Shotel

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A shotel is a curved sword which is sharp on both the inside and outside edges. It originated in ancient Ethiopia. It looks very much like a Near Eastern scimitar, but the curve is a full half circle. The blade is flattened and diamond in cross-section and quite stiff. Unlike most swords, it is not used to slice or cut through but to hook the opponent by reaching around. Its shape is similar to a big sickle and can be effectively used to reach around an opponent's shield and stab them in vital areas, such as the kidneys or lungs.

However, the mid-18th century European visitor to Ethiopia, Remedius Prutky, often uses the word shotel to describe a carving knife.^[1]

Media Examples

Gundam Sandrock from the popular anime series Gundam Wing used a pair of large shotels as its primary weapons. Kamen Rider Gatack's Gatack Caliburs, in Kamen Rider Kabuto, are designed after shotels as well. The weapon also makes use in the Playstation game Vagrant Story.

[edit] Notes

^ J.H. Arrowsmith-Brown (trans.), Prutky's Travels in Ethiopia and other Countries with notes by Richard Pankhurst (London: Hakluyt Society, 1991), pp. 77, 165.