Quote:
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Originally Posted by ariel
A remarkably well-educated and knowledgeable participant on another forum has identified it as... Corrida implement!
According to him, descriptions of such a device can be found at:
M. Defourneaux, "L`Espagne au siecle d`or", 1996.
Page 176
Théophile Gautier,Voyage en Espagne 1862.
Page 353
and in multiple other Spanish and French contemporay sources.
It was allegedly used by peons ( maintenance workers) at the corrida to immobilize and to slaughter the still-alive bull.
Spanish colleagues: any access to first-hand information?
French speakers: can you verify the above sources?
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Hmmm... pretty unlikely, I'm afraid.
The "
medialuna" or "
media-luna" was (still is) indeed a tool to hamstring the bull, not only in the "corrida" but also in cattle-herding. I managed to find a picture of an old one:
It is also known as "
desjarretadera" ("harmstringer"). There's some modern variations that are no longer crescent-shaped. It was used at the end of a long staff (as it's mentioned in Gautier), in Spain and in areas of Spanish influence.
I'm no specialist, so I might be wrong, but it would really surprise me if the "sword" in discussion was such an instrument...
Best,
Marc