Urumi

Indian sword with a flexible, whip-like blade

For other uses, see Urumi (disambiguation).

Urumi

Kerala kalari practitioners wielding urumi in a friendly spar.

Type| Sword
Place of origin| Kerala, India
Specifications
Length| approx. 122–168 cm (48–66 in)
Urumi usage in Kalaripayattu demonstrated by Gangadharan Gurukkal in Perambra, Kozhikode.

An urumi is an Indian sword with a flexible, whip-like blade, secretly worn around the waist.[1] Originating in modern-day Kerala, a state in southwestern India, it is thought to have existed from as early as the Sangam period.

It is treated as a whip sword, razor-sharp on both sides, made from a special combination of strong, flexible, sharpened steel (Wootz steel) with a ball-bearing mechanism [2] and therefore requires prior knowledge of whip as well as the sword. For this reason, the urumi is always taught last in Indian martial arts such as Kalaripayattu.

The word urumi is used to refer to the weapon in Malayalam. In Kerala, it is also called chuttuval, from the Malayalam words for "coiling," or "spinning," (chuttu) and "sword" (val).[2] Alternatively, Tamil names for the weapon are surul katti (coiling knife), surul val (coiling sword) and surul pattakatti (coiling machete). In Sinhala, it is known as ethunu kaduwa.

## Structure

[edit]

Urumi weapon

The urumi hilt is constructed from iron or brass and is identical to that of the talwar, complete with a crossguard and frequently a slender knucklebow. The typical handle is termed a "disc hilt" from the prominent disc-shaped flange surrounding the pommel. The pommel often has a short decorative spike-like protrusion projecting from its centre. The blade is fashioned from flexible edged steel measuring 0.75 to 1 in (19 to 25 mm) in width. Ideally, the length of the blade should be the same as the wielder's armspan, usually between 4 and 5.5 ft (1.2 and 1.7 m). Multiple blades are often attached to a single handle. The Sri Lankan variation can have up to 32 blades and is typically dual-wielded, with one in each hand.[3]

## Use

[edit]

The urumi is handled like a flail but requires less strength since the blade combined with centrifugal force is sufficient to inflict injury. As with other "soft" weapons, urumi wielders learn to follow and control the momentum of the blade with each swing, thus techniques include spins and agile manoeuvres.[2] These long-reaching spins make the weapon particularly well suited to fighting against multiple opponents. When not in use, the urumi is worn coiled around the waist like a belt, with the handle at the wearer's side like a conventional sword.[2]

Edgar Thurston, British phrenologist and ethnographer, documented the use of urumi by "Tiyans" in his study Castes and Tribes of Southern India.[4][5]

## Legacy

[edit]

A peptide found in the mucus of a South Indian frog is named urumin. This name is inspired from the urumi, since urumin kills the H1N1 flu virus effectively.[6][7]

## In popular culture

[edit]

The urumi is the weapon of choice of Mitsuri Kanroji, a character in the Demon Slayer manga series.[8]

The urumi has made appearances in several video games. In the role-playing game Elden Ring, the urumi appears as a "Whip"-class weapon whose attacks cannot be parried.[9] In the Moba game League of Legends the urumi is wielded by the champion Nilah.[10]

## See also

[edit]

* Angampora
* Chain whip
* Kalaripayattu
* Silambam

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Devnath, Vinay (2016-07-09). "10 Deadly Weapons That Originated In India". Storypick. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
2. ^ a b c d Saravanan, T. (January 14, 2005). "Valorous Sports Metro Plus Madurai". The Hindu. Archived from the original on January 28, 2007.
3. ^ "හෙළයේ සටන් රහස අංගම්" [Angam fighting in Hela]. Lankadeepa (in Sinhala). September 7, 2013. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013.
4. ^ https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/kalarippayattu-the-ancient-martial-art-of-kerala-and-its-arsenal
5. ^ cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.56743/page/n51/mode/2up?view=theater | title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India Vol.7 (T-z) | year=1909
6. ^ Mole, Beth (April 19, 2017). "South Indian frog oozes molecule that inexplicably decimates flu viruses". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018.
7. ^ Holthausen, David J.; et al. (April 18, 2017). "An Amphibian Host Defense Peptide Is Virucidal for Human H1 Hemagglutinin-Bearing Influenza Viruses" (PDF). Immunity. 46 (4): 587–595\. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2017.03.018. PMID 28423338. S2CID 29119302.
8. ^ "The Love Hashira Kanroji Mitsuris blade in Demon Slayer season 3 resembles this real life ancient Indian weapon". Retrieved 2024-08-23.
9. ^ Graeber, Brendan; Williams, Callum; Stewart, Sam (2022-03-18). "Urumi - Elden Ring Guide". IGN. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
10. ^ "League Legends new Champion Nilah's weapon Urumi". Retrieved 2024-08-23.

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Sword types and classifications by region and historical era

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|

Iron Age – Three Kingdom Era|

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|

Heian – Kamakura periods|

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|

Medieval and modern|

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Western and
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|

Ancient period|

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