Another axe dance

Another great axe dance fromt he troope in Arizona with Harnas Dragoslav at the head! These guys have been getting better with every clip I see from them..an inspiration to all us axe swingers out there!

Austria: Containing a Description of the Manners, Customs, Character and Costumes of the People of that Empire 1828

 
Austria: Containing a Description of the Manners, Customs, Character and Costumes of the People of that Empire
By Frederic Shoberl
Published by C. S. Williams, 1828
The usual costume of the peasants of the Bukowina, consists of white or red trowsers, a shirt, the wide, open sleeves of which are embroidered at the wrist, and over that an [...]

The plague swarm 1890

Sixty Folk-Tales
from Exclusively Slavonic Sources
by A. H. Wratislaw
The Plague Swarm
[1890]
A RUTHENIAN, having lost his wife and children by the plague, fled into the forest from his desolate cottage and sought safety there. He wandered about all day long; towards evening he constructed a booth of branches, lit a little fire, and fell asleep, wearied out. [...]

Mary Barton: An Historical Tale of Poland 1846

Mary Barton: An Historical Tale of Poland
By Henry Krasinski
Published by A.K. Newman and Co., 1846
 
One of the Colonel’s coachmen, a Carpathian mountaineer proposed to exhibit a performance common in his country. He was a man exceedingly tall and broad-chested, but appeared to possess singular activity. His brown hair, hanging down upon his back was curled at the end ; a kind [...]

Unknown Hungary By Victor Tissot 1881

If the Kanasz possesses a hut made out of branches, the brigand becomes his companion for the night. His relations with refugees and vagabonds of the forest are the result of circumstances ; he is their spy, their sentinel. In return for his services the brigands respect the animals he guards, and for which [...]

Vertical Figure Eights

Some vertical figure eights done with the mountain axe held in one hand. This comes directly from Rusyn dance but rather than jump over the axe head when it passes low I withdraw the leg back as one would do in saber fencing.
I really need to retake this clip using the [...]

Hungary and Transylvania John Paget 1850

The hatchet-headed walking-sticks were then put in requisition — I do not know whether I have mentioned before, that all the peasants of the north of Hungary carry sticks armed at the top with a small hatchet-head, which I had previously considered only as an ornament, or to be used in defence, but which were [...]

Axes and sheppard crooks

Peasant Art in Austria and Hungary By Charles Holme 1911
Their axe-headed
sticks, which also serve as weapons, are of engraved brass, or of
wood inlaid with brass, some of the work being beautifully executed.
Their textiles and wooden objects, which they ornament
with pierced or chip-carving, are particularly good.

The Invisible Axe

The axe played an large an interesting role among the foresters of the western Ukraine known as the Hutsuls or Trans-Carpathian Rusyns. One interesting piece of folklore is about the sound of a phantom axe. An icident of this myth can be seen in the classic Soviet era film “Shadows of our Forgotten Ancestors” where [...]

Southwest Vatra 2008

The first annual Southwest Vatra took place on the weekend of June 20th. Harnas Dragoslav gave a presentation on the gear and lore of the highland brigand. We will be adding a transcript of this to the site very soon. Below is the offical logo for the event with original artwork by our own Harnas [...]