapon would be a great companion on ANY lonely road or pasture. A walking stick is pretty handy also.
Click to expand...

Uath said:
Cool info, thank you so much. They all seem to follow the same formula; small axe head with a hammer poll, mounted on a walking stick. As we all know, this kind of weapon would be a great companion on ANY lonely road or pasture. A walking stick is pretty handy also.
Click to expand...

Most of the traditional valaška, or ciupaga do not show a real hammer poll. Some variants do have one though.
They were indeed used as walking sticks or alpenstocks, some had even iron spikes to provide better traction on steep, rocky or icy terrain.

Also, some of the fokos do not have a true hammer poll, but a spike or blunter cone or a narrow second blade instead.
Those were used to penetrate chain mail or leather & iron armor and helmets used in early medieval times.
It was used much like the later war hammer which was developed against the heavier and stronger plate armor of the late medieval knights.
In a way, the fokos can be viewed as a combination tomahawk and war hammer of an earlier age.
The fokos is a short version of the term ‘fokos balta’, which means an axe with a protrusion (fok) on the poll side.
The protrusion can be, but does not necessarily has to be, a true hammer poll.
The hammer poll variants are all later version, when the fokos became less of a weapon, and more of a utility tool or even a walking stick.
By the late 19th century it became more of a symbol for some officials, like members of student organizations or village watchmen. That is when it morphed to a walking stick and became similar to the valaška, or ciupaga. In the 20th century steel fokos heads were banned in many places, that is when brass heads or even wooden “fokos” were produced - now as tourist souvenirs, true walking sticks or mementos given to students at school graduation ceremonies.

Originally the fokos was not a walking stick! Many examples were designed with a head which would have been dangerous to attempt to grip.
The long handle was meant to increase reach and force when used as a striking weapon, especially while fighting mounted on a horse.
The walking stick use is a very late evolution (or better say, a non-weapon role transformation) in the millennium long history of the fokos.
 
I love learning new stuff about history. Never heard of these before thank you for posting it.
 
I'm learning so much about Eastern European Shepherd's Axes. One thing is sure; they were a widespread and heavily-used tool/weapon and central to a cultural identity. Besides, a light axe/walking stick is a great idea! I wish Cold Steel would market a 40" shaft. Better yet, I wish they would come out with a line of Poly-pro hawk shafts
 
Get yourself a sledgehammer handle and fit the head on that should be long enough.
 
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