A couple of interesting axe pictures.

Here are a couple of interesting pictures that recently showed up on the Facebook group Carpatho-Rusyns Everywhere.

Both show axes with very long handles, in fact both look like wood axes put on a longer handle than normal. Both are from the USA in the 20th century as well. Don’t really know what to make of these photos but the axes are clear.

The first is from Pennsylvania 1939.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second is from Buckner Illinois 1925.

An update

 

It has been well over a year since my last post. Does that mean I have given up? No, just got busy with life things ands let this site slide. I ams till an active axe man:) Here are two of my latest finds on ebay:

A nice small brass fokos head.

A real nice Hutsul topirets.

Аркан – Arkan – heroic warriors dance of Ukrainian hutsuls (instrumental)

8qa7X-NlNx4

Not a dance video despite the name…there are some interesting images shown under the song. The knife is particularly interesting.

Cold steel to sokyra update

I did a little more work on my converted Cold Steel Norse tomahawk…it felt nice but was just a bit too heavy so I worked on grinding the head into a lighter more historically accurate shape.

After a few hours of constant grinding and quenching , I can honestly say I am overjoyed at the results. I ground off roughly 1/4 of the blade and really trimmed down the haft quite a bit. The result is a very nice mountain type axe that can be used one handed with very little strain.

Unfortunately my camera took a crapper and is refusing to upload pics to the computer so I had to take a picture with my camera. As soon as i get my camera working right I will update with a better picture.

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!

Blocking with the poll

Soe just what is the poll you may ask? The poll is the butt or back end of your axe head. A good reference site to keep handy for names of axe parts weapon or tool is the Gransfors site.

So now that we know what a poll is why do we want to use it? Well first off this really only applies to the Slavic axes and not the Hungarian fokos, which by it’s very names says that it has a backed head. Blocking or parrying an incoming blow with the poll does a few things…

First off the poll is very strong and not likely to be damaged

It saves the blade from damage and dulling

It sets up a quick riposte since most likely the edge is now facing your opponent.

Most importantly….it keeps the axes from getting bound together so easy. It will still happen but not as often as when using the front part of your axe to encounter theirs.

If you will note I almost always use the poll to parry with in the video clips I have posted. Other times I will smack with the side or cheek of the blade…I use this most often if I am using a backed head.  It is also possible to parry or block with the lead edge of your haft as long as you quickly twist the handle to the back edge upon impact.

Now is this what the fellow on the left in this picture is doing? I would like to think yes but really have no idea. My guess is they are dancing but once you bang axes together it soon becomes clear that you cannot meet them face to face and expect to keep your own axe free and mobile. I will try to get a clip up soon demonstrating the differences between the various ways to engage your opponents weapon.

Shchastlyvyj Novyj Rok!

Happy New year…

in Rusyn: Shchastlyvyj Novyj Rok!

Slovak: šastný nový rok

Magyar: Boldog uj evet

Romanian: La Multi Ani si Un An Nou Fericit

Polish: Szczesliwego Nowego Roku

 

 

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. It was already after midnight when a mighty noise awoke him. He rose to his feet, listened, and heard a kind of songs in the distance, and accompanying the songs a sound of tambourines and fifes. He listened, in no small astonishment, that, when death was raging around, people were rejoicing there so merrily. The noise that he heard kept continually approaching, and the terrified Podolian * espied a swarming multitude advancing along a wide road. It was a troop of strange-looking spectres that circled round a carriage; the carriage was black and elevated, and in it sat the Plague. At every step the frightful company kept increasing; for on the road almost everything was transformed into a spectre.

Feebly burned his little fire; a tolerably large firebrand was still smoking a little. Scarcely had the plague-swarm drawn near when the firebrand stood upon feet, extended two arms–the burning part began to glitter with two glaring eyes–it began to sing in concert with the others. The villager was stupefied; in speechless terror he seized his axe and was on the point of striking the nearest spectre, but the axe flew out of his hands, transformed itself into a tall woman with raven-black tresses, and, singing, vanished before his eyes. The plague-swarm proceeded onwards; and the Podolian saw how the trees, the bushes, the owls, the screech-owls, assuming tall shapes, increased the multitude, the terrible harbinger of a frightful death. He fell down powerless, and when in the morning the warmth of the sun awoke him, the vessels that he had brought with him were smashed and broken, the clothes torn to rags, the provisions spoilt. He perceived that no one but the plague-swarm had done him all this mischief, and, thanking God that he had at any rate escaped with life, proceeded further to seek shelter and food.

Singlehanded thrust

Here is a short clip of me performing a single handed thrust using the mountain axe. First off a pass forward, then a pass backward.

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 shorter Rusyn style axe rather than the longer Hungarian style I am using. Notice how I am choked up a bit on the handle. With a shorter axe I would be right at the end.