Pernach

[[File:Drevnosti RG v3 ill082 - Pernath and Shestopiors.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Pernachs, two of which are shestopyors (right)]] A '''pernach''' ({{langx|ru|перна́ч}}, {{langx|uk|перна́ч}} or {{Langx|uk|пірна́ч|translit=pirnach|label=none}}, {{langx|pl|piernacz}}) is a type of [[mace (bludgeon)|flanged mace]] originating in the 12th century in the region of [[Kievan Rus']] and later widely used throughout [[Europe]]. The name comes from the Slavic word ''перо'' (''pero'') meaning [[feather]], referring to a type of mace resembling an [[arrow]] with [[Fletching|feathering]]. ==Uses against armour and mail== Among a variety of similar weapons developed in 12th-century [[Persia]]n- and [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]]-dominated areas, the pernach became pre-eminent,<ref>Caza, Shawn M. [http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace3.html Medieval flanged maces]</ref> being capable of penetrating [[plate armour]] and [[plate mail]]. ==Ceremonial uses== A pernach or shestoper ({{langx|ru|шестопeр}}, "six-feathered") was often carried as a [[ceremonial mace]] of rank by certain [[Eastern Europe]]an military commanders, including [[Polish people|Polish]] [[magnate]]s, [[Ukrainian people|Ukrainian]] [[Cossack]] [[colonel]]s and [[sotnik]]s (cf. [[centurion]]). ==Symbolic uses== In Ukraine, it symbolized the authority of [[polkovnyk]]s (regional leaders or military officers)<ref>[http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?Z21ID=&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=pernach_pirnach Pernach]. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine.</ref> unlike another mace, the [[bulawa]], which was associated with the [[Hetman]].

==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:12th-century introductions]] [[Category:Maces (bludgeons)]] [[Category:Medieval weapons]] [[Category:Ukrainian inventions]]

[[lt:Plunksnius]]