Weapons of Somirea!

Just a quick overview for folks who don’t know much about the weapons of the Indian subcontinent (as used in the Indo-Persian nation of Somirea in the Auran Empire):
Bagh Nakh - Tiger’s Claws
http://wweapons.blogspot.com/2011/02/bagh-nakh-or-wagh-nak-tiger-claw.html
Bhuj - Knife-Axe
http://www.arms2armor.com/Axes/bhuj.htm
Chakram - War Quoit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakram
Chuttuval - Coiling Sword
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urumi
Cumberjung - Double-Ended Flail
http://blog.royalarmouries.org/2011/08/05/quoit-dangerous/
Gurj - Mace
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4379
Katara - Punch Dagger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katara_(dagger)
Khanda - Blunt-Tipped Broadsword
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khanda_(sword)
Lathi - Fighting Staff
You really don’t need a link for this!
Madu - “Fakir’s Horns”
http://www.faganarms.com/17thcenturyindianfakirshorns.aspx
Pata - Gauntlet Sword
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pata_(weapon)
Shashpar - Mace with Six Flanges
http://www.arms2armor.com/Maces/flangedmace.htm
Tabar - Battle Axe
http://www.sikhmuseum.com/nishan/weapons/tabar.html
Talwar - Sabre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talwar
Rarely made with wavy blades:
http://www.gnwtc.com/wea1702.JPG
Zaghnal - Warhammer/War Pick
http://www.arms2armor.com/Axes/zaghnal.htm
Much more to come later.
Colin

Ayda Katti - Heavy Chopping Sword
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s278_full.html
Barcha - Spear
A typical spear!
Kaman - Recurved Bow
Kora - Sacrificial and Fighting Sword
http://www.arms2armor.com/Swords/kora1.htm
Kukri - Curved Machete
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukri
Saintie - All-metal guarded parrying spear
http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?79179-A-rare-Indian-parrying-weapon-Saint-or-Saintie-.
Colin

Colin, would you say that the Indian bow qualifies as a longbow or composite bow in game terms? I’ve heard both referenced.

Ankus - Elephant Goad Weapon
http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collection/detail.php?acc=1952-05-7-1
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O18877/elephant-goad-elephant-goad-ankus/
Haladie - two- or Three-Bladed Knife
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/416689-Does-anyone-Haladie
http://p2.la-img.com/191/9516/1985789_1_l.jpg
Ram Dao - Sacrificial Beheading Sword
http://www.joelcooner.com/Asian/RamDao/Ram-Dao.html
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=2147

I’d say composite in most cases.
Colin

Fakir’s Crutch - Crutch Walking Stick concealing thin blade, sometimes combined with mace- or pick-like head
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=1636
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=1791
http://www.antiqueswords.com/product-1594-A-Rare-Indian-Fakir-s-Crutch-with-Concealed-Spike--ca.-17th-18th-Century.htm
Hora - Brass Knuckles made from carved deer horn
Madu were sometimes combined with bucklers:
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s796_full.html
Mel Puttah Bemoh - Two-Handed Thrusting Sword (somewhat like the European Estoc)
http://i43.tinypic.com/15510kw.png
Pesh-Kabz - Dagger
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s449_full.html
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=1907
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/egallery/object.asp?category=286&object=11289&row=27
Zulfiqar - Bifurcated Sword
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s339_full.html
http://swordoflegend.blogspot.com/2009/11/zulfiqar.html
That’s enough for tonight. :slight_smile:
Colin

The haft of a Bhuj, by the way is often hollow and holds a dagger:
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=2346
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=1140

Sosun Patta - Reverse-Curved Sword
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s085_full.html
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s631_full.html
Sometimes serrataed, as with other Indian swords:
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s285_full.html
Katara were sometimes constructed as much longer, Pata-like swords:
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s734_full.html
Mezraq - Double-Bladed Spear
The wooden shafts have long since rotted in these examples, but the heads are around 20 inches long. Interestingly, they produce sound a bit like a tuning form when struck.
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s546_full.html
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s503_full.html
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s475_full.html

Are folks finding this interesting/useful/informative? Would anyone want some similar examples and links for Indo-Persian armour?
Colin

The geek in me is very interested.
The dad in me doesn’t have time to read it (and makes the geek unhappy)
The world creator in me is wondering whether I want to try to find the time and full use of this treasure trove of useful information.
on balance… MOAR!

I think this sort of information is always useful – links to Indo-Persian weapons would be very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to assemble this!

Quite a few of the weapons are Indo-Persian (Persian elements adapted into India) rather than specifically Indian, such as the Mezraq, Tabar (Tabarzin originally), and Ankus. If you’re thinking of specifically Persian/Iranian weapons, a lot would depend at what sort of historical period you were looking at.

Katariya - Steel Boomerang (obviously, like most real hunting boomerangs, it doesn’t return to the thrower or anything)
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/photos.php?id=558
A steel boomerang used by the Koles people residing in and around the state of Gujarat in North West India. The Koles are very ancient tribe, part of the aboriginal tribes of India prior to the invasion of the Aryan people. This weapon was used by the Koles for hunting and for protecting their livestock from wild animals. It is made of steel. 16 inches long (point to point) and 1 ¾ inches wide. The tip is covered with a piece of brass.

Bichwa - “Scorpion” (a style of dagger so named because its blade shape somewhat resembles a scorpion sting; “bichwa” or “bichawa” is the Hindi word for “scorpion”). The hilt is always a loop.
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=4083
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=2089
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=2894
It was sometimes combined with Bagh Nakh “Tiger’s Claws” (look about halfway down the following page):
http://wweapons.blogspot.com/2011/02/bagh-nakh-or-wagh-nak-tiger-claw.html
But, you know what’s REALLY BLOODY UNUSUAL? Bichwas were frequently manufactured as DOUBLE DAGGERS! Never seen a double dagger before (one handle, two parallel blades)? Take a look:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=113
http://www.brlsi.org/museum/weaponry/exhibit.cfm?id=12
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=4067

  • The double-bladed bichwa; when “Stabby” is your middle name!
    Colin

Jamdhar Katari - A dagger with a very distinctive hilt design
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=2077
http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=761
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=112
Here’s a much better series of pics of the two-handed thrusting sword, the Mel Puttah Bemoh:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=1327

Gurj (maces) came in all sorts of fanciful shapes and designs beyond the flanged examples posted above, and were often entirely steel in construction.
Bull-Headed (a very strong Persian element):
http://oriental-arms.co.il/photos.php?id=1960
Spirally-Ribbed Cone:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=4777
Backscratcher!:
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=1421
Spiked:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=4668
Devil Head:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=2085

Trishula - Trident
Indo-Persian tridents were often used fishing, but some were also used in warfare, and came in a variety of shapes and sizes (obviously these are minus the shafts):
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f29/nickcrown/tridents.jpg
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=4250
Bullova - Axe
A distinctive family of axes with blades that sometimes came to two points. Some were hand axe-sized, others battle axes, a few great axes:
http://www.ashokaarts.com/shop/bullova-axe-from-chota-nagpur-orissa-or-eastern-india
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/4122796
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=4139
http://www.michaeldlong.com/Catalogue/Arms-Armour/Arms/Indian/Good-Indian-fighting-axe-c1800-(2).aspx

Bothati - Lance
Not really remarkable at all; just a long spear used on horseback, literally.
Jarid - Javelin
Most were light, simple, spear-headed throwing spears, but some had unusual designs such as this wavy-headed one:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=3967

Some Tabar/Tabarzin axes, especially those ceremonial in use, were double-bitted:
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s158_full.html
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s746_full.html
Kard - A typically straight or only slightly curved, single edged dagger
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=1946
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=3570
Kabastin - Flail
A lightweight ball-and-chain flail:
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=800
Qama - Short Sword
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=3235
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=2727
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=4011

A note on bows:
While the composite bow was considered far superior to the self bow, the latter also continued in common use because it was faster and easier to craft, and because composite bows often suffered in the humid climate. Interestingly, in the late Mughal Empire period, they perfected the steel bow in both Persia and India, crafted from layers of hard and soft steel cold-welded together.
http://www.atarn.org/letters/letr_dec04/nosteelkaman1.jpg