來自世界各地的十大古代武器(上)

Every weapon is made with a specific purpose in mind. Weapons are constantly evolving to meet the needs of the warriors who wield them. Sometimes though, these needs produce weapons that, while no less efficient at executing their purpose, are ultimately quite unique.

每一種武器的製作本質上都帶有一種特殊的目的。爲了滿足武士們使用武器的需求，武器不斷演變。雖然有時候根據這些需求而製作的武器，沒有有效地實現它們的目的，但歸根結底它們是獨一無二的。

te

10.日本忍者：帶有金屬釘的戒指（Kakute）

kakute were spiked rings used in ancient Japan. Though a similar weapon called the "shobo" was made of wood, kakute were usually iron and had from one to three spikes. A user would generally wear either one or two rings—one for his middle or index finger and another on his thumb. The spikes were usually turned inward and applied to pressure points by gripping limbs or even the neck, which wound stun an opponent and cause a nasty puncture wound. Turned outward, kakute became spiked knuckledusters, though since the purpose of kakute was generally to subdue enemies rather than harm them, this style was not the standard.

Kakute是古代日本使用的一種帶有尖刺的指環。雖然一種木頭製作的武器"shobo"與它相似，但Kakute 通常是鐵製的，並且它還有一到四個鐵刺。使用者一般會佩戴一個或者兩個指針——一個戴在中指或食指上，另一個則戴在他的拇指上。指針上的尖刺通常是朝向掌心方向，通過抓住敵人的四肢甚至是脖頸並向其要點施加壓力，這一動作會使得敵人眩暈，同時也會給敵人造成嚴重的刺傷。指針朝外時，Kakute 就會變成有刺的指環。儘管，Kakute的目的一般是制服敵人而不是真正傷害敵人，但是它的使用風格卻沒有固定標準。

Ninjas also used kakute. They were favored by female ninjas, called kunoichi, for whom it was natural to wear rings. Worn inward and tipped with poison, they could use their kakute for quick, fatal attacks. For the female ninja, they proved to be one of her deadliest and most efficient weapons.

忍者也會使用Kakute，特別是女忍者尤其喜歡使用。這些女忍者被稱爲"kunoichi"，她們每一個都會習慣性地帶上指環，朝向掌心方向穿戴並且淬以毒藥，因此，她們能迅速地給敵人以致命的一擊。對於女忍者來說，Kakute是她們擁有的最致命且最有效的武器之一。

die

9.印度武士拉其普特人：Haladie

Many interesting weapons came out of ancient India, but among the most dangerous was the haladie, a weapon of India's ancient warrior class, the Rajput. The samurai of India, Rajput lived a lifestyle dedicated to fighting and honor, using weapons like the doubled-bladed haladie knife to cut down their enemies.

有許多有趣的武器都產生於印度，但是其中最危險的是Haladie。它是古印度武士拉其普特人（Rajput）使用的武器。印度武士拉普特人以戰鬥和榮譽爲生活方式。他們使用類似雙刃刀的武器來砍殺他們的敵人。

Haladie had two double-edged blades connected to the ends of a single handle. It was believed to be a thrusting weapon, although the slightly curved blade could just as easily be used for slashes and parries. Some types of haladie had a metal band similar to knuckledusters covering one side of the handle, where yet another spike or blade could be attached. Almost like something out of a fantasy novel, those types of haladie were perhaps the world's first triple-bladed daggers. An army of ancient Indian warriors would have proven quite intimidating, equipped with both the haladie and their famed double-edged scimitar, the khanda.

雙刃刀兩面都有刀片——兩把刀刃的手柄鍛造成一個刀柄連接兩片刀片。儘管它那微微彎曲的刀片更易用於揮砍敵人或抵擋攻擊，但是它仍被認爲是一種用於挺刺的武器。有一些雙刃刀的刀柄是用金屬打造的，它帶有一點指節銅環的風格，並覆蓋了另一半刀柄，也就是接近另一邊刀片狹窄的根部。這種類型的雙刃刀幾乎在每一部玄幻小說裏面都有提及，它們也許就是世界上首次發現的三刃匕首（ triple-bladed daggers）。用雙刃刀和印度著名的雙刃劍（khanda）作爲武裝武器的古印度武士軍團已經向我們證明了雙刃刀的巨大威懾力。

garami

8.日本江戶時代警察：袖搦

The sodegarami, meaning "sleeve entangler," was a weapon of the Edo-era Japanese police. Often used by a pair of officers, the sodegarami was a spiked pole they would slide into an opponent's kimono. A quick twist would entangle the fabric and allow officers to bring the offender down without causing (too much) injury. Often, one officer would attack from the front and another from behind, working together to pin the criminal to the ground by their neck. Having two sodegarami tangled up in your kimono made it almost impossible to escape.

袖搦顧名思義，就是"把袖子纏住"。它是日本江戶時代警察所使用的武器。一個警察一般使用一雙袖搦。袖搦是一個帶有短釘的長杆，警察們可以用它刺穿敵人的衣服（此處指日本和服），伴隨着一個急速的捻動，袖搦就會纏緊衣物，從而使得他們能夠在不傷害（或極少的傷害）罪犯的前提下捉住他（滿人性化的）。通常，抓犯人的時候都是一個警察站在犯人的前面，另一個警察站在犯人後面，兩人通力合作鉗住犯人的脖頸，兩個袖搦都纏繞在犯人的衣服上，犯人根本不能逃脫。

It was an important tool for arresting samurai, who by law could only be killed by other samurai. Once an offending samurai drew his katana, an officer would slip his sleeve grabber up the samurai's kimono to entangle him. He would then bring the samurai down non-lethally to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

對於逮捕一個律法上要求要被其他武士處死的武士來說，袖搦是一個很重要的工具。一旦戴罪的武士拔出他的武器，警察就會使出袖搦纏住他的衣服。這樣警察就能毫不費力地控制這個武士，在削弱了他的殺傷力的同時避免了不必要的傷害。

haender

7.雙手劍

Perhaps the largest type of sword in history, the Zweihaender was famed for its use by Swiss and German infantrymen to fight off pikes. Zweihaenders were two-handed swords that stretched upward of 178 centimeters (70 in) and weighed anywhere from 1.4–6.4 kilograms (3–14 lbs), though the heavier examples tended to be purely ceremonial. Primarily used against pikes and halberds at longer ranges, some also had an unsharpened part of the blade—called a ricasso—just above the primary guard. The ricasso could be gripped in close quarters combat. These kinds of Zweihaenders usually had a smaller, secondary guard that protruded from the main blade.

Zweihander也許是歷史上型號最大的劍。瑞士和德國的步兵們用它來抵禦長矛軍，它也因此而聞名。雙手劍需要雙手使用，其劍柄到劍尖長達到178釐米（70英寸），其重量可達到1.4到6.4千克（3-14磅）——但是達到一定重量的劍往往只能應用在儀式上。雙手劍主要是用於對抗長距離戰爭中的長矛和戰戟的，一些雙手劍的劍身上有一段較鈍的地方，它略高於主防護位置，被叫做"無刃部"（或"卡榫"）。這個"無刃部"能夠減少持握的距離，而帶有"無刃部"的雙手劍在主劍身突出的地方通常會制有一個較小的護手。

Soldiers who used these immense swords received double pay. The Landsknechts, a feared mercenary band so well respected they even received special exemption from sumptuary laws to maintain their flamboyant dress, helped make them famous. Despite their popularity, however, Zweihaenders eventually gave way to the easier-to-handle pike and became mostly ceremonial. Though they had once been a frontline weapon, advancements in technology eventually regulated them for use by shock troops and mercenaries. In some cases, Zweihaenders were even officially prohibited from battle.

使用這種巨型武器的士兵們一般會得到雙倍酬勞。（僱傭步兵，是一個令人恐懼的僱傭軍團，但是同時也是備受尊敬的軍團。他們甚至從"限奢法令"（sumptuary laws）中獲得了豁免權，以保證他們穿上那奢華的軍服，這些華麗的衣服也是他們出名的有力助手。）儘管雙手劍有很高的知名度，但是它也逃不了讓位於其他更易掌握的長矛，而成爲節禮武器的命運。雖然它曾經是一個在前線使用的武器，但科技的進步使得它最終只能爲突襲部隊和僱傭軍團使用。在一些地方，雙手劍甚至還成爲了官方禁止的武器。

Fakirs—ancient Muslim and Hindu ascetics and mendicants—were not permitted to carry weapons, so they had to improvise to protect themselves. They created the madu, which was apparently not officially considered a weapon. The weapon (let's face it, that's what it was) was originally made from two Indian antelope horns connected perpendicularly by a crossbar. With the horn tips at opposite ends, the madu, or "Fakir's horns," was excellent for stabbing, though the fakirs considered it to be primarily for defense.

苦行者（Fakir，古的穆斯林和古印度教的苦行僧們）是不允許攜帶武器的，所以他們得隨機應變以保護自己。他們創造了Madu，一種顯然不被官方認可的武器。最初，這種武器（我們得承認，它就是一種武器）是由一塊橫木垂直連接兩個印度羚羊的角而製成。由於羚羊角的兩個尖刺被放置在相反的方向，Madu（也被稱爲"苦行者的角"）非常適合用以戳刺，儘管苦行者們認爲它主要的功能室用來防衛。

The style of fighting with the madu is still practiced today. Called maan kombu, it is a part of the larger art of silambam: an ancient, weapons-based Indian martial art. Maan kombu ("deer horns") is named after the weapon's material, as fakirs and silambam artists eventually began using other kinds of animal horns. The art form is dying, however, as current laws prohibit the use of deer or antelope horns. There are several variations of the weapon, including one with added steel tips and a shield, making the madu an even more efficient weapon.

使用Madu的搏鬥風格一直沿用至今，被稱爲"maan kombu"。"maan kombu"從屬於印度規模較大的武術silambam——古老，使用武器的印度武術。"Maan Kombu"（鹿角）以製作武器的材料而命名，但是苦行者們和silambam的武者們後來都開始使用其他動物的角做材料。然而，因爲現行法律禁止羚羊角或者鹿角的使用，這種藝術形式正在消亡。這個武器有很多革新，包括有在Madu上加上一些鋼釘和護盾在內的一切革新，都使得Madu成爲一種效率更高的武器。

翻譯：鄭慧君 來源：前十網