Did Flails Exist?

About a week ago I came across some discussion of the following article:

http://www.publicmedievalist.com/curious-case-weapon-didnt-exist/

In brief, the author (Dr. Sturtevant) offers a hypothesis that the military flail never existed and that all (not just some) examples in museums are fakes. A friend has made the criticism that his main argument is that “flails were too difficult to use”.

“An interesting idea” was my first reaction. The second was “what about Japan?” The Japanese are known to have used a variety of chain weapons. Best known, perhaps, is the kusarigama, literally a chain (kusari) and sickle (kama). Voiced and voiceless consonants often swap in translated Japanese so kama can become gama and kusari gusari. Some kusarigama have the chain attached to the butt end of the kama, others have it attached at the head. Some have two chains attached to the head and there are variants that have one chain attached to the head and another at the butt. Some examples have the chain attached by a long hook or clip so the chain can be easily detached. The term “kusarigama” is also used for two kama joined together by a length of chain but that variant does not really concern us here.

If anything, you would expect a kama with a weighted chain to be harder to use than a simpler ball and chain without the blade. Yet, there are a number of ryu that include the kusarigama as a weapon and have a variety of techniques for using it. Kusarigama with the chain at the butt were typically used with the kama in one hand and the chain in the other. Those with a head-mounted chain were used single-handed and therefore give us some indication of how a short-handled ball flail might be used. Notably many ryu consider the kusarigama to be a “secret” weapon. More on that point later.

In another post I have talked about the chigiriki. This is similar to the familiar European medieval ball and chain flail but a two-handed weapon. Serge Mol’s “Classical Weapons of Japan” shows a variety of other chain weapons. Simplest is a chain with a weight at one end and a loop of chain at the other. The text mentions variations of this that had handles. The manrikigusari is a short chain with a weight at each end. This weapon has become relatively familiar in the west due to the popularity of the book “Spike and Chain”/ “Ninja Spike and Chain” by Charles V Grusanski. Another Japanese weapon has a weight, chain and iron truncheon. It looks like the stereotypical medieval ball and chain other than being all metal. A version with a wooden truncheon also existed.

Another weapon common in the east are the numchukas, derived from the Asian rice flail.

I had a quick glance at Cameron Stone’s book (A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times). He lists China and India as also being users of the flail.

If all flails are fakes, it was certainly widespread and comprehensive!

Dr. Sturtevant does state that he does not contest the existence of the long-handled flails derived from peasant tools and made with rope or leather. His stance is that it is short-handled ball flails that are fallacies  The illustrations in the article only show ball flails, although at least one appears to be long-handled.

Contemporary illustrations of the use of the ball and chain are relatively hard to find on the internet. Relatively hard, that is, unless you start on Wikipedia. Dr. Sturtevant actually uses some of these illustrations in his article. One of his arguments is that the figures using flails in some of these paintings are fantasy figures. For example, in one case they are meant to represent middle-eastern horsemen but are dressed as European knights. Many medieval painters depicted ancient events such as the Siege of Troy or Biblical scenes using contemporary weapons and armour. Lacking the body of archaeological knowledge we now have they assumed fashions had not changed much. Such paintings give us considerable information about what was in use at the time that the painting was painted. I expect many medieval painters had the same approach to the depiction of events in far-off lands that they had never visited. A middle-eastern warrior would be painted as European knight and the artist would base this on the contemporary equipment he was familiar with. It was easier to copy these than to invent.

From 1025

 

 

Whilst illustrations of the ball and chain are relatively rare, this is not the case for the long-handled bar-flail, aka the “peasant flail”. For completeness I will include some.
 

 

 

 

 

 

From the Triumphs of Maximilian

 

Asian horseman with long-handled flail.

 

This page has information on a pre-1579 manual that includes techniques for using the peasant flail. The two-handed bar-flail was an implement used to thresh grain. There can be little argument that it existed. There are numerous contemporary depictions of peasants and soldiers carrying and using them. In many illustrations these flails have been “weaponized” with the addition of spikes or iron banding. Some even have a catch so the swingle (head) does not swing around during prolonged marches.

 

Franz Kottenkamp’s “The History of Chivalry and Armour” (p.77) provided some useful information:

“The Morgenstern, or spike-covered club varied in its dimensions. according to Meyrick (Sir Samuel R Meyrick, Armour I, p.19), its staff was from two to five feet long, and the chain on which the ball was suspended, even exceeded the length of five feet. The balls, spiked or in the form of a channelled melon, weighed eight pounds in some specimens. Single or triple chains connected the balls with the handles. This weapon did not constitute a part of knightly armour. It was employed by German citizens and the Switzers (Swiss), and surpassed in size and weight the corresponding weapons of other nations. The French probably became acquainted with it, during the sieges of the cities in Flanders.”

Earlier in the same paragraph Kottenkamp talks about the plebeian bodyguards of princes armed with clubs. It is unclear if these clubs were flails.

Very clearly the weapon described by Meyrick  is not a description of a farm implement that has been pressed into service. It ball and chain weapon that existed in both short-handled and long-handed forms.

The statement that the flail was not one of the prescribed knightly weapons is informative. In other words a knight was not obligated to learn how to use this weapon. There was no restriction on using the weapon, however. Knights who favoured the flail for any reason would use it. It was an unusual weapon for a knight. Understandably, depictions or descriptions of knights using flails are therefore relatively rare.

One of the objections to articulated weapons is that they are difficult to use. Using them effectively needs more training and familiarisation than some other weapons.

 

For the long-handled bar flail this argument is easily countered. A peasant would spend a big chunk of the harvesting season wielding a flail. Using one in battle would not be that different. From this page on the Chinese “big sweeper” we have this informative quote:
 

“The flail was used as though it were threshing, with the women striking the men outside the walls.”

 

The weapon is being used by women, who were presumably not trained warriors and may even have been unused to threshing as farm work. The peasant flail and big sweeper have long handles and relatively shorter head sections. The probability of the head section hitting the user is very remote.

It is potentially possible to block the head of a bar-flail. The more compact head of the ball-flail addresses this. The length of a chain was selected so that the weight would not swing down and strike the hand holding the handle. The chain was either at least a hand-width shorter than the shaft or was the same length or longer. In all cases the weight would not hang at the same level at which the handle was gripped.

Articulated weapons can behave differently to rigid ones, which is why the user needs to have achieved a greater level of proficiency and familiarity. A swinging chain has a considerable reach and can threaten a large area. Nearby obstacles or obstructions can affect its behaviour. A flailman could hit a nearby comrade or entangle his weapon in an overhead branch. Learning to be aware of your surroundings and those of your intended target was a component of mastering the weapon.

If a weight on a chain encounters an object it can sometimes rebound toward the user. This is known as “snapback”. Snapback is not really a problem if the head and chain is shorter than the handle. At worst, the head will slap against the shaft well above the hand. Some flails use a longer chain, however. In these cases the potential problem of snapback is countered by correct technique. Flail strikes are made with a follow through as though the hit was being pulled through the target. Any snapbacks are overcome by the overall momentum in another direction. The physicists among you will hopefully forgive me if I have termed that wrong. See the video below for a better explanation from an actual short-handled flail user.
 

 

Another “quirk” of articulated weapons might be termed a “deadstop”. The head puts all of its energy into a target and just stops and drops. Correct follow through partially addresses this. The user also learns to recognise when this happens and how to restore momentum to the head by techniques such as a quick wrist rotation.

The Japanese ryu can give us some useful insight into how the European weapons may have been used. The chapter on chain weapons in Serge Mol’s “Classical Weapons of Japan” proved very useful here. The chigiriki chapter in Sid Cambell’s “Exotic Weapons of the Ninja” was also quite insightful.

A static chain is very little threat. To attack a ball and chain must either be moving or in a position from which it can easily begin moving. Some chain-fighting ryu recommend that a chain be spun at about 80 rpm. Obviously the idea that you can step in to attack after a chain has passed is not practical against such techniques.

Strikes with a chain are made with a follow through, which naturally leads to the use of circling and figure-eight movements to keep the weapon in motion and make successive strike attempts.

I have some familiarity with the manrikigusari. Spinning and figure-eight movements are complimented by halting the chain and quickly returning it to a position from which a new strike can be made. This is done by catching the chain and sliding the hand towards the head to bring the weapon back under control. Potentially this could have been done with the short-handled European ball flail. Possibly a spinning chain could be slowed by impacting the head with the ground or intercepting the chain with your own shield edge. Since the flail was not really a knightly weapon it seems to be neglected by most of the contemporary manuals so we do not know if this was actually done.

The flail was not a weapon for use in a packed infantry formation. The flail was of little use in slowing down massed cavalry. Flail-armed troops probably only formed a small proportion of an infantry formation. Flails were probably used to compliment more commonplace weapons. If cavalry were stalled by spears or pikes flails were useful in the following melee. A flail could take a heavily armoured man from the saddle or bring down his horse. In later periods pike squares included halberdiers who sallied forth once an enemy was locked in combat with a square. Flail equipped troops were probably used in the same way. The reach and power of a flail made it a useful weapon for fighting across obstacles. The quotation above describes the flail used to defend a city wall. The two-handed flail is often associated with the Hussites and regarded as the national weapon. It would be a useful weapon for use from a Wagenburg. For the horseman who had learnt to use it the flail offered both reach and power.

I suspect that the “tail” position from sword fighting was often used with flails. This has the weapon held pointed to the rear at a low or medium level. This is a deceptive and menacing position from which powerful attacks can be thrown from a variety of angles. If a shield is used it obscures the enemy's view of what the weapon is doing. You often see the tail position used in the movie “House of Flying Daggers”. The only photo I could find shows the swords held higher than is usual.

A blow from a competently wielded flail could reach over, under or around an enemy shield. This could compliment the attacks of more conventional weapons. For example, as a spearman caused a foe to raise his shield a comrade with a flail could strike beneath.

Earlier I mentioned that many Japanese ryu regarded their chain weapons as “secret” weapons. In many cases they were not weapons for the battlefield or duelling but for more personal defensive encounters and self-defence. The kusarigama is considered to be one of the weapons suited for use by women. It was probably a weapon that many sword-armed aggressors would have been unfamiliar with. Like the naginata the kusarigama offered superior reach and power compared to a sword. Ninja are also associated with a variety of chain weapons. Chain weapons offered reach and power in an easily concealed package. During night combat the chain would be even harder to see and avoid.

If Kottenkamp is describing bodyguards armed with flails then one can see some logic in the choice. The plebeian bodyguard was a professional fighter rather than a levy so could be expected to put time into mastering a difficult weapon if it offered an advantage.

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Simple Survival Fire Kit.

 

My recent article on the simplicity of the Soviet soldier’s kit made me think about some of the items that are not included in the equipment list. Specifically I thought about fire kits. An idle moment on the internet turned up commercial fire kits with nearly a dozen different types of tinder. They also came with a big price tag!

We all know fire is important for survival, but what do you actually need in your fire kit?

One of the most useful items you can carry are disposable lighters. Zippo lighters are touted as “the professional’s choice” but in my experience they seem to need frequent refilling. For the same price you can have dozens of disposable lighters that keep their fuel until it is used. Take a look around your local pound store and you’ll see them being sold in multiple packs. Invest in a few of these. Place at least one lighter in each emergency kit that you have. Put one in each outdoor coat that you own. Throw a couple in the glove compartment of your car. A disposable lighter will give your many more ignitions than the equivalent weight of matches.

The only real objection to disposable lighters is that there can be a fairly broad quality margin. Some disposable lighters seem to last for ages, others do not. Allow for this by having a pair in your main fire kit. A butane lighter that has run out of fuel can still provide a useful spark, and can be operated one handed unlike a traditional flint and steel. I have come across claims that butane gas lighters will leak in low pressure environments. This may or may not be an actual problem if you are a mountaineer. For the rest of us lighters are a very practical source of fire.

The second thing your fire kit should contain is tinder and something to carry tinder in. Ideally your tinder container should be waterproof. A 35mm film container is close to ideal. Ideally the lid should be attached to the container body so it cannot be lost. A strip of cord or plastic and some superglue solves this. While film containers are not as common (or cheap) as they once were they can still be found from on-line sources. They are sometimes marketed as “geocache” containers. While researching this I was stunned by a site asking £123 for 15 35mm containers!

Alternate Containers: One reader of this blog informs me he can scrounge pill bottles from local pharmacies. Another suggests that the little tins that the glucose test strips for diabetics come in can be used. I have access to 50ml screw-capped centrifuge tubes but to my mind these are a little too big. At least one brand of storm matches comes with a container that might be suitable. Buying the container alone is nearly twice the cost of buying it filled with storm matches! Not sure if the cheaper examples have a screw-thread cap. however.
 

 

Pack your container with cotton wool. Melt some Vaseline in an old spoon over a gentle heat. You will probably find Vaseline in the same store you brought the cotton wool from. Pour the Vaseline on the cotton wool. Pack that down, put fresh cotton wool on top and melt more Vaseline. Keep repeating until your container is full of Vaseline-impregnated cotton wool.  Cotton wool is an excellent tinder. The Vaseline helps repel water and extends the burning time. You will only need a little, which can be teased out before ignition. As you use up the cotton wool you replace it in the container with “found tinder”.

“Found tinder” is anything that you find in the field that can be uses as tinder. It includes thistle or dandelion down, clothing fibres, scrap paper, woodworm dust, sawdust, shredded spent matchsticks, bird down, belly button fluff and many other materials. Some  outdoorsmen prefer to have a second container for found tinder. You want to keep your found tinder dry. Dry it near a campfire or in the sunlight when opportunity presents itself.

Candles are a useful addition to a fire kit. A small bundle of birthday cake candles is nicely compact. Whenever you strike a match use it to light a candle. If your fire won’t light with the first attempt with a lighter use the lighter to light a candle and use this for a sustained source of ignition. Candles therefore conserve your supplies of matches or lighter fuel.

The final item I would include in the fire kit is a magnifying lens. This can be used for fire-starting on sunny days. “The only fire-starter on Earth that isn’t!” Your compass probably has a magnifying lens on its baseplate but it is worth including an additional one in the fire kit. I recently picked up five Fresnel lenses for £1.99, less than the price some companies charge for one, so shop around. I confess I have not started any fires with these yet since as soon as they arrived the sun disappeared!

The above is a fairly basic but capable firekit:-

• A pair of lighters.
• One or two tinder containers.
• Vaseline soaked cotton wool.
• Bundle of birthday candles.
• Fresnel lens.

Store in a waterproof plastic bag.

Some of you will note that this kit does not contain some of the more traditional survival fire-starting items. There are no matches or storm matches because I believe the lighters are more space efficient. If you have matches, by all means use them! There is not flint and steel because the lighters can do the same job and are more effective. If you already have one, carry it. I have a waterproof match container that came with a flint glued to the side. Unfortunately it is a little too narrow to make a good tinder carrier. If you do not have a flint and steel invest in some lighters and the other items first. Shop around for a flint and steel if you want one. Prices vary considerably and some will cost you the same as a score of lighters!

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Travel Wash Kit.

       Once in Saltzberg an American lad asked me to pass him his daysac. It nearly wrenched my arm from its socket with the unexpected weight.

            “This is heavier than my entire kit!” I complained “What have you got in here?”

            “Just my gel and moose and shampoo and conditioner and...” You get the idea.

       One of the most useful things I've carried on my travels was a little nail brush that has already been mentioned in the introduction.

       Choice of wash kit is personal, but I'll describe mine as a guide.

Like many travellers I used to use a washroll or zippered bag. The last one I used was quite an ingenious in that it had lots of pockets and compartments, a hook it could be hung up by and a little mirror that attached to a pad of Velcro. One day it occurred to me just how much unnecessary bulk and weight all those thicknesses of condura contributed. Now I just use a mesh drawcord bag.

      Contents:-

·         A screw topped plastic bottle of shampoo. I use a 50ml plastic screw-topped tube. I’ve taken trips of a month or more and never managed to use up all this shampoo. Older I get the less hair needs washing!

·         A flannel, though half of one will do. Always give this a good wringing out before packing away. In actuality I seldom use a flannel so this is an item that could be omitted. I mainly use mine for scrubbing stains on clothing.

·         A bar of soap. Soap can be used as an antiseptic, laundry agent and for shaving. Hence I have no need to carry a shaving brush or foam. Many of the soap cases available in the shops are made of too brittle a plastic and therefore of little use for travelling. Nowadays I keep the bar of soap in a small PU nylon drawcord bag, which is simpler and lighter.

·         A disposable razor or two, depending on the length of the trip. I have a beard these days but still pack a couple of razors.

·         One of the most useful things I've carried on my travels is a little nail brush, just an inch or so long and brought for a few pence in a supermarket or cosmetics shop. I think my second one was from Body Shop. I don't think I've ever used it for my nails. What it has been used for includes:-

o   Brushing dried mud off my canvas and suede summer boots -a lot easier than washing them and scrounging newspaper to pack in them to dry.

o   Using with hand soap to scrub away collar grime or food stains. Laundry is then simply done in a wash basin or shower, for free!

o   Brushing dried mud out of clothes. One of the most popular clubs with travellers in Jerusalem has a floor not unlike a farmyard. Every morning in the hostel my little brush would pass through a score of hands as garments were restored to a more presentable condition. So appreciated was this item that someone stole it from me!

·         A "fit anyhole" sink plug. You often encounter sinks without plugs. This is such a useful item I have had them stolen from me by other travellers.

·         A small mirror. The one that came with the wash roll broke, being glass. My current one is made from a piece of polished door finger plate –brought from a hardware store. Add a short length of fishing line so you can hang it up.

·         A spare comb.

·         A packet of dental floss. I have mainly used this as heavy thread for repairs. If you look at my self-built rucksac you can spot some dental floss repairs!

·         A couple of moist napkins in foil packets. These are used to freshen up when washing is not possible.

 

These are the contents of my mesh bag. Also in the same rucksack pocket is a travel towel.

Travel towels made of pertex are not only small packing but dry very rapidly. I think I acquired my actual towel on a trip. It seems to be something like polyester. Not as fast drying as pertex I expect but still quicker and less bulky than cotton. Add a loop of cord or string to your towel and make it big enough to pass the towel through. This lets you attach it to a rucksac hand-loop or strap to dry in the breeze.

        I find it is more useful to keep the toothbrush and paste and the deodorant separate from the rest of the wash kit. You tend to need these at different times to the wash kit -and it is just handier to have them in a side pocket of your rucksac. I use a mesh pencil case to hold the toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant.

 

• Deodorant/ Antiperspirant. I generally use gels or soft sticks. These are a lot less bulky that aerosols and probably last longer.
• A toothbrush and paste. You can get folding travel models of toothbrush, but I just use a normal one. I intend to replace this with a child size brush.

In addition to these items my daysac has a toilet roll in a plastic bag.

        You can improvise to overcome the loss of several of these items. Soap is mainly a lubricant so a lot of the dirt can be removed with just water and more scrubbing. In the past sand or oils have been used, and certain leaves, grass or straw may make good scrubbers. In cold dry conditions you can wash yourself with handfuls of snow. Snow is very absorbent so can be used to dry you but should not be kept on the skin too long. It is cold so you wouldn't want to do this!

       Salt has been used in place of toothpaste but in fact it is the mechanical action of brushing that is more important for cleaning. Using a fingertip is well known but chewing a stick and using the frayed end is more effective.

       Some hikers clean their teeth with baking soda or a mix of baking soda and salt. Apparently this does not attract bears like flavoured toothpaste can.

       Plug holes can be plugged with blobs of toilet paper.

       Splashing around in a river can be great fun but it’s better you carry some water away to wash with. Your soap may be biodegradable but before it degrades it's still contaminating a water supply and many creatures, environment. Better to pour it on the soil where the organisms there can degrade it more usefully.

         If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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