A flail is an agricultural tool used for threshing, separating grains from their husks. Normally it is made from two or more sticks attached by a short chain or leather thong; one stick is held and swung, causing the other to strike a pile of grain, loosening the husks. The precise dimensions and shape of a flail would have been developed by generations of farmers to suit the particular grain they were harvesting. For example, flails used by farmers in Quebec to process wheat were generally made from two pieces of wood, the handle being about 1.5m long by 3cm in diameter, and the second stick being about 1m long by about 3cm in diameter, with a slight taper towards the end. Flails for other grains, such as rice or spelt, would have had different dimensions.

Flails have generally fallen into disuse in many nations because of the availability of technologies such as combine harvesters that require much less manual labour. However, in many jurisdictions, including for example Minnesota, wild rice can only be harvested using manual means—specifically by using a canoe and a flail that is made of smooth, round wood no more than 30 inches long.

As with most agricultural tools, flails were often used as weapons by farmers (for lack of a better weapon); for example, the French revolution was mostly fought with agricultural tools. A short flail used in Japanese martial arts is normally called the nunchaku.

Medieval weapon

A flail is also a medieval weapon made of one (or more) spiked metal balls attached to a handle with a hinge or chain. There is some disagreement over the names for this weapon; the terms "therscol," "morning star," and even "mace" are variously applied, though these are either uncommon or else can be used to describe other weapons, which are very different in usage from a weapon with a hinge or chain, commonly used in Europe from the 13th century to the 15th century.

Some of the confusion over this weapon may stem from its rare usage among the knighted class throughout history, which held the sword in much higher esteem. The flail is not appreciably more damaging than either the sword or mace, and is not so heavy that it needs to be swung in circles to gain momentum before striking. (It is likewise not light enough to be used as a whip, as commonly pictured in the popular Castlevania games.) Its primary virtue comes from the fact that it is difficult to parry, and can curve over a shield which would block a straighter weapon; however, the flail was itself a clumsy tool, unwieldy for parrying.

External links

• Agriculture in Victorian Times
• Picture of one kind of rice flail
• Medieval Weapon Mace