Zwille
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The Zwille (also Zwackel , Zwuschel , Flitsche , Fletsche , Zwistel , Zwiesel , Katapult , Kartzi , Katschi , Schlatsche , Kreuzbergschleuder , Spatzenschießer , Zwockel , Gambel , Schlatte , Steinschleuder or simply Schleuder) is a simple mechanical weapon .
The Zwille is often referred to as a slingshot , but it is not identical to the real slingshot , an ancient weapon that is not cocked, but accelerates a projectile through rapid rotating movements. According to biblical tradition, David defeated the giant Goliath with a slingshot, not a twin.
Despite their simplicity, twins have only existed since the 19th century, as the vulcanization of rubber, invented in 1839, made it possible to manufacture them.
DIY
To this day it is very popular among children and young people to build twins themselves. The main part is a branch fork that is as symmetrical as possible. It is best to have the branches at an angle of between 40 ° and 60 ° to each other. Branch forks of the hazel bush , the common beech and the oak are particularly suitable , because the wood of these plants is firm but not brittle.
Elastic material is attached between the two branches, for example old bicycle tubes and jar rubbers are suitable for simple twins because they are stretchable and tear-resistant on the one hand and easy to obtain on the other. Materials that can be stretched 6 to 8 times, however, give far better results (such as elastic bands such as those used in model aircraft construction). In the middle of the rubber, a piece of harder material is used (e.g. a piece of tear-resistant leather ) to hold the ammunition and to be able to stretch the rubber better.
In the mid to late 1970s, commercial steel twins with significantly stronger elastic bands appeared.
Various materials of the correct size can be used as ammunition, for example stones , metal , glass and the like.
The primitive form of a twill consists of a simple rubber band that is stretched over two fingertips and with which one shoots paper staples, i.e. tightly rolled pieces of paper that have been bent at an angle.
Play device
The game scientist Siegbert A. Warwitz and Anita Rudolf describe construction methods and forms of play various historically to the primitive peoples , as in Northeast Africa, the South Pacific and the Andes traceable slingshots and "slingshot games" that there in a playful pastime and betting games in, but also grazing goats and sheep and as hunting tools. However, they expressly warn against practicing the self-made and problem-free twin games that are still very popular with children and adolescents in post-war Germany and are now available in stores as perfected dangerous precision weapons without the corresponding strict safety precautions: "It is in In our densely populated environment and our increasingly aggressive society, however, it is becoming more and more difficult to guarantee the game character and the socially acceptable framework for the attractive sling. ” As a consequence of this fact, the use of these playground equipment in public spaces has recently (2002 and 2004 ) issue stricter legal frameworks that must be observed.
In his novel “ Die Zwille ” the writer Ernst Jünger goes back to his Hanoverian school years and examines his own youth phase with the dangers it posed for high school students in the Wilhelmine era . In the storyline of the schoolchildren's story and in the social situation on the eve of the First World War, the Zwille play device not only has a playful, prankstering function, but also, as an “archaic weapon”, a symbolic meaning for the silent power struggles in the city, a “concealed” exercise of violence which the reviewer Pierre Bourdieu describes as “symbolic violence”. For the fictional character Teo, having a twin that gives power also initiates an initiation into the male adult world. In an atmosphere of fighting and weapons, it depicts a potency with which he can assert his claim to power: “Teo thought of a weapon that was widely carried and left no traces. Crossbows, bows and arrows and pistols were out of the question. It would be best to have a Zwille like the one the hunters used. "
Sports equipment
Similar to the bow , the Zwille is used in sports . Here, however, no constructions made of branch forks and bicycle tubes are used, but handcrafted twins made of light metal , plastic or plywood . The rubbers are mostly in the form of tubes or made of flat rubber. Modern sports twins can have armrests and stabilizers in the form of antennas, but these are prohibited in Germany. There are no championships in Germany, but in other countries, e.g. B. Spain and America, the slingshot is a popular sport with championships and clubs.
When fishing, the Zwille can serve its purpose by feeding on distant fishing spots (especially potatoes or boilies ). A similar device is called a grub thrower. This is used in sport fishing and is similar in structure to a twin with a basket-shaped extension in the sling rubber. It is used to fling maggots across a body of water to feed fish. In some countries, the maggot slingshot, like the twins, is a weapon. The acquisition is linked to certain requirements.
No stones are used as ammunition in sports. Bullets made of plastic, ceramic and metal are common here. A typical steel bullet has a diameter between 8 and 14 mm.
Working device
One method for tree climbers (doing arboriculture or harvesting pine cones) is to use a twill to shoot a first rope over a load bearing in a tree in order to get into the tree by that rope. Similarly, a twill can also be used to hang wire antennas. For this purpose, special twins with an attached fishing reel and weights are available in stores.
Airplane model building
Twins can also be used to launch model aircraft ( catapult launch ). Another, more playful application is shooting arrows, which are equipped with light-emitting diodes and land after the flight according to the principle of autorotation . Such arrows are expediently shot vertically.
Physical basics
The kinetic energy of the parts thrown with a twister and thus their impact force and ballistic flight distance depend in particular on the force exerted during pulling and the elasticity factor (quick force) of the slinging strand material as well as on the size, specific weight and surface resistance coefficient of the slinging part material.
Current legal situation
With a little practice, the Zwille becomes an accurate and very dangerous weapon, with which much more serious injuries can be caused than with air rifles .
According to the Weapons Act in Germany , slingshots with armrests and similar devices are prohibited as a criminal offense. Even slingshots, in which an armrest is only intended to be fitted (Appendix 2, Section 1, No. 1.3.7 in conjunction with Appendix 1, Section 1, Subsection 2, No. 1.3), are prohibited items.
In the current Weapons Act (October 11, 2002, amendments December 19, 2002 and September 10, 2004, correction September 19, 2003), the previously contained limitation of 23 joules is no longer mentioned (also Annex 2, Section 1, No. 1.3.7 in conjunction with Appendix 1, Section 1, Subsection 2, No. 1.3), so there is no more power limitation (limitation of the tensioning energy) for slingshots in Germany.
No legal regulations are known from other countries.
Others
The weapon plays a central role in Ernst Jünger's novel Die Zwille (1973). One of the main characters in Gerhard Seyfried's comics is called Zwille.
The extraordinarily skilled handling of Zwille by the character Thekla in the children's series The Little Knight Trenk is a recurring element of the story, but an anachronism against the medieval background .
literature
- Ernst Jünger: The Zwille . Velcro cotta. Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-608-95477-5 .
- Siegbert A. Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: Steinschleuderspiele , In: Dies .: From the sense of playing. Reflections and game ideas . Schneider Verlag, 4th edition, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 96-100. ISBN 978-3-8340-1664-5 .
Web links
- Legal text of the WaffG
- Page about slingshots (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Atlas of everyday German language (AdA): Steinschleuder , survey results from January 26, 2012, accessed on January 16, 2014
- ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: Steinschleuderspiele , In: Dies .: Vom Sinn des Spielens. Reflections and game ideas . Schneider Verlag, 4th edition, Baltmannsweiler 2016, p. 97.
- ↑ Pierre Bourdieu: What does it mean to speak? Vienna 2005. pp. 56–57.
- ↑ Ernst Jünger: The Zwille . Velcro cotta. Stuttgart 1987. S, 147-150.
- ↑ Tree climbing with twin help (English)
