Re: OT: Corpses, etc. (was: Re: Gender in conlangs (was: Re: Umlauts (was Re: Elves and Ill Bethisad)))

Quoting Costentin Cornomorus <elemtilas@...>:

> --- Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> wrote:
>
> > Never having seen Xena, I've got no idea what a
> > chakram is. Sounds Indic?
>
> Possibly. I have no idea how realistic or
> effective such a thing is.
>
> > But the things I talked about are definitively
> > African - big, heavy things
> > with forked blades, which turn back to present
> > sharp edges in all directions.
>
> This?
> <http://www.quine.home.sonic.net/africa.html>
Similar. The ones I've seen also had blades curving backwards, but it's
clearly just a variation on the same theme. This one's looks it wouldn't cut
if the handle part hit first (altho it would sure be painful to be hit
anyway!).

                                             Andreas

PS I guess I should spend some more thinking on military technology in my
fantasy coniverse. Supposedly, Larethian heavy infantry is the most efficient
combat troops around, carrying polearms and wearing plate armour. Apparently
there are no knights or similar heavy cavalry - perhaps no-ones taken the
trouble to invent the stirrups? I guess what cavalry there is is primarily
missile troops, with bows or javelins. The Elves generally being of slight
build, I guess they would try and avoid close combat with men and orc as much
as possible. Or would they see that as not honourable? Perhaps both - sending
poorly trained catearan ben moearo into a melee with professional Larethian
infantry is asking to be defeated (as the Camath Aitol learnt at the Battle of
Chabha), but with more professional forces, the picture is of course a bit
different, both physically and ... psychologically? - that's not the word I'm
after, but my mind's blank at the moment. I already know that catearan ben
moearo are nowadays predominantly armed with bows (this is not unconnected to
the semantic shift of _moear_ from "sword" to "weapon"), leaving hand-to-hand
fighting to the professionals ("household" troops, and, frequently, human
mercenaries). It all seems to make tolerable sense this far? (I do need
archers need to be highly trained to be very effective - the point is that
catearan ben moearo aren't very effective.) At any rate, a levied craftsman is
going to have another view of war than a professional soldier.

The trouble and attraction with conculturing is that it's open-ended.
Explanation is addictive.