Tulwar stamped blade mark question

[Jens Nordlunde]

It's a rule on the forum that you have to show the whole weapon, or you will not get any answers.
Jens

[Matt Easton]

An official rule? I'm not really asking specifically about this tulwar, but rather tulwars in general, but anyway, here is the rest of that sword

[Jens Nordlunde]

Thank you.
I have heard about the 'killing marks', but I more than doubt it. If you read the old Indian history, about all the battles and about how many people were killed, a lot of the swords would have nothing but killing marks all over.
Many different markings are used on Indian weapons, some are no doubt smith markings, others, like some of the dot marks. are from the Bikaner armoury. A lot of the marks are copies of European markings, like the 'eyelashes' copying Genovean blade marks, and the Orb and cross, the EIC stamp and a lot of others. To prove to a potential buyer that the blade was 'European' and of a good quality.
Jens

[Matt Easton]

Thanks.
Yes I have doubted the 'killing marks' explanation for those crosses as well. Though if they aren't that, I wonder what they are?
I have come across Indo-Persian sources talking about testing swords by cutting clay, wet felt and other things. I rather wonder if they are a bit like 'proved' stamps on European swords - to show the number of *somethings* that they have cut through in testing (like Japanese swords also). It seems more plausible than the 'killing marks' theory .
I'm also interested to know where I can find anything more about Indian sword maker stamps. I have a British officer's sword with an Indian-made blade, dating to around 1810-1820 according to the style of the hilt, that has what I believed to be an Indian maker's mark under one of the langets.

Regards,
Matt

[Jens Nordlunde]

Hi Matt,
I dont know what the crosses are supposed to represent, maybe copies from some European manufactor - I really dont know. I too have blades with crosses.
In one of my many books I read, that the young Hindus trained their cutting skill on a block of wett clay, so that they would not blamish their family, when they had to cut the head of an ox to sacrifice it.
I do think, but I dont know, if you could test a blade by cutting into a clay block, but I would rather think you could train you blowing force by doing so. I think, testing a blade would be something quite different, that hacking in wett clay, you would hack on metal to see if the edge was good, and if the blade breaked.
Jens

[archer]

Hi Matt, Here's a link to one discussion about a likely false EIC mark used to Imply East India Co. As a whole most of these marks are noted and discussed, but not much can be garnered from a lot of them, others clearly are Armory markings and numbers. Steve http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=tulwar

[Matt Easton]

Thanks Steve, I'll go and have a read.

[Matt Easton]

Originally Posted by archer

Hi Matt, Here's a link to one discussion about a likely false EIC mark used to Imply East India Co. As a whole most of these marks are noted and discussed, but not much can be garnered from a lot of them, others clearly are Armory markings and numbers. Steve http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=tulwar

Interesting that - I have seen EIG on firearms:



Though these marks I'm referring to are nothing to do with European or imitation European stamps - as shown above these are quite un-European weird squiggly shapes