Whether we like it or not, weapons play a pivotal role in human history. Most of them are simple and ruthlessly practical, whereas others evolved to become highly ornate, to the point that they could no longer be used as actual weapons but as ceremonial pieces instead.

Socyberty has an interesting post about the 10 most unusual blades (including knives and swords) from around the world. Take, for example, the katar shown to the left:

The Katar, shown in the introduction, is a short punching sword from India. The hand fitted into the grip so that the blade was above the knuckles. It was a weapon used by the Rajput, referred to as “the most valiant warriors of the Indian sub continent.”

Used in close combat the blades were said to be able to punch through armour.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by sagest.