An elephant sword, also called a tusk sword, is an edged weapon designed to be attached to the tip of an elephant's

tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share ...

, normally used in pairs.

War elephants A war elephant was an elephant that was trained and guided by humans for combat. The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elepha ...

were used for centuries, primarily from

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

to the Middle East, and were often armored. Made of iron or steel, elephant swords were probably used from a relatively early date. Over a thousand years ago, elephants equipped with steel-tipped tusks were reportedly effectively used in battle. An elephant could toss an enemy in the air and cut him in two. Sometimes the blades were coated with poison. The Russian merchant Afanasii Nikitin recorded the use of these weapons in India in the 15th century.Konstantin Nossov. ''War Elephants'', Osprey Publishing (2008), p. 16, A Persian illustration titled
The Battle of Pashan Begins
from the '' Shahnama'' (''Book of Kings'') of

Shah Tahmasp Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He was the eldest son of Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Ascending the throne after t ...

, from

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

circa 1530s, shows an elephant in battle equipped with elephant swords (the battle depicted occurred centuries earlier). It is possible that thousands of elephant swords were manufactured over a large span of time, but only four pairs, plus a single specimen are known to exist today.Metropolitan Museum of Art
/ref>

References

{{reflist Asian swords Elephants Military history of India Livestock Indo-Persian weaponry