The need for self-defense seems to be one of the basic ones in human society. No one disputed the right to protect oneself, one's relatives and friends, as well as property belonging to oneself, a loved one. However, over the years, this self-defense increasingly fit into the strict framework of the law, therefore, self-defense weapons became somewhat less lethal and traumatic. And if earlier there was enough of a weighty club capable of opening the skull of the offender, then already in the period of the New Time for such tricks it was possible to lose not only property and health.
It is generally accepted that the Cossacks used whips and wolves as a kind of auxiliary weapon. The first one is quite well-known, but the wolf cub is a kind of reduced copy of the whip and was used precisely as a percussion weapon, for example, during the hunt for predators. However, the whip as a weapon of self-defense was unacceptable due to its size and shape, and the wolf cub could inflict too serious injury. In addition, some Cossacks sewed a weighting material at the end of a tight leather lash. They did not dare to lash their own horse with such a wolf: sometimes one blow with it could kill a wolf. By the way, this is where the name of the wolf comes from (sometimes it was called a wolf-slayer after this modernization).
How to teach a fool a lesson?
In view of the need for a weapon for self-defense and the too high traumatic power of existing samples, a "fool" appeared (the stress falls on the second syllable). Because of her, in a certain sense, "kinship" relationship with the whip and wolf cub, she is credited exclusively with Cossack roots. However, most likely, it has common Slavic roots, and only later did it take root more among the Cossacks with their habit of certain liberties in the form of self-government of the villages.
The fool was made in two ways. Either an extremely strong wood stick was braided with leather strips, or the whole fool was long and stubbornly woven out of leather, by analogy with modern rubber truncheons. Therefore, it is impossible to consider a fool as a whip for a horse. For example, a fool does not have a pronounced handle.
Over time, the fool improved. Each decorated his own self-defense weapon to his taste. The brush at the end of the fool was getting bigger and longer. For special panache, skillful lanyards were woven, which, however, also had a special function - it was difficult for a fool to pull it out of the hands of its owner. The weaving itself depended on the imagination of the author. The length of this gun could start from 35 centimeters and go up to half a meter.
The main thing is that the fool did not have the weight of the wolf and could not cause a serious injury in the form of a fracture. The traumatic force was reduced by leather weaving, although the fools' blows were quite painful, but it was possible to knock out a knife from the enemy or calm his ardor without dire consequences. In addition, the very presence of a fool was not perceived as a threat due to the elegance and seeming modesty of this weapon. She was not conspicuous as a whip or a wolf, the length of which began at 60 centimeters.
Direct application
Initially, the villages enjoyed great liberties. In particular, self-government was introduced in the villages, and the functions of law and order were entrusted to the ataman. So, in the Black Sea Cossack army, even the cumbersome and bureaucratic reform of 1842 could not knock out the habit of self-government from the villages. And in such a context, the fool was most welcome, so as not to disturb the high authorities with bad news about the inability of local authorities to put things in order. The use of such a weapon when establishing law and order did not entail great consequences and remained somewhat secret. In addition, despite the prevailing stereotype, the Cossacks removed the traditional saber from the wall extremely rarely, and its use was possible either during the war or in emergency cases.
One of the favorite entertainments on Shrovetide and Christmastide was fist fights. Of course, such training and at the same time entertainment events were held according to strict rules. Within the teams themselves, there was a division into junior and senior Cossacks, who fought in different stages. Also, within each team, atamans were selected, and the old veterans sat in a kind of jury, although they could, if desired, recall their youth.
Naturally, sometimes one of the fighters, or even several at once, was covered with such courage of the fight that they could not keep themselves within reason. That is why a couple of Cossacks with fools stood on the sidelines in order to quickly revive the fighting.
Oddly enough, but the half-forgotten fool is still being produced. Fools are weaved by special masters - cuffs. Not to be confused with the contemptuous nickname of the motley revolutionaries of the beginning of the last century, given by them to the Cossacks, who, following the orders of their superiors, dispersed "unauthorized rallies" with famous whips.
Now, of course, no one is braiding the tree. The core of the modern fool is a twisted steel cord braided with natural leather. Often, lead is used as a tip in a leather bag or braided with leather, which, of course, is not entirely authentic and close to a wolf. And, of course, weaving is the most intricate today. There are fools, as if sheathed in snakeskin. At the same time, the fool looks much more "intelligent" than the hooligan western bit, and requires skill and, of course, responsibility.
