[MR] Antler handled knives

[Garth G. Groff]

M'Lord Cian,

I definitely agree with you about beautification enhancing the 
survivability of artifacts. One of my interests is the Scottish Highland 
targaid or Lowland targe (for the record, pronounced "targie" in the 
Lowlands). With one exception from Ireland, all the surviving historic 
examples I've seen in books or on museum web sites date from the late 
17th century up to the mid-18th (Culloden). Nearly all of them are 
elaborate "chief's" targes, with richly tooled leather and extensive 
brass work only a very wealthy man could have afforded. There is a 
single commoner's targe shown on the Royal Armories web site. Why? The 
simple examples had no monetary, artistic or trophy value. Of course 
there may be more commoner's targes in these and other collections, but 
their lack of artistic detail makes them less likely to be on display.

Stag horn dirks and sgian dubhs (sock knives) are popular Scottish items 
today, but I suspect the stag horn grips post-date our period. Certainly 
the sgian dubhs are too modern, since they weren't even invented until 
the 18th century.

Kind regards,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot

On 10/21/2010 1:04 PM, Cian of Storvik wrote:
> Since most raw materials during the middle ages were considered of having value, they almost always appear to have been improved upon by a tradesmen. I'm not aware of any "stag" type handles (sometimes seen with the nob or pedicule of the antler) that you might be thinking of, where all of the outer surface of the horn is left 'au natural' except for removal of the velvet/skin.
> There is much evidence of it's use as a handle material for handle blades in Ireland see: The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland By Nancy Edwards. Both in scale and cylinder form (tanged socket knives), but the pieces that have been minimally finished I don't believe were attached to a blade, and so may have been in a state of manufacture rather than completed. Even in Ireland the majority of pieces were shaved to a smaller uniform diameter or decorated with simple lines, checks and dots atleast. 
> Any blades which are of untreated stag or antler that I am aware of are past the SCA period of interest.
>   
> Just as a loose rule, It seems that the majority of extent items during the medieval period in Europe had some decoration or workmanship invested in them, no matter how simple or mundanely utlitirarian the use of the item. (of course, this beautification is probably partially responsible for the item living to be extant rather then destroyed). 
>   
> If anyone has a stag handled knife that dates to within the SCA period, I'd be interested in seeing the source.
> -Cian of Storvik (No. Not that Cian)