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The Display Case A place to post your latest knives and creations. Let the Knife Network community see your work first!

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  #1  
Old 08-06-2008, 01:13 AM
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Buddy Thomason Buddy Thomason is offline
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Ear Dagger ~ historical blade by Hanford Miller

Hanford loves to tackle these incredibly challenging historical blades that nobody else wants to make these days.



I was glad to photograph this one before it ships out to its new owner. In addition to being a challenge to make, it is a challenge to photograph because of all those curving reflective surfaces and the overall complexity of the handle/pommel.

Kudos to Hanford and congratulations to the new owner!


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Last edited by Buddy Thomason; 08-08-2008 at 02:54 PM.
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  #2  
Old 08-06-2008, 10:17 AM
dave Stifle dave Stifle is offline
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Okay, after all those views, I guess I'll go ahead and bite first. What are the ears for? The design doesn't make much sense to me. Please enlighten this ignorant one.

Dave


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  #3  
Old 08-06-2008, 10:56 AM
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Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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Thanks for takin' one for the team brother!

I've been scratching my head like a chimp lookin' at that thing!


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  #4  
Old 08-06-2008, 05:11 PM
T. Vandeventer T. Vandeventer is offline
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Reminds me of a thumb dagger carried by the more sophisticated "ladies of the boulivard" in New Orleans, circa 1830's. These were small daggers or more often, fluted spikes with beautifully ornate handles and a U-shaped saddle instead of a pommel. When held in a downward stabbing position, the lady's thumb rested over the saddle and provided a strong grip for when she stuck it in your ear! If the gentleman wasn't very gentle or refused to pay, a thumb dagger might come into play.

Are the ears on the pictured knife simply a rest for the thumb?


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  #5  
Old 08-06-2008, 07:04 PM
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Here's some info about this dagger style:

From A Collectors Guide to Swords, Daggers & Cutlasses - "In the 14th century an interesting version of the rondel appeared. This was the eared dagger, which shares its heritage with the blade known to the Turks as the yataghan and to the Cossacks as the shashqa. The pommel of eared daggers was split in two to allow the thumb to be hooked over the pommel to impart greater force to the stabbing blow. Curiously, despite its (odd) appearance, the eared dagger became widely associated with royalty and was also a favorite weapon of assassins in Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries."

This blade is alternately known as an "ear dagger." I've seen it both ways.

The rondel dagger is similar except the two (typically wood) disks are placed flat against the handle forming a guard in front and a pommel in back. Both were derived from the ballock dagger which can be traced back to about 1050 AD or earlier. Swords had been getting shorter and shorter untli they became what we would call daggers or dirks. The word then was actually "durk" but by error it has become dirk for us. The trend toward shorter blades was driven in part by the fact that there were an abundance of old swords lying about with broken or worn out tips - so they were easily cut down to fashion a shorter blade. And also, the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745 led to the passing of "disarming acts" designed to outlaw dirks. Like prohibitons of any kind, these acts had exactly the opposite effect, causing a proliferation of 'concealable' dirks and daggers.

All of this refers to essentially European and Mediterranean type blades but daggers of all types were made by every culture on the planet. These ballock, rondel and ear daggers are incredibly scarce. Like the cinquedeas, almost all of them live in museums these days, except for some that reside in old European private collections.

Here's a 15th century rondel dagger:



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Old 08-06-2008, 09:19 PM
Sandy Morrissey Sandy Morrissey is offline
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I would assume that the thumb in place on the "saddle" would reduce the tendency of the hand to slip over the blade if a bone were struck. Just a thought! ---Sandy---


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Old 08-07-2008, 09:44 AM
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Thanks for the information Buddy. It completes the knife and paints a picture that gives the knife more importance than just a cutting tool.

Brian


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Old 08-07-2008, 01:45 PM
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Thanks for fleshing that out for us Buddy. Very interesting.


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  #9  
Old 08-08-2008, 12:43 PM
fishguy fishguy is offline
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even older

Actually, the ear dagger design goes even further back, there are similar bronze daggers from around 1000 bc
http://www.dcancientart.com/proddeta...od=WD706&cat=8

http://www.worldmuseumofman.org/luristan1.htm

I have seen a few in museums. Seems like I read somewhere that the shape imitates the flaring end of a leg or arm bone
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  #10  
Old 08-10-2008, 11:11 AM
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Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in 1502, about the same time that this style of earred dagger would've been popular in Italy, Spain & France.



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