Medieval flail, semi-sharp

Product description

The medieval war flail was a shorter weapon consisting of a wooden handle connected by a chain, rope, or leather strap to one or more striking heads. Variants such as the kisten—sometimes smooth, sometimes spiked—spread from Eastern Europe to the West from the 10th century onward. Illustrations from the 15th to 17th centuries show both large two-handed flails and shorter, one-handed versions. Well-known examples can be seen in the painting Battle of Orsha (1520–1534), in The Travels of Marco Polo (c. 1410), and in the military treatise Bellifortis (c. 1450).

The war flail is a replica of several medieval originals. Whilst in the Middle Ages the flail was developed from the threshing flail—a universal agricultural tool—this example features a heavy ball attached to chains and has been constructed with a long handle, ensuring that the ball cannot strike the wielder's own hands.