The Scythe as a Weapon
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- Опубликовано: 2 янв 2025
- Is the scythe a dangerous weapon or merely a harmless farm tool?
I apply my knowledge of using a scythe as a tool to explore its potential uses in fighting and warfare.
Paulus Hector Mair lived from 1517-1579. During his lifetime he undertook to compile a compendium of books in the arts of fencing, including how to fight with a scythe.
Access to Mair's manuscript courtesy of the Saxon State and University Library, Dresden (Sächsische Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden), obtainable in the public domain from hroarr.com/stu...
RUclips videos illustrating the fighting technique with the scythe: • Scythe techniques from...
See my channel for more videos on growing an orchard and looking at how, historically, the land would have been managed: / @iboughtafield
The reason the Grim Reaper holds a scythe and is called the "Reaper" is because the action of cutting down wheat for harvest with a scythe or sickle is called reaping, thus, the Grim Reaper's primary tool for reaping (harvesting) the souls of the dead is a scythe.
He uses the souls for soul food.
There are some beautiful Dutch paintings that subvert the Grim Reaper. Death is depicted as a woman in white with a small hand scythe (like gardening shears)
@@ejsmith7626 That's now one of my favorite depictions of a living death, that alongside Mr.Death from that one Twilight Zone episode where he's this man in a suit who just holds your hand and gingerly walks you to the afterlife after a quick therapy session in the case of the old lady who was previously terrified of him.
Duh
In Greek mythology, Chronos, the father of the main Greek gods, had a scythe and after being killed by Zeus Demeter, the farming goddess.
The real danger presented by a scythe is that is reduces the labor required to harvest crops over simpler tools such as a sickel, freeing up more men from the field for use in combat roles.
That is quite thought provoking.
@iboughtafield I watched a video on introducing the scythe to India. It was rather recent, in the last 10 or so years, while Britain had been in control of India from 1858 to 1947.
In all of that time, Noone had introduced the scythe. They were still harvesting using the sickel.
They tested the two tools side by side and the sickel required about 10 times the labor to harvest the same area.
The only reason that I can fathom for not "modernizing" the agricultural practices on the continent was because it was convenient to tie more people to the food production. Whether that was from a lack of alternative employment for them or to avoid the troubles created by idle people, or to avoid creating combatants is difficult to say.
@@fhorst41 How interesting. Amazing quite how much quicker a scythe is than a sickle.
I quite like using a sickle for small jobs, but most of the time I will just pick up the scythe straight away. It's a fantastic tool.
@iboughtafield It was a simple technology that failed to be exported on a large scale. The American colonies were perhaps the exception, with European settlers from many countries all bringing their own modifications. You can still find examples of many styles of scythe in the antique markets. Differences in handles, shape of the shaft, length, width, thickness of blades. And also the addition of catch baskets that make neat piles right at the end of a swing on grain crops. It's a highly developed tool. Sophisticated in it's approach to cutting crops and grasses. And easily maintained by the owner through regular peening and the application of a stone.
I thought the danger would be sharpening the sythe. That's a lot of sharp blade. You could easily rub a finger or palm along the length of the blade by accident. Dying of an infection from a wound was a common thing before antibiotics.
While some scythes throughout history have been altered to make better weapons, they tend to be the epitome of "Looks cool, lacks practicality."
But to be fair, they look REALLY cool.
It also makes someone think twice before attacking you. Intimation is a real factor of combat.
They're usually altered to conform to the shape of spears, which are generally a more effective weapon.
War scythes honestly look cool and are effective and practical, but they share very little with regular scythes.
This is it. War scythes are very niche weapons that are very hard to make useful.
Maybe in a world you face inhuman enemies it can be better against beings like kobolds maybe but there is a reason you don't see it at battle scenes
as a Pole, this coment hurts me deeply
"Thousands of people through history have died just because of sharp pointy sticks" wise words indeed
But what if they are attacking you with a banana? How would you defend against such a dangerous man?
@@danieloceansmith3156
There is no defense against bananas, they are our deadliest artifact, right next to the Hydrogen Bomb
@@davisdf3064the might of the potassium alone is a force to reckon with
I think that "thousands" is a severe underestimation. With all the humans that ever lived, and all the early wars that have been waged, it must go into the hundreds of millions. Just by sticks.
sometimes not even pointy sticks. just regular old sticks. long stick has always been a good murder tool, not just pointy ones
I always knew a scythe was a farming tool, but I never really understood just how effective it was so it was really interesting seeing you cut grass with it.
Thank you for watching
@@iboughtafield it was a pleasure!!! It was a really relaxing video. And my limited attention span really appreciated the clips on the side of the screen demonstration what you were talking about. I’ve seen a lot of videos in this style where they talk about weapons, but rarely to the have close ups or demonstrations of what they’re talking about, just a video of them holding the weapon and talking. So thanks for making a good video I enjoyed it :))
@@iboughtafieldi just want to let you know you can make outer edge of the scythe sharp. When you hold with your hands and the blade is towards the exterior, you can twist with your whole body and deliver lots of cutting force while hitting your target with the exterior side of the blade.
All content creators dont think of that modification. Personally idk how effective my idea is since I tested in video game and it's quite effective, but ifk irl
I'm fan of scythe but honestly swords are more versatile. To do the kind of attack I mention, you have to get into a stance while the sword can block and run at your opponent without needing perfect timing unlike the outer edge scythe trick. But I believe due to the shape of the scythe, the way you twist can really amplify the force you deliver.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_scythe
may the algorithm bless you
edit: seeing this video go from hundreds of views to hundreds of thousands of views has been such a treat, and the replies are so wholesome too. Hope for a million views soon 🙏
Haha, thank you 😊
🙏
Got to say sir, very nice video. With the algorithm change, this is the first actually interesting but very random recommendation it served up for me. Thank you for this scythe-based knowledge and a scythe-based hypothetical.
@@mtkz4698 Thank you :)
It has. It brought his channel the honor of my momentary attention.
Well despite media depictions, there have been several instances in history where Farmers used Farming Tools and adapted them for warfare, in Japan the most notable were what became the Ninja clans and were made into an unrealistic depiction through media. The field scythe in particular was a Kama in Japan, but realistically the Kama and Chain Spear are or were more relegated to fantasy rather than reality, were they used to kill a samurai, maybe, but we have no evidence of such. In Europe we have had several instances of adapted Scythes in fact in the Royal Armory of Poland there is a very very nasty War Scythe with serrated inner and outer edge, now is it practical in warfare...Maybe???? it could have been more for decoration than usability considering Poland is known for Mining, Farming, and Blacksmithing, but when you go to Royal armories you tend to see a lot of unpractical weapons more for show rather than use, Its certainly close to a halberd and they were the more dominate used weapon on European battlefields due to reach and lethality. Swords although depicted as some legendary weapon was more in fact expensive to make and quite fragile, they were side arms even in Japan with the Samurai they were a last resort weapon due to how fragile they actually were. Swords though were influences by Scythe type weapons the Egyptians swords were very representational of a scythe and throughout history a curved blade has been used due to practicality, Soldiers were always peasants and a lot of them were not rich so they adapted what they already knew into weapons for the battlefield. Dacian Faux sword as an example was created from a scythe into a sword form.
Also a Scythe with a straightened blade is known as a thresher and was used in certain regions as a scythe they are part of the Scythe family and still considered a scythe but yes in war they actually changed the position of the blade upright and as it turns out it was quite the deadly weapon of peasant farmers on the battlefield. Sickles are also in the Scythe family its a 1 handed scythe meant for smaller areas.
1600 England they used a War Scythe, Countess Emelia Plater in 1831, Guisarme Polearm English was a Polearm influenced by the Scythe from the 11th century to the 16th. also there was a scythe war between farmers in Poland uprising against Russian invaders.
Thank you for all the details. It's interesting how scythes have been adapted for warfare. I'll pin this post to the top of the comments for a view days as I think others will find this interesting.
The description of the thresher you gave reminds me somewhat of a reverse blade naginata
@@iboughtafield Ty for the video, it's great to see people exploring history and ancestors' ingenuity, it's always a delicate balance between fact and fiction in regard to history and historical facts. More videos like your need to be made to be honest because exploration allows us key incites and perspectives we may have never had before especially from modern society looking back at practicality even if we lose the situational adaptive necessity of the situation that leads to interesting ideas.
seems like a custom made Scythe would be better. Then a regular scythe, if you made one custom made, you would have to change the handle, cause a wood handle wouldn't do well vs a sword. A custom made Scythe could have a metal handle. Then you would need a custom made blade so it wouldn't break. Then at this point you might as well use a sword.
Harber is intended for farming fruit while spear for fishing but because war it change to self defense weapon for farmer
Despite the fact that scythes are my favourite fantasy weapon, I've always known in the back of my head that they'd be highly impractical, but never bothered to look into how. Good video
Thank you :)
Same, but they’re usually modified to be a very good weapon,so yea you can use them as a weapon,
Historically scythes were basically only used as a weapon by fixing the blade to the haft in a way that turned it into an axe shape.
It’s not a great weapon, but in a time when battles weren’t generally fought to the death and you might need every hand on deck, it was enough. Big pole + blade gives reach and intimidation, in nothing else
Overall agree with the notion that scythes were only used as weapons by modifying them into something that isn’t a scythe.
@@AshrellStudios753 Yes, although the modified versions look quite different, with the blade in-line with the shaft. I think it this unfortuately makes it seem less cool.
@@sideways5153 Thanks for the comment :)
With the references to death and his scythe, many people want to also assess the scythe with death. In reality, Death was a farmer, not a killer. He represented "reap what you sow" that was why he carries this tool instead of an actual weapon like a sword.
I can watch the scythe cut grass for hours. So oddly relaxing.
It is very relaxing to do as well. If I have a stressful week, then I love to go out to the field with the scythe and unwind.
yea why use lawnmovers this is way nicer
@@Vinni-2Kyeah it also reduce the amount C02 released in to the atmosphere
@@Zuion_Art true
Hungarian and Polish war scythes. They began by peasants reworking the blade to point upward and mounting it on a 6-8' stave. They worked well enough that the Poles, in particular, raised units of peasant "sctlythemen" with purpose made "war-scythes." Otherwise, as is, I agree. The scythe is too short and cumbersome to be a weapon of any great effectiveness. They look scary AF, though.
EDIT: And I just noticed somebody already posted pretty much the same below. Sorry...
That's fine. It is a good point and so thank you for reposting :) You also added some extra details.
The script explicitly says that angle change makes it not a scythe by definition
@@vasiliigulevich9202Yeah, well, that's a question of semantics and none of objectivity. Especially since the new thing was called, "war scythe," not, "scythe". Those are two different things and stating that they're at least related is accurate given their history. Historically one would say that if contemporary folks found it to be close enough to still be called a scythe, then it's not up to you to redefine the term centuries later.
@@vasiliigulevich9202 I would consider the blade itself to be the scythe, regardless of which angle it is mounted.
The use of scythes in war is still remembered here in Poland. The phrase "Kosy na sztorc" (mount your scythes upright) is a call to prepare for a desperate and difficult venture.
I actually just had a conversation about scythes as weapons yesterday. I tried to point out several of the same points (I didn't know about the soft steel of the blade), but the other person couldn't get over the "cool" factor. I will admit there is a certain amount of intimidation behind the scythe. My uncle even dressed as the Grim Reaper one Halloween and carried a real scythe with him. People ran away when they saw him.
Wow! Gosh, I'd be running with them :D
Sounds like an impressive costume!
Historically if a farmer needed a weapon and the scythe was all he had chances are that's what he used. Also we have a tendency of making things that were originally meant to be tools into weapons there's a good chance some one out there made a scythe specifically for war
Edit: not sure why I typed mentioned and not meant but it's correctes
@@ExelArtslook up war scythes, it didn't take much to repurpose these things
@@creeper7ech520 I slightly remember hearing an old story someone using a scythe for revenge and supposably he was the inspiration for the grim reaper or something I'm probably remembering it wrong it was years ago
@@ExelArts sounds interesting! I'll have to look into it!
When I saw how scythes are actually used, my thought of their viability as a weapon became:
“Oh… Scythe wielders would be the ankle-biters of combat…”
Or more likely, the first to die ^_^
Leave them at the back of the fight for intimidating purposes lol
Send them up front to mess up a shield wall as there vision is slightly blurred you could cut into the femoral or you could use them to go over and hook the shield hand maybe still not ideal though but then the only people Who used gym were peasants went they were drafted but then they would use anything pointed even the 3 pronged wooden rake
Scythes are like the weapons you use to say “ I don’t use the skilless messy meta cuz I have no skill “
Scythe-wielders would be the 100-foot tall frost giant armies mowing down the greek phalanxes.
I like the D&D version because it makes sense. The weapon deals low damage compared to other weapons, but it deals 4x critical damage instead of 2x, because if you hit with the the point of the weapon (the ones in the game are Scythes specifically made as weapons and not as tools), then the damage would be insane as the whole weight would focus on the point of the blade
I remember a day in university (I'm an agricultural engineer) and we had a small exhibition of "ye olde farming tools" with a small selection of scythes.
Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, immediately took them and posed for photos and the professor was like "ugh, this happens every year. You're supposed to be adult college students, not children."
Dear professor, adulthood is not an excuse to not get a once in a lifetime cool photo.
Haha, That's great
Right??? Ive honestly never seen one in person, i'd *definitely* take a photo too!
My friend has one and when I went over the first time that was the first thing we did was take epic photos with the scythe
Huh, this gave me a good idea. I was wondering what to do with my scythes after I moved. I should contact the university nearby, thanks!
@@wonno5454 Funny pictures aside, having a hands on exhibition on the advancement of agricultural technology was really helpful at understanding the challenges that the field has had to deal with and a memorable learning experience.
Tools as weapons - this is why axes were commonly used as weapons. Most households had one.
The Japanese canon of weapons is filled with tools-turned-weapons like this... The sai are for planting rice. The nunchucks are used for harvesting. The bow staff was for carrying water with buckets at the ends. All of these are used so extensively in martial arts that people don't even identify them as the garden tools that they originally were.
@notcrazy6288 Absolutely! Most people couldn't afford to buy special, expensive weapons they would rarely use and then spend time learning to use those unfamiliar weapons. Instead, they used the everyday tools that were most familiar and learned how to apply the ones that were suited to martial pursuits.
Besides, people in power tend to outlaw weapons in the hands of commoners, but they can't outlaw the tools to plant/harvest the food they need to survive, etc.
@notcrazy6288 in the case of the staff, it is actually a great weapon. They can easily break bones. Many people in history used staves for combat even if they had access to daggers or short swords. A simple wooden staff in the hands of a soldier with only a day of staff training is still deadly.
@@notcrazy6288 Were nun-chucks used as flails?
@@Loduwijk The other great thing about training with the staff is that it's directly transferable to spear use. Like you said, the range advantage of the staff-spear gave a decided advantage over the sword. It was also much easier to train a competent spearman than it was to train a swordsman.
I’m not going to lie, I never knew how a scythe was used properly as a farming tool before the first couple of seconds of this video-
I knew from the music video "learning to fly"
I myself witnessed one for no reason at my work place at construction,I thought t would be heavier since it's so big but the scythe was less then 3 pounds,I was floating it in my hand
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_scythe
They do basically make “battle scythes”, such as the Kusarigama. Which is basically a mini scythe used for combat. It was used mainly in Okinawa.
Kama
True like the (sica) sickle in Dacian in which were feared by the romans that they had to upgrade their helmet and send 1/3 their army to destroy Dacia.
It’s fascinating how although a normal scythe is not good as a weapon, you can theoretically fix the issues just by modifying it, or creating your own weapon scythe. The issue with it not normally being practical too could be fixed through intensive studying and training to the point where it counts as a martial art
War scythes were single edged polearms with the blade in line with the shaftand considerably heavier than agricultural scythes. Heck the Persians even mounted scythes on chariots
Ain’t that just a glaive?
@@uh4875 the main difference between the two is that a war scythe always has a recurve blade whereas a glaive can be a more traditional blade profile
@@uh4875 A lot weapon catagorisation terminology is modern and quite arbitrary. It's likely that people at the time just used whichever word they knew. A good example of this is sword classifications, which are largely for archival and academic purposes while beeing a relatively recent invention (for the most part). People probably didn't have specific names for different lengths and shapes of sword and would have just described what they wanted.
Interestingly but completely unrelated to this, the Scythian people were from that region. The name has nothing to do with scythes though.
I feel that a War Scythes are pretty much a completely different thing compared to a traditional scythe.
The war scythe performed better than you'd expect from a farming tool. They could come in various shapes and sizes, with some looking more like a cleaver. It's pretty much a falx on a pole. Able to go around shields as well as keeping cavalry at bay.
Quite true. The wierd facing blade allows it to easily take the legs of horses or going around practicaly all shields.
If the opponent has no shield, practicaly any other weapon would be better as you lethal range is so narrow and away from you.
Because they weren't farming tools and would be quite useless in a traditional scythe's role.
Unless you are going to suggest warhammers are carpenters tools and various heavy battleaxes lumberjack's tools :p
@@lostsanityreturned You must be real fun at parties.
@lostsanityreturned A weapon axe is usually lighter than a woodsman axe, not heavy. The profile is thinner
Yes, but the question is if "traditional" scythe are good weapons like you would see in games and anime (to which the answer is, no). War scythes are a completely different thing.
One thing that should be noticed is that in middle ages iron was expensive and medieval pheasants had very little metal at their disposal. Iron was used only where it was not possible to do without it, and most of the instruments, including e.g. pitchforks, were made out of wood. Also, as you have pointed, it was not scythes that were used per se, they were straightened up and used as ersatz spears, for the lack of better weapons.
Interesting with the fact about wooden pitch forks.
@@iboughtafield It is similar to your point about, well, points. A wooden pitchfork is just a cluster of pointy sticks!
I'm surprised pheasants learned to us steel at all
I always thought Scythes looked like a really impractical combat tool, like a spear gone wrong...
It's mostly meant for farming, that explains it.
Quality tool for slicing someone achilles tendons though
It's no surprise, a very short history lesson reveals that, and even in Western culture it's merely wielded by the grim reaper.
No actual combat figures are known for using a scythe.
@@kabeljackson6673meh, not even that.
same, with a scythe you can easily be punished if you missed a swing with it, unlike with a spear you can easily recover from every missed swing using it
Really reminds me of my grandpa. I can still see him put on the porch sharpening his scythe or using it to cut the grass in the field out front his farm.
At first I was just interested in the weapon analysis, but hot damn it’s so satisfying to watch that thing cut grass I repeatedly found myself tuning out the speech and having to rewind to video
Haha, thank you.
It does feel quite hypnotic when scything. I find it almost mediative after a stressful week.
Growing up in uber-rural southern US, my brother used to lambast me for using my scythe in the lawn and our wild gardens cause the riding mower was faster....and yet i can climb a flight of stairs without being winded despite weighing 2.5 times as much as him. ^_^
I love it! :D
According to competitions recorded on YT, the difference really isn't that big (sometimes the scytheman is actually faster) and the scythe can be used on terrain where you wouldn't drive a lawnmower (such as hillsides).
@@xCorvus7x which is what i predominantly used mine for, the hill that ran along the highway outside our house, since my brother refused to tote the push mower up and down that sumbitch
The easiest way to weaponize a large scythe like that would be make a war scythe, they’d essentially just have a blacksmith alter the part where the scythe attaches to the handle to be more like a shovels handle and so the scythe points straight out like a spear, I think the Polish used war scythes on horseback to great effect
Definitely not on horseback, a farm horse was not fit for battle and only peasants used the scythes. But yeah they used altered scythes in an uprising.
@@paciumusiu1225 no I don’t mean polish peasants used it on horseback, it was a proper cavalry weapon wielded by trained cavalry, at least I believe so… I could be misremembering but I remember seeing a article on war scythes and the various times they were used and I remember that the polish specifically used them to great effect though I might be mixing up the cavalry part because it could be they used them ‘against’ cavalry instead of the cavalry themselves using them
@@zyanidwarfare5634 i think it was more of an anti cavalry weapon. cavalry mostly used sabers and pistols at that time. halberds and pikes would be better than scythes so they had to be improvised weapons.
@@zyanidwarfare5634trained cavalry would use a saber or a lance, war scythes were specifically a peasant weapon used when there was no other option
Glad you mentioned the War Scythe, aka the "deformed" for combat scythe.
Another thing I found, if you want the aesthetic of a scythe, is to look up the War Pick.
All in all, great video.
Thank you, I'll have a look for the war pick
I think the asthetics of war scythes play into the stigma of them, as starters would still use them in the fields. They were a dual-purpose tool. The same way, knives, axes, hammers, and screw drivers can be used as weapons and not be classified as one.
@@seam5818 war scythes aren't usable as scythes. You have to bend the blade up about 90° to turn a scythe into a war scythe.
@rmt3589 they can still be used as a scythe, while yes, not 90 degrees to the handle, they would still be usable, just not effective. Also, it involves slightly different techniques typically.
Great explanation i couldn't agree more.
I like that you mentioned that a "war sythe" isn't a sythe anymore because id never thought of that and its definitely accurate.
Thank you for watching. Same here, I only thought about it due to researching whether there were references of the scythe being used as a weapon.
If anything, I'd say those historical "war-scythes" would be more properly called glaives. Because at that point, they're basically swords-on-sticks.
Scythes can be used but the blade must be refit so it becomes like a Naginata. The problem with scythes is that when facing an opponent that has a more robust weapon, the opponent will focus their attack on the blade of the scythe and this is where the scythe will break unless it was built for combat.
Naginatas are specifically Japanese. A broader term is glaive though if you want to be more specific, you could use war scythe
This is not how people fight with weapons in real life. Admittedly we don't know how peasants fought specifically but we can make a lot of inferences based on the historical manuals which have survived, all of which explicitly warn against attacking the weapon rather than the person holding it. It's trivial to move your weapon out of the way and make your opponent overcommit to a swing if they are trying to break it. The only exception being when you are shoulder to shoulder in a pike block and holding onto the end of a 10-20' haft, which is why zweihanders were used to break up these formations, primarily by moving the pikes out of the road. Even if you are unable to completely avoid a collision, it actually takes effort to not to allow your weapon to move which massively dampens the force applied to it. Durability is more a concern when it comes to your own attacks, a softer blade is going to curl and dent if it hits something hard (like bone or armour) with enough force.
Nice job. Personally I love the feel of scything along. It's amazing to see how much you can accomplish when you get into the rhythm. Subscribed!
Same here. I find it very relaxing and will use it to destress. I also like it how having dampness in the grass makes it easier - it get me out on rainy days (which if often where I live).
Thank you!
I love the way this channel has progressed in such a short time, thank you for documenting your field journey!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for watching :)
I like the serenity of the fields in the background while listening to your explanation about a farming tool 😅
Thank you :)
scythes may be largely impractical for combat because of their shape but that adds to why I think they make such neat weapons. And great metaphors
Agree with great methaphores :)
Thank you for watching
Sir Pterry Pratchett's take on it was quite fun. A scythe is a device with some weight and length to it, and it's not designed to be used as a weapon, so once it gets moving it tends to keep moving with a momentum all is own, and no one can predict where it's going to go next, not even the wielder
Sometimes an untrained fighter with a badly designed weapon is actually more dangerous, because there's absolutely no way to predict what dumb thing they might be about to do with it
If you wanted to make a scythe a weapon, while keeping the same outline, a way might be to rework the blade so that it faced away from you, becoming an effective mid range weapon, although you might be at a disadvantage if it came down to close up combat
So as other comments pointed out, warscythes are a thing, but ignoring that, I think a simple way to turn a scythe into a usable weapon would be to change the scythe blade so that it's not only more durable, but the sharp edge is outside instead of inside. Additionally, you can take the Ruby Rose (RWBY) approach and have the blade and handle be a single piece instead of two connecting pieces -(and also have it be a customizable high-impact sniper rifle).-
this is a reminder that good channels still exist on this platform.
Thank you :)
This is popped up in my suggested every single f****** time I log onto RUclips. While I'm not really interested in it I'm glad you're getting that bag
Thank you :)
It's an improvised weapon with the capacity to kill. There are many better options, though it's a fun fantasy weapon, where things don't have to be totally practical, as magic exists.
Definitely a good fantasy weapon, either as a labourer needing a weapon or as the image of death.
Totally something a paladin or a priest of a death god would use
As you mentioned a scythe with the blade parallels to the shalf would make it better and it was used, they were called war scythes. Still an improvised weapon like early billhooks but it worked decently well for a bit.
I heard in my history class that the polish during their second occupation (so a bit before ww2) were using scythes as weapons in their many uprisings, as occupants didn't allow them to own real weapons. And they would do what you said - crook their scythes to point the blade upwards.
So they were basically ambushing enemy soliders with guns, scythe them down, retreat deep into the forest, rest, regroup, repeat. Besides that I also heard they were using hussars in ww1. They were sending chivalry against tanks and scytheman against guns. What a mad nation.
that's german propaganda our cavalry in WWII się fight aganist tanks but with AT guns and AT rifles
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_at_Krojanty
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mokra
@@piotrzareba7876 Oh I don't doubt that. Against tanks even rifles wouldn't be enough, I heard they were actually using granades to deal with them. Still, as I said, they were riding horses into battle while their enemy was riding tanks. Huge balls.
I’ll say, I really like how algorithm recommended me this. Your style of talking reminds me so much of Tom Scott’s, especially with how informative you are. Great video.
Thank you :)
I really think you made a great choice with the music. Also I really like this video.
Thank you.
I enjoyed making it and so I am glad you like it.
Thank you for watching :)
I came to watch awesome unrealistic anime weapon wielding. What I got was watching a man sweep and mow his lawn in satisfying circles and mesmerized by every minute of it.
Haha :D
Ahh thank you. That made me laugh!
In the first place, the reaper holding a scythe shows that he doesn’t view you as dangerous, that he only views people as something to be culled, no better than blades of grass.
Yes, exactly this. It's not ever implied that death would kill humans with the scythe. It's meant to invoke a feeling of inevitability. Humans are the grass, death is the reaper, slowly and mercilessly advancing, with zero remorse. Just like how a farmer doesn't care about an individual blade of grass, he's just doing his thing.
If you're a farmer during one of the plagues, this is exactly how it must feel. You hear that the plague has broken out two villages away. Then one village away...
I thought The Reaper had a scythe to protect the lost spirits on the way to the afterlife?
@@kingstondaking7877 I thought it's just a symbol to show he harvests the souls of the living like a farmer
Fundamentally wrong, the Reaper uses a scythe as a tool to harvest the dead.
It's not some cringe, edgy tiktok hidden meaning behind it. He simply uses the tool as intended.
@@kualajdm a skeleton ferryman reaping souls isn’t a metaphor. Got it.
so your telling me that i cant swing a scythe around and cut people in half like i can in POSTAL 2? dang...
I would think it is metaphor from when most farmers harvested their crop with a scythe. The idea of death or reaper, is that he is the harvester of souls and would assuredly use the same tool. Ultimately, even though we die to weapons the reaper is not killing but harvesting. As the last point it would be ludacris to people to use and expensive tool in such a way which might add the the unsettling feeling.
This video was thoroughly entertaining and informative. It's honestly amazing how the media can warp the perception of many things and it's awesome videos like these that set things back into frame.
Wow, thank you so much!
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@@iboughtafield It's really cool to see someone use a scythe how it was intended, your movements were so graceful and the results were so clean. It's also cool to see technology evolve over time to perform the same tasks but on a grander scale that saves more time and energy. It makes me appreciate the humble beginnings of human innovation and utilization of many tools.
@@Red_Rose_Reaper It is a lot easier mowing around the end of June before the grass starts to wilt. I was out today trying to clean up the last few bits and it is much more difficult.
Thnak you for your lovely comments.
Well they can be quite dangerous when you have two scythes in both hands. One is enchanted with frost and the other with blackflame. Makes for a deadly combination when used correctly. I think there was once a woman who lived in a frozen painting who mastered this fighting style. She was soft spoken but had a very cold heart.
Getting a grandthumb vibe but with garden tools. Simple with a nice touch of great detail, nicely done
Thank you :)
he did go tip to butt
Great video! Interesting thing about scythes when referring to Grim reapers, the point was to sever the spirit from the physical form of those who have already died. Not to kill people.
They often are shown using them on battlefields and aftermaths of massive plagues.
Often sitting on horseback riding through for individuals or just overlooking the dead & dying , waiting till all is done to free them from their earthly bonds. At times when dealing with individual people they are shown with things like hand sickes or even scissors, much like the Fates of ancient Greece.
This probably lead to a lot of the confusion for those who did not have proper context.
Thank you for the information. I really want to do a video on the grim reaper now and includes facts such as this.
Thank you :)
@@iboughtafield
Thank you for the compliment as well as the informative, awesome content. I will have to subscribe no so I can be alerted of the video if/ when you do!
Interesting video. Although the Polish, I believe, would actually turn their scythe blades vertical to convert them into the War Scythe variant. True its not a classical scythe but the blade still defines it as a Scythe blade with or without the snape. Yes far better weapons like the billhook you mentioned, poleaxe, glaive, halberds, etc. The scythe is a peasant weapon fitting for its targets, grassy fields and unarmored flesh. With a good strike and edge alignment I imagine one of these could quite easily cleave through bone. Especially a peasant who is rather strong from working the fields all their lives and are very intimate in knowledge and handling of their scythe. Either way it all comes down to this. No weapon is better than the other as they are nothing without the one to wield them.
Same in Hungary, at history classes we were taught about peasants straightening their regular scythes (not so called war scythes) during several revolts as they had limited access to more professional weapons.
@@gabor222 Yes exactly, The war scythe term was coined many years after these instances.
Such a nice gentleman. I've never seen how a scythe is used, it looks pretty efficient, in a no-horse and no-machinery sort of way. His demeanor is well suited for this methodical process.
Thank you :)
3:37 - when you sharpen it in parts downwards (not the whole blade at once)with the motion going down like you do, you want to start from the bottom this way you sharpen the parts that you hit with the stone. if you start from the top and go down and down and down, you will hit and ruin the parts that you have already sharpened...
Thanks for the comment.
The technique I am using in this clip where I am kneeling on the ground was suggested to me by a scythe expert on a recent scythe improvers course that I went to over the summer. It means I can get a good view of where I am honing (sharpening) and I can use more force due to the support from the ground. You hone by taking the whetstone from the across the cutting edge at a diagonal from the heel end (by the snath) towards the toe (by the tip of the blade), whilst always going away from the rib. This is reversing the effect of the grass which is pushing the metal back in the opposite direction. Overlapping is fine and advised to ensure you hone the whole blade. Once this is complete you take the stone to the other site of the blade and knock of the burr (any metal that has bent over the fine cutting edge) to get a very sharp blade.
I’m not sure if this answers your question, I may just be repeating what you already know. 😊
@@iboughtafield I have nothing to say about the technic you use to sharpen it, I was just saying that if you sharpen it downwards, it's preferable to start from the bottom. If you don't sharpen the whole blade in one motion, but instead several parts separately, and you start from the top like you did here, then once you hit the blade to sharpen lower, this little hit can make a dent.
So if you start from the bottom and do downwards motions while keeping the same technic you use, you will sharpen the part that you have hit beforehand on the bottom and by going up you will sharpen it all with no problem.
@@xMickx Ahh I see. That makes sense in my head. The people who taught me to hone went downwards, but I may have a go your way to see if it makes a difference. I suspect the transition from parts of the edge that have already had a pass with the whetstone and parts that haven't is very small due to how fine the stones are, also though I'll bear it in mind when doing a courser stone straight after peening.
Thanks again.
It's fascinating to see how so many weapons originated from farming equipment. Particularly in the east where for example the Nunchaku and Tonfa both originated from a flail used to separate rice, and an axle for a millstone, respectively.
I might be in more danger from a pointy stick, but I have a feeling I'd be more intimidated by the scythe
Depending on your situation and your needs, the intimidation factor might be pretty valuable
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_scythe
I wonder if anyone has ever tried to really make a scythe fighting style. Prob some practicality there of course but what weapon doesn't have its drawbacks and weaknesses?
@DHankins19 Poland uprising revolts were using them due to lack of proper weapons en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythemen
The only people who pick a scythe as a weapon are the same people who steal their moms eyeliner.
Wut?
5:07 my thoughts halfway into this is that you seem to be imagining the scythe you use for farming as the actual weapon in a combat setting. I imagine that the combat scythe would have a metallic shaft That doesn’t have those side handles and would have the blade situated in the center area of the shaft not the side of it. The blade itself would be made of a stronger metal (probably a good alloy for weapons) and the would be double edged. there would also probably be a smaller blade at the opposite end of the shaft in the style of a circular motion.
The actual wielding would be based on the mastery of the Bo staff just modified a little to account for the extra weight. A soldier would be trained to use this weapon for mid range combat (wide sweeping, piercing, and bashing techniques) and would be told to drop it in close combat. In close combat, the soldier would then switch to auxiliary weapons, most likely a short sword or dual knifes.
Anyways that’s my take. I’ll see this video to the end to hear the rest.
what a great chill video,
a well deserved subscription!
cant wait for your older and upcoming videos :)
Thank you :)
War sythes were originally just modified sythes. If you had a couple blacksmith and some farmers, you could raise a make shift army pretty quickly.
I truly do hope this video is the blow-up your channel deserves. I have had a brief look through some of your other videos, and I cannot wait to sit back and watch from the start. You are very calming to listen to, and I appreciate how much care you are putting in to this wonderful field. You're like David Attenborough and Alan Titchmarsh mixed together. I wish you all the best, Rob.
Thank you Josh,
Much appreciated :)
I think the scythe is only terrifying in what it implies. Yes, the grim reaper, but more so that it implies cutting people down similar to a field of wheat.
But then we surely should grown again
This was really interesting and useful (and/or frustrating), as I was aiming to do a world building thing where scythes were the standard weapon. Now I'm wondering how much you would have to evolve or alter the scythe to make it viable.
Thank you for watching :)
You could try looking at the war scythe, however it does look quite different when the blade in-line with the shaft. Or it depends how releastic your players want the world :) Help it goes well.
To be fair, the only thing you'd need to do to make a scythe-shaped weapon functional is to make it double-edged and far more robust in terms of the actual metal.
Back in the day I could see there being some utility in having militia armed with such a weapon disguised as peasant farmers so that the soldiers passing through the area wouldn't know that they were a threat.
If you wanted to allow for something more fantastical maybe have the blade be adjusted via a mechanism so that it can rotate and secure itself in a more suitable position for it to be an offensive weapon: either forming a long weapon with a blade at the end, or something closer to a pole arm.
If it's used for the purpose of ambush something like that could prove to be useful for the beginning of a fight and its fragility could be compensated for with a dagger that could be secreted under loose clothing.
@@casanovafunkenstein5090 I'd imagined something like a circular saw on a pole, which tbh is probably insanely impractical.
My thinking here is that swords just didn't really take off, possibly because they weren't that useful for anything *other* than fighting with. My dagger equivalent would be a sickle.
@@FTZPLTCSwords originated from knives though, and a world without knives cant cut their food :) you could explain that with them wanting to conserve their metal though
The sound it makes is so relaxing...
YT algorithm has blessed this channel. And I loved the suggestion.
Thank you :)
Definitely an decent weapon, the only problem I see in a battle or fighting multiple opponents is that it could get logged into a body making you vulnerable while you try and pull it out. It also probably breaks pretty easily in combat. Cool video. 👍
The worst part is that it doesn't allow you to defend yourself, so you will be stabbed before you get to the point where you can cut someone
My thought of using a scythe would be slicing enemies feet. Just like u do when u cut the grass. Coz u cut the feet of the grass making them fall. That what I thought scythe was going to slice enemies feet so they cannot run anymore. and I also thought u could use its bound blade as protection coz it can protect ur whole body but must make it doesnt push too close to ur own body. And then it could be a strong thrust weapon as if the point stabs a body it would go deep.
i just made this account and i already got this in my recommended, the gods are with you this year my boy
Thank you :)
Cool channel idea and high production quality, nice
In Polish history there was an uprising known as the Kościuszko Insurgency, where an organised Polish army alongside peasants armed with scythes managed to beat Russian army in the famous battle of Racławice (later they lost, but that's how Polish history goes so this is a celebrated victory). However, they pointed the blades upright, making their scythes more of a spear of a halberd, which sounds more practical in combat. Not a scythe anymore indeed but it sure looks rather impressing and dangerous
So, fun fact (which is hinted at in the video): The style of scythe used for combat was called a War Scythe and it was pretty much exactly as described around the 4:20 mark, with the blade rotated so that it is in line with the shaft, with some even being given additional modifications such as blade catches, and others being just the blade removed to be used similarly to a knife.
As mentioned, this technically means it is no longer a scythe even though it is still named a scythe, in the same way that knives and swords are different specifically because of the additional military changes made to a sword to make it a better combat weapon.
As for farming implements being made into weapons, this is actually a very common practice from across the world.
Nunchucks and staves originate from farming implements such as threshers for instance.
Great fact! Thanks for the comment :)
The bravest of heroes uses a scythe as a weapon. The master of Earth, Cole Brookstone.
Very interesting video. Never thought I’d need a whole video just dedicated on scythes but 10/10!
Thank you :)
Congratulations on breaking through the algorithm I never watched anything like this and kept my attention the whole video
Thank you for watching!
Watching you mow with a scythe is cathartic in a way I can’t quite explain
Thank you for taking the time to watch my video :)
Its like i really loved the image(ry*) of the scythe when i was little and today i randomly get this video in my recommendation and now my whole feed is scythes related and i love it
Important life questions right here.
This is not a video i ever thought I would have in my YT watched history but here we are. And you more than earned a like from me, that was a very well done video
Thank you :)
Thank you, I never seen such an informative Kayn guide!
Thank you :)
I have no intention of using a weapon, nor having worked in a field, i don't even know why i an here. But the way and the movement you sweep through the grass is amazing. The beautiful combination of rhythm and power with evey step of chopping is almost an art to me.
a boy grew up in the city is impressed.
Thank you!
the algorithm has certainly blessed me
Thank you for watching!
Maybe it because im looking at this from the prospective of a pyshopath instead of a farmer, besides. Taking out legs (aiming for the Achilles tendon or back of the knee) and downword strikes at 25-60 degrees aiming for back of neck and backs to break through a shieldwall or take out a horse from a standing position or sweep the rider off like a grapple. By no means am i suggesting a scyth as first pick but in a quick emergency or last minute militia a guy or two mixed in with scyths. Might be able to do a little more than add psychological intimidation. But it would be extremely situational and a last ditch option when you need a metal weapon and ran out of pitch forks or cant use a slingshot or bolo.
The Dacians were notorious for their falx similar to a scythes and you have a bigger one called polearm to hold with two hands used more for farming and small ones which is used as a weapon called sickle (Sica) in Dacian language (Romanian ancestors). We used to be feared a lot by the Romans because of the curved sickle that not only pierced the helmet but made hollow cuts which would hurt and cause more damage to the scalp. Because of that, the Roman had to upgrade their helmet and send 1/3 of their army to destroy the Dacians.
I've never watched Rob's other videos, but I know what allowed it.
Also the other scythe head(?) that he brings up really looks like a silver lizalfos horn. Pretty neat.
Thank you:)
And here im thinking its my favorite weapon in video games. This video is very refreshing for me and i enjoy the explanations you give based off your knowledge
Thank you :)
The music is so good for such a humble educational video!
Thank you for watching :)
youtube recommended me this video and it's pretty well made!
Hope you keep making great ocntent!
Thank you :)
If both sides of the blade were sharp, in other words a double-edged scythe, it would be more effective.
Also, it would require a lot of training to be properly effective, however it has the advantage of being able to hook into limbs and around people to hit their blind spots, as well as reach around shields.
If the opponent is lightly armored, a scythe seems like it would be decent for rending the flesh on someone’s legs or slicing their Achilles tendons, or stabbing into their sides if it doesn’t have a stone spike and is double-edged. And because a scythe is curved, we can go back to the point I made where it rends flesh, causing some substantial bleeding on a good strike like a shotel, katana, or cutlass.
Again, the real problem is that only one side of a scythe is edged, making it only good for reaching around/hitting their back or stabbing into their side. If the scythe was made double-edged, with the “rib” going down the center/middle of the blade for structure, it would be a far more effective weapon for slicing and cutting someone from a distance.
In my opinion, the ideal scythe (as a weapon) has the “top” edge very sharp, and the “bottom” (or normal) edge serrated for extra rending of flesh and even snagging and damaging bone and armor. Also, the blade is a little longer and the pole is a little shorter, with only one handle on the pole for the dominant hand. Also, the back of the scythe’s blade would be flat and thick to make it work as a sledge hammer too. The end of the pole comes to a metal point like a spear, essentially making a scythe-halberd. Finally, the upper quarter or fifth of the pole is either made of or encased in metal for effective guarding.
Using a scythe with the usual orientation has 2 advantages that, as always, comes with their own drawbacks. The blade being at the end of a long stick and pointed at the user means you can reach around your opponent and cut their back if they got in too close and are trying to retreat, but it leaves you more exposed to a frontal attack with only the wooden part to block off potential attacks. Much like a staff, except slower, less practical, because you have to work with the weight at one of those ends. It also allows for something unusual in blade combat which is non-frontal stabbing. Stabbing is notoriously hard to block, but it usually comes from the front. A standard cutting motion with a sword turns into a stab from the side, from the top or underneath with a scythe and requires a whole lot of adapting. There is a whole section in the fencing-treatise "De Arte Atheltica" dedicated to scythe combat, which is quite interesting to look at, if (and it's a big if) you can read a very specific dialect of late medieval latin. (In that case they portray scythe vs scythe which is quite rare, but serves to train people in both roles, replace it with any weapon and it should still work.)
A couple of thoughts to consider:
Things that are incredibly impractical to be a primary weapon can be used as a weapon, and when trained specifically for such, can be quite damaging. For instance, an Urumi is essentially a whip consisting or flexible metal blades instead of leather cords as the whipped material. It is incredibly impractical and would be insane for a farmer to choose to use as a weapon if given the option even just to use a stick. However, if when in the hands of a person who trained for many years to use them, they become a quite deadly and quite horrific weapon. I would imagine a similar thing would be the case with a scythe. It is quite unwieldy and would take incredible strength and dexterity to swing at speed with any degree of precision, but this is not dissimilar to an Urumi or many other types of weapons. It is made of dull metal, but this only goes to stop one from "slicing off limbs" as some media portrayals would indicate. If you simply were looking to slice a deep gash into the flesh of a person, that might not be an issue to impede, so much as a purpose to the movements: No limb chopping as an axe, but more slashing the body like a knife. In the hands of someone that trained for many years specifically to use a scythe as a weapon, I imagine it could be quite deadly. This is more what I imagine for when I see it in use in games and fantasy stories, similar to how I'd imagine someone wielding an Urumi, not a common use case but a more specialized and "character describing" as a detail used to make a character, such as the Grim Reaper, who has trained with it for now millennia, stand out.
More to curiosity's sake, you mentioned the toe has a steel tip on it to avoid damage to the blade. What would be the difference if that was instead made to be a sharpened point, similar to the point of a spear or knife? Would that change the effects it could have from "slicing limbs" to instead stabbing and make it viable in a different sense of use? Just curious on that as to your thoughts as a person who uses one regularly.
Either way, absolutely, the Scythe was not a weapon and would not be a weapon in any *common* use cases. It'd only ever be special emergency "I've been attacked while mowing the grass and this blade is the best thing within arm's reach rather than the little clumps of grass around me or my fists" sort of last resort. Even then I'd imagine it'd be unwieldy enough without any combative training with it, I'd just risk my fisticuffs. It could use some normalization and some more popularity as a tool, though, I wish they were more common to find. I'd love to pick one up at a local shop and use it, but the only ones I can find near me are quite expensive as they're antiques, quite expensive due to being handmade and shipped across the world, or aren't traditional scythes.
7:05 I'm sure most earlier depictions of the reaper doesn't use it as a weapon. Souls probably aren't tough as bone after all...
I don't know for sure though I'm no soul scientist. A Spectrologist if you will.
scythe as a weapon is still the dopest thing i could imagine using as a weapon
I always imagined the grim reaper using a scythe to chop heads off lol. This definitely cleared things up!
I'm glad that this was recommended to me. It's so cozy. :)
The scythe is one of the best weapons in my favorite game oldschool runescape
Keep up the great work friend! You have something really special here! ❤
Thank you so much!
Let's drop from a moment the scythe as is and imagine how we see it depicted in many places.
Say someone wanted a scythe as a tool for war, and had the equipment, so they made several modifications to it:
1. Completely remove the side handles, meaning the scythe would be held by the rod itself
2. Sharpen the top front as well, so it won't require you to be so close and personal
3. Possibly use a longer rod as well? I'll let you deliberate
Do you think that would make it an effective weapon? Thank
Thanks. I am planning to another video with a few ideas from the comments and so this will be useful.
Ngl I kinda thought you were gunna hit my eye at 0:16
The redesigning of mundane tools for combat has long been one of the largest sources for weapons designs throughout history. Best examples include the Spear (that conversion was fairly simple since it was already a killing tool in terms of hunting animals, so they just needed to make ever-so-slight adjustments for killing humans), the Knife (Knives were--and still are--incredibly useful tools, and even though their use as weapons would've been mostly adequate, there still would've been ways in which it wouldn't have been as useful for it as they could've been, hence the later tendency to design dedicated Daggers), the Hammer, the Axe, and tying things back to agricultural tools, we have the Flail (originally for threshing wheat and barley, later redesigned to be able to combat armoured opponents) and the Billhook (similar to the Bill that you mentioned briefly here, although the ones that were weaponized would've been based on pole versions for cutting the limbs off of tall trees, now for cutting the limbs off of humans).
The spear would've seen minimal redesigning for combat use, though warbows demanded higher draw weights, and so needed to be carved and shaved down differently from hunting bows. The knife would've been very effective against unarmoured opponents, but even light armour would need a more robust design than a simple knife, and so daggers were born. Hammers and Axes can both do a lot of damage to someone when you swing them, but they both have sluggish recovery and are hard to control due to their weight and how it's distributed, so those axes and hamers designed for combat would be designed to have less weight in the head, and often in ways that made them far less effective as tools (for instance, battleaxes often had very thin, hard blades that would be liable to chip, bend, or buckle when trying to chop wood, but thanks to technique, the momentum of maintaining that top-heavy weight distribution, and the general softness of human beings, would've been horrifically effective against enemy soldiers). Flails got a new tether material in the form of chain, and would frequently get spiked and/or steel heads. BIllhooks got extra tips and barbs forged into them, making them more effective at catching onto an enemy's shield or armour, and thrusting into the gaps in armour.
So if we were to weaponize a scythe's design, whilst maintaining the general scythe-like shape, then first rule of order would be to remove the extra handles/straighten out the haft, so-as to make it easier to maneuver, as well as giving the haft a more ovular, lenticular, or maybe rectangular cross-section to improve edge-alignment. Then swap out the soft steel for a stronger steel and make the edge angle parallel with the direction of the haft, and possibly affix it in either a socket style similar to a spear, or in a wedged style more similar to an axe. Flatten out the spine into an edge to turn it into a double-edged blade to make it less hit-or-miss. Thus, you get a weaponized scythe design--a polearm for going behind an enemy's shield and basically stabbing them that way. It's basically useless as an agricultural scythe, but it would be far more effective as a weapon.
The video we don't deserve, but the video we needed.
Thank you for watching :)