In Hungary, modified axes were also used as martial weapons by Hungarian warriors in the early modern period , used, for example, in the 18th century in Rákóczi's War … Depending on the language, the axe is called as follows: Hungarian language: fokos; Czech language: valaška Some smiths used many different, elaborated stamps. Today's shepherd's axes are mostly decorative, some having golden or silver head-pieces (mostly brass, iron, chromed iron, wood or aluminum - it is rare that any axe head would be made of solid gold or silver). In Hungary, modified axes were also used as martial weapons by Hungarian warriors in the early modern period, used, for example, in the 18th century in Rákóczi's War for Independence against Austrian soldiers. You take it on a hike as a walking stick but if need be, you can use it to take down a small tree, delimb it, split wood, drive nails or use it as a weapon since it is practically a little pole axe. Niță-Armaș, S.; Pavlic, N.; Gămulescu, D. (1968). They are also still used in many traditional dances. Many are considered works of art (esp. From the 14th through 17th centuries[citation needed], shepherd's axes were brought into Central Europe along the Carpathian Mountains and Dinaric Mountains by shepherd migrants called Vlachs. A shepherd’s axe is a light axe with a long and straight wooden shaft, often with a metal tip at the base. What distinguishes this axe from any other axe is its long helve or handle. Thanks Agent_H, actual shipping time was under two weeks.However I first made contact with them on Oct 31. , lit. The shafts were usually engraved, as their owners had plenty of time for crafting. Vlach shepherds brought their shepherd's axes into Central Europe when they migrated along the Carpathian Mountains and Dinaric Mountains from the 14th through 17th centuries[citation needed][verification needed][7] These were used by shepherds as versatile tools, providing a small axe, a supplemental hammer and a walking stick. "Romanian"[2]; Polish (depending on the region): ciupaga, rąbanica, obuszek, cekanka, wataha, wataszka, the latter two from Romanian vătaf ("master shepherd")[3]; Romanian: baltag, secure; Rusyn: валашка, valaška; Slovak: valaška, lit. Well, just take a look at this awesome outdoor cooking rig and shepherd’s axes. The head-piece is formed to fit comfortably into the hand so the shepherd's axe could be used as a walking stick. The first users of the shepherd's axe were Eurasian nomads. In Hungary, modified axes were also used as martial weapons by Hungarian warriors in the early modern period, used, for example, in the 18th century in Rákóczi's War for Independence against Austrian soldiers. [5] It is also depicted on Scythian imagery. those made up to the 1960s by highlanders). A long thin light axe used by shepherd's as a combined tool, walking stick and light weapon. It is also depicted on Scythian imagery. Watch the video of common usage of Valaška. The shepherd's axe - also known as a valaska (Slovak, Czech), fokos (Hungarian), ciupaga (Polish) and many other names. These, by the way, are probably the most underestimated survival tools I know. [5] Many of them were found in Avar graves. Articles containing Hungarian-language text, Articles containing Romanian-language text, Articles containing non-English-language text, Articles containing Ukrainian-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2018, Articles needing factual verification from June 2019, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Honfoglalás kori fokosok, balták és bárdok, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Shepherd%27s_axe?oldid=4784109. [6] Apart from them, the Bulgars and also the Alans and Slavs used similar weapons[citation needed]. those made up to the 1960s by highlanders). [6] Apart from them, the Bulgars and also the Alans and Slavs used similar weapons[citation needed]. The shafts were usually engraved as their owners had plenty of time for crafting. It has symbolic historical and cultural connotations and is still used as a prop in many traditional dances, for example the odzemok. Depending on the language, the axe is called as follows: Hungarian: fokos; Czech: valaška, lit. It has symbolic historical and cultural connotations and is still used as a prop in many traditional dances, for example the odzemok. At present, shepherd's axes are still made and sold as souvenirs and for decorative purposes. For information about how to add references, see Template:Citation. This article does not contain any citations or references. This article is within the scope of WikiProject Poland, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Poland on Wikipedia. They are also still used in many traditional dances. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. All-wood decorative replica of a shepherd's axe, Romanian ("Vlach") shepherd in Banat, sporting a shepherd's axe (Auguste Raffet, c. 1837). In the Slovak culture, the shepherd's axe was popularized by local historical legend Juraj Jánošík. In the 9th century, Magyar warriors used light axes on long shafts, called fokos, in their military arsenal during their invasion of Central Europe. The main motifs were the sun, stars (whirl), comets, tree of life, flowers, trees such as fir or spruce, and various geometric designs. The head-piece is formed to fit comfortably into the hand so the shepherd's axe could be used as a walking stick. Depiction of bartka by Severyn Obst (1882), Learn how and when to remove this template message, Honfoglalás kori fokosok, balták és bárdok, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shepherd%27s_axe&oldid=987882071, Articles needing additional references from June 2019, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Hungarian-language text, Articles containing Romanian-language text, Articles containing Ukrainian-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2018, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from June 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 9 November 2020, at 20:14. The shepherd's axe is a long thin light axe of Eurasian origin used in past centuries by shepherds in the Carpathian Mountains, in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Hungary. Is its long helve or handle axe was popularized by local historical legend Juraj Jánošík they... 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