Answers.Body: <p>In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shatranj" rel="noreferrer">shatranj</a>, the game out of which chess developed, the rukhs (rooks) are portrayed a bit like the way you describe. That Wikipedia article contains <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shatranj#/media/File:Chess_Set_MET_DP170393.jpg" rel="noreferrer">this illustration</a> of a 12th-century Iranian shatranj set. The designs of the pieces are rather abstract but the rukh design suggests two heads facing away from each other.</p>
  <p>Wikipedia's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chess" rel="noreferrer">article on the history of chess</a> contains a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chess#/media/File:KnightsTemplarPlayingChess1283.jpg" rel="noreferrer">picture</a> in which each rook is portrayed with a similar shape. (The board is shown sideways; Black's rooks are on d7 and e8, and White has one on f2.)</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T21:14:23.113Z
Answers.Text: The Iranian 12th-century set is fantastic, and the rooks have that symmetry, pointing into opposite directions. Thanks a lot.
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Rosie F
Answers.Body: <p>The <a href="https://chessantiques.com/product/janus-springer-chessmen/" rel="noreferrer">Janus-Springer set</a> includes such a knight.</p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/iTBl6.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/iTBl6.jpg" alt="Knight chess piece carved as two heads" /></a></p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: L. Scott Johnson
Answers.Body: <p>I don't really know the history; just was curious and will be presenting some of my google findings here.</p>
  <p>First, I came across <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rook_(chess)#History" rel="noreferrer">Rook (chess) heraldry</a> on Wikipedia:</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>Chess rooks frequently occur as heraldic charges. Heraldic rooks are
  usually shown as they looked in medieval chess-sets, with the usual
  battlements replaced by two outward-curving horns. They occur in arms
  from around the 13th century onwards.</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>And had this notable image showing the two horns:
  <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/wz6uj.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/wz6uj.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a>
  <em>NinjaKid (Ollie Martin), CC BY-SA 3.0 <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0" rel="noreferrer">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons</em></p>
  <p>Second, I came across this <a href="http://mistholme.com/dictionary/chess-pieces/" rel="noreferrer">page on chess pieces in heraldry</a></p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>Of the six types of pieces used in the game of chess, five are found
  in Society heraldry:  the chess rook, the chess knight, the chess
  king, the chess bishop, and the chess pawn.  Of these, only the chess
  rook and chess knight have been found in period armory.  They are thus
  the only pieces which, having a standardized form, can be assured to
  have heraldic difference from the others.</p>
  <p>The chess rook was common in medieval heraldry, found as early as
  c.1285 in the arms of FitzSimon [ANA2 234]; it was a frequent source
  of cants, as with Rockwood (Rokewode, Rookwood), 1371 [DBA2 260].  The
  chess knight was most frequent in German heraldry, as in the arms of
  zu Tratzperg, mid-16th C [NW 69], or of von Hertzheim, 1605
  [Siebmacher 95].  The chess knight has two heads by default.</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>There are some images there I don't know if I can reproduce here, but one is of a rook and is similar to what is shown above. The second image for the knight depicts it with two horse heads.</p>
  <p>I was curious about the coat of arms, and while searching, I found this Wikipedia page on the municipality of <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pforzen#Wappen" rel="noreferrer">Pforzen (German)</a>. It happens to have the following coat of arms:</p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/LpUpV.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/LpUpV.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
  <p>The following is Google translated from that page about the coat of arms:</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>Justification for the coat of arms: The double knight is taken from
  the coat of arms of the lords of Pforzen, who were already mentioned
  in the 12th century and whose possession came to the Irsee monastery
  after they died out in the 14th century. The arrow as an attribute of
  St. Point out Sebastian. Another aristocratic family, the Leinauers,
  mentioned since the 12th century, was included in the lower part of
  the municipal coat of arms. They had their headquarters in the town of
  Leinau in the municipal area and had a striding stag in their coat of
  arms.</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>Interestingly, a link in that paragraph leads to the German Wikipedia page for the <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roch_(Heraldik)" rel="noreferrer">Rook (Roch heraldry)</a>, not the knight. Some interesting quotes (Google translated):</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>The name can be found in the expression castling in chess. The roc was
  the strongest piece in medieval chess (the forerunner of the later
  queen had only a few moves). This explains the popularity of the Roch
  motif.</p>
  </blockquote>
  <blockquote>
  <p>As a common figure in heraldry , Roch can be found on coats of arms ,
  as it has been in English heraldry since the 13th century. In Rochlitz
  in particular , it was already used as a talking coat of arms during
  the Saxon rule of Roch. The city has two half roches in its coat of
  arms, the nobility had a full roche. The half roches were also known
  as hallmarks and guild seals since the 16th century. The French
  Roquette family and the Spanish Roquesens family also used the tower
  in this way. The game piece rook from chess is shown, whose upper
  sides are bent like flowers to the left and right into the coat of
  arms field. All colors are possible, but the orientation is based on
  black and white towers on the corresponding color surfaces, with gold
  being no exception. The resemblance to the lily often led to
  confusion. In the coat of arms of the von Rochow family from the Mark
  Brandenburg , the Roch mutated due to incorrect descriptionto lilies
  or to two horses' heads turned away.</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>Notice the last sentence, which seems to imply the two-headed horse, at least in this one coat of arms, may have actually been intended to represent the rook, not the knight.</p>
  <p>I'm just scratching the surface, and I think there's a lot more to this that's worth exploring. But the commonness of the two-horned rook and its popularity in heraldry, and the way it's at least sometimes depicted as a horse with two heads, makes an interesting case for your two-headed duck potentially having a historical connection to the rook.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T21:08:01.610Z
Answers.Text: Well done with the heraldry, thank you! The two-headed horse makes sense, thinking of the war chariot. The rook was the strongest piece on the ashtapada and the velocity could have been captured in a twin-figurine.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Pattmann
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T17:51:29.203Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-05-04T17:51:29.203Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: anjama
Body: <p>I have found a chess set of unknown origin with ducks as pieces. Simple ducks for pawns, king and queen crowned and big, okay, but then, for rook, knight and bishop, I don't know.</p>
  <p>There is a duck carrying a book or a small chest with both wings, a duck with wings unfolded, about to fly, and the last piece consists of two ducks back to back.</p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/7Oqts.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/7Oqts.jpg" alt="Image of piece with two ducks back to back." /></a></p>
  <p>I think I have once read that one of the pieces elephant (bishop), knight or rook used to be presented as two-headed figurines, or figurines mirrored in themselves, looking into two directions, in some tradition.</p>
  <p>Are there- or have there been- traditional piece sets containing such a piece? And as to its form: What is the explanation?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T14:37:56.200Z
Comments.Text: There is an interesting chess variant called [duck chess](https://duckchess.com/). It was only invented in 2016, so it can't be the inspiration behind your set. But your set (plus rubber duck) would be ideal for the game!
Comments.UserDisplayName: TonyK
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T16:11:47.457Z
Comments.Text: I'd say: Duck with book = Bishop. Duck with wings outstretched = Knight.  Which means the double-ducks = Rook by process of elimination.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Darrel Hoffman
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T18:06:28.633Z
Comments.Text: @DarrelHoffman: Duckasus? :-) (I more associated the double-duck with the typical mitra-slit of a bishop.)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Hauke Reddmann
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T18:25:52.010Z
Comments.Text: @HaukeReddmann I mean, a winged duck makes more sense than a winged horse.  Of course, they all can fly, so the analogy breaks down when applied to chess in general. (I do think that in duck chess, you should get some kind of bonus for arranging all your pawns in a V formation.)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Darrel Hoffman
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T18:37:09.467Z
Comments.Text: I've seen people misunderstand the mitre hat of a bishop and produce double-headed fantasy pieces for its slot. But when you get into fantasy pieces anything goes. The old tradition was the height can always tell: king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, pawn; however people don't believe in it anymore.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Joshua
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-04T20:57:11.780Z
Comments.Text: The bishop wasn't and isn't always a bishop.. so a book or chest don't fully tell. I once used to see the rook as a philosopher. The duck presenting wings we guess should be the knight, but an octopus, e.g., needs not jump or fly. We do not know if the makers of the set intended to keep alive a tradition. But choosing to sculpt a piece consisting of two entities would be quite the breakup with tradition, unless it weren't. So maybe our piece in question is a rook- for a tradition to be given and a reason to be found.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Pattmann
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-05T13:17:54.950Z
Comments.Text: @Joshua In most sets I've seen, bishops are taller than rooks.  It's that pointy hat vs. the usually flat top of rooks.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Darrel Hoffman
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-08T22:35:33.450Z
Comments.Text: If you're going to play chess with this chess set, then the pieces are whatever you choose for them to be.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dawood ibn Kareem
Tags: <history><pieces><unorthodox-pieces>
Title: Was there a chess piece—elephant, knight or rook—rendered as a being looking into two directions?
ThreadText: # Was there a chess piece—elephant, knight or rook—rendered as a being looking into two directions?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2022-05-03)
  
  I have found a chess set of unknown origin with ducks as pieces. Simple ducks for pawns, king and queen crowned and big, okay, but then, for rook, knight and bishop, I don't know.
  
  There is a duck carrying a book or a small chest with both wings, a duck with wings unfolded, about to fly, and the last piece consists of two ducks back to back.
  
  [![Image of piece with two ducks back to back.](https://i.sstatic.net/7Oqts.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/7Oqts.jpg)
  
  I think I have once read that one of the pieces elephant (bishop), knight or rook used to be presented as two-headed figurines, or figurines mirrored in themselves, looking into two directions, in some tradition.
  
  Are there- or have there been- traditional piece sets containing such a piece? And as to its form: What is the explanation?
  
  **Tags:** history, pieces, unorthodox-pieces
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: There is an interesting chess variant called [duck chess](https://duckchess.com/). It was only invented in 2016, so it can't be the inspiration behind your set. But your set (plus rubber duck) would be ideal for the game!  
  > **username_2**: I'd say: Duck with book = Bishop. Duck with wings outstretched = Knight.  Which means the double-ducks = Rook by process of elimination.  
  > **username_3**: @DarrelHoffman: Duckasus? :-) (I more associated the double-duck with the typical mitra-slit of a bishop.)  
  > **username_2**: @HaukeReddmann I mean, a winged duck makes more sense than a winged horse.  Of course, they all can fly, so the analogy breaks down when applied to chess in general. (I do think that in duck chess, you should get some kind of bonus for arranging all your pawns in a V formation.)  
  > **username_4**: I've seen people misunderstand the mitre hat of a bishop and produce double-headed fantasy pieces for its slot. But when you get into fantasy pieces anything goes. The old tradition was the height can always tell: king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, pawn; however people don't believe in it anymore.  
  > **username_0**: The bishop wasn't and isn't always a bishop.. so a book or chest don't fully tell. I once used to see the rook as a philosopher. The duck presenting wings we guess should be the knight, but an octopus, e.g., needs not jump or fly. We do not know if the makers of the set intended to keep alive a tradition. But choosing to sculpt a piece consisting of two entities would be quite the breakup with tradition, unless it weren't. So maybe our piece in question is a rook- for a tradition to be given and a reason to be found.  
  > **username_2**: @username_4 In most sets I've seen, bishops are taller than rooks.  It's that pointy hat vs. the usually flat top of rooks.  
  > **username_5**: If you're going to play chess with this chess set, then the pieces are whatever you choose for them to be.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2022-05-03. Score: 15
  
  In [shatranj](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shatranj), the game out of which chess developed, the rukhs (rooks) are portrayed a bit like the way you describe. That Wikipedia article contains [this illustration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shatranj#/media/File:Chess_Set_MET_DP170393.jpg) of a 12th-century Iranian shatranj set. The designs of the pieces are rather abstract but the rukh design suggests two heads facing away from each other.
  
  Wikipedia's [article on the history of chess](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chess) contains a [picture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chess#/media/File:KnightsTemplarPlayingChess1283.jpg) in which each rook is portrayed with a similar shape. (The board is shown sideways; Black's rooks are on d7 and e8, and White has one on f2.)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: The Iranian 12th-century set is fantastic, and the rooks have that symmetry, pointing into opposite directions. Thanks a lot.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2022-05-03. Score: 10
  
  The [Janus-Springer set](https://chessantiques.com/product/janus-springer-chessmen/) includes such a knight.
  
  [![Knight chess piece carved as two heads](https://i.sstatic.net/iTBl6.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/iTBl6.jpg)
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2022-05-04. Score: 7
  
  I don't really know the history; just was curious and will be presenting some of my google findings here.
  
  First, I came across [Rook (chess) heraldry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rook_(chess)#History) on Wikipedia:
  
  > Chess rooks frequently occur as heraldic charges. Heraldic rooks are
  > usually shown as they looked in medieval chess-sets, with the usual
  > battlements replaced by two outward-curving horns. They occur in arms
  > from around the 13th century onwards.
  
  And had this notable image showing the two horns:
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/wz6uj.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/wz6uj.png)
  *NinjaKid (Ollie Martin), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons*
  
  Second, I came across this [page on chess pieces in heraldry](http://mistholme.com/dictionary/chess-pieces/)
  
  > Of the six types of pieces used in the game of chess, five are found
  > in Society heraldry: the chess rook, the chess knight, the chess
  > king, the chess bishop, and the chess pawn. Of these, only the chess
  > rook and chess knight have been found in period armory. They are thus
  > the only pieces which, having a standardized form, can be assured to
  > have heraldic difference from the others.
  >
  > The chess rook was common in medieval heraldry, found as early as
  > c.1285 in the arms of FitzSimon [ANA2 234]; it was a frequent source
  > of cants, as with Rockwood (Rokewode, Rookwood), 1371 [DBA2 260]. The
  > chess knight was most frequent in German heraldry, as in the arms of
  > zu Tratzperg, mid-16th C [NW 69], or of von Hertzheim, 1605
  > [Siebmacher 95]. The chess knight has two heads by default.
  
  There are some images there I don't know if I can reproduce here, but one is of a rook and is similar to what is shown above. The second image for the knight depicts it with two horse heads.
  
  I was curious about the coat of arms, and while searching, I found this Wikipedia page on the municipality of [Pforzen (German)](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pforzen#Wappen). It happens to have the following coat of arms:
  
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/LpUpV.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/LpUpV.png)
  
  The following is Google translated from that page about the coat of arms:
  
  > Justification for the coat of arms: The double knight is taken from
  > the coat of arms of the lords of Pforzen, who were already mentioned
  > in the 12th century and whose possession came to the Irsee monastery
  > after they died out in the 14th century. The arrow as an attribute of
  > St. Point out Sebastian. Another aristocratic family, the Leinauers,
  > mentioned since the 12th century, was included in the lower part of
  > the municipal coat of arms. They had their headquarters in the town of
  > Leinau in the municipal area and had a striding stag in their coat of
  > arms.
  
  Interestingly, a link in that paragraph leads to the German Wikipedia page for the [Rook (Roch heraldry)](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roch_(Heraldik)), not the knight. Some interesting quotes (Google translated):
  
  > The name can be found in the expression castling in chess. The roc was
  > the strongest piece in medieval chess (the forerunner of the later
  > queen had only a few moves). This explains the popularity of the Roch
  > motif.
  
  > As a common figure in heraldry , Roch can be found on coats of arms ,
  > as it has been in English heraldry since the 13th century. In Rochlitz
  > in particular , it was already used as a talking coat of arms during
  > the Saxon rule of Roch. The city has two half roches in its coat of
  > arms, the nobility had a full roche. The half roches were also known
  > as hallmarks and guild seals since the 16th century. The French
  > Roquette family and the Spanish Roquesens family also used the tower
  > in this way. The game piece rook from chess is shown, whose upper
  > sides are bent like flowers to the left and right into the coat of
  > arms field. All colors are possible, but the orientation is based on
  > black and white towers on the corresponding color surfaces, with gold
  > being no exception. The resemblance to the lily often led to
  > confusion. In the coat of arms of the von Rochow family from the Mark
  > Brandenburg , the Roch mutated due to incorrect descriptionto lilies
  > or to two horses' heads turned away.
  
  Notice the last sentence, which seems to imply the two-headed horse, at least in this one coat of arms, may have actually been intended to represent the rook, not the knight.
  
  I'm just scratching the surface, and I think there's a lot more to this that's worth exploring. But the commonness of the two-horned rook and its popularity in heraldry, and the way it's at least sometimes depicted as a horse with two heads, makes an interesting case for your two-headed duck potentially having a historical connection to the rook.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Well done with the heraldry, thank you! The two-headed horse makes sense, thinking of the war chariot. The rook was the strongest piece on the ashtapada and the velocity could have been captured in a twin-figurine.  
  
  ---
  
  