A long curved blade set at an angle into a bent wooden haft with two grips, swung in a flat arc from the hips rather than the arms. A scythe cuts standing hay far faster than a sickle and is the tool of the hay harvest, though it demands room, rhythm, and a blade honed every few minutes with a stone carried at the belt. It is also, in the hands of desperate villagers, the most dangerous thing on a farm.
Scythe
Long curved blade on a bent haft for mowing hay and standing grain.