yataghans in Ireland

A

Alan Peatfield

Joined
Feb 4, 2000
Messages
15
I've just been contacted by the National Museum of Ireland to tell me that they have 4 yataghans in their collection, which I can go and play with! They are still in storage so it wouldn't be until the week after next before I can go.
Obviously I shall measure, weigh, check the balance, and photograph them, but is there anything else specific you guys want me to check?

Alan Peatfield
 
details on the handles, and rubbings of any inscriptions would help a lot. Thank you sir, it pays to have the conneections.

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"Clear a path for the Kukhri or it will clear one for itself"
 
Great Pix, Bandit!

Alan, would welcome as much information as possible on these yataghans. In particular, how they feel to you, balance, that sort of thing. Thank you in advance!


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Harry

L'audace, toujours l'audace!!!

[This message has been edited by Kozak (edited 03-17-2000).]
 
Among other purposes yatagan has had one more: armour-piercing. That*s why handle is so wide at the end. It is not only prevention of slipping. When one fix the yatagan upon it*s chest - attacker in clash will be stabbed (with it*s own weight).
That*s story from Coratia. We were last frontier to Otoman empire during centuries.

Kurdy
 
That Cullodon Antiques pic is a winnah! I'd settle for something as close to that as the kamis could come up with, minus the folderol...
I remember right after WWII a returning vet, dad of a pal of mine, brought back what he said was a yataghan, although he was in the CBI Theatre, and that's the wrong area for them. His had a solid ivory hilt carved like a ram's body, with the horns being the pommel. The blade was what we called in those days 'watered' steel, which now is called Damascus. The blade looked old...a uniform patina that showed the steel's grain wonderfully. It was about 30 ins overall, and the blade was of pretty uniform width, just as wide as my 12-year-old palm, until the taper to the tip. I lusted after that sword for years...it probably ended up being played with and destroyed by children, as so many fine keepsakes have been. A shame. gunhou

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The sword cannot cut itself, the eye cannot see itself.
 
Kurdy, thank you!! I have been looking for information on how weapons from your part of the world were traditionally used in fighting or fencing. I would be eager to hear any more stories you could contribute about the use of yataghan, qama, jambiya, or other traditional weapons!!
 
Welcome Kurdy: any stories you can pass on ( along with an estimate of their veracity or accuracy ) will be greeted with jubilation.
Just keep in mind the tremendous amount of lurkers ( the quiet ones who don't post ) and be kind toward your hereditary enemy. We had a Turkish officer post a few times several months back. It didn't seem he was quite prepared for the why this and why that give and take of our forum.

We are not our great great grandparents. Most of us don't have a clue why something happened more that a hundred years before we were born. So we ask questions that'll help us figure out why our revered ancestors acted the way they did. ( Sometimes it turns out great great gramps was a horsethief trying to stay ahead of a lynching party was why he acted that way. )

Anyway, glad to hear from you.
 
And my apologies if I seemed to get up on my high horse about not running people down, Kurdy. Some of my family came from Hungary and Transylvania, maybe that had something to do with it.
 
Hi.
I don*t know if I said something wrong. I am not so good in English. I just wanted to tell a story that I heard here from our museologists etc ... We have many yatagans in our museums here. I*ll check for other stories about that weapon. What did you, exactly, want to say Rusty ?

Kurdy
 
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