so how do y'all like your seax?

Just wanted to note (couldn't find anybody bringing this up) - if the seax would have been primarily a thrusting weapon, wouldn't they have put a guard on it?


(just asking the question - for all to consider)
 
Daniel Koster said:
Just wanted to note (couldn't find anybody bringing this up) - if the seax would have been primarily a thrusting weapon, wouldn't they have put a guard on it?


(just asking the question - for all to consider)
Click to expand...

great point. Why wouldn't there be a guard here?

I think this would be an all-purpose work knife. The edge is straight. Wouldn't it be curved if it was more of a sword?
 
legitimate and reasonable questions.....has always seemed like the Saxon man's Bowie knife to me....all-around user.
 
There could have been a shape to the handle that acted as a guard. Like the flared botton of an antler crown. The HI seax has no guard and Satori has no problems stabbing with it. Wasn't it you who said guards were a result of sloppy knife fighting?
 
Yes and no, of course. I'm no swordfighting expert, so I did not conjure the idea myself. :D



Lots of questions....short on answers.....


perhaps there is something to it's design. ;)
 
Or maybe there isnt.

Think about it. If some future society rumaged through our rubble, what knives would they find? Sure there would be some of our khuks, and cutoms, and a busse or two; but it would mostly be chinese folders, Wal-Mart specials, stainless kitchen knives, SAK knock-offs, and other tasteless sheeple knives. Maybe all of the smart little Saxons had khukuris and coffin handled bowies :D .

Or maybe the seax was just a kitchen knife and we're digging up the graves of well armed chefs ;) .
 
Well-armed chefs....I like that one!


We have one here too.....now, where's he been!!!
 
Daniel Koster said:
Well-armed chefs....I like that one!
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well, do you like one-armed chefs? :eek:

some of the things I've seen cooks do with knives, I am surprised there aren't more of them...
 
From all the pics I've seen of the old Seax the handle was tapered from the blade too smaller at the butt. Such a shape would lend itself well to prevent sliding up the handle in a stab. About the only large force of resistance is going to be the clothes the combatants were wearing.

And I think the people back then were a helluva lot stronger than we are today so they would naturally have a stronger grip and therefore better able to hang onto the knife than we would be able too.

I also think that iron and steel were really precious commodities back when and that's the reason for the partial tangs we see. Of course they could have maybe been able to use brass or bronze, more likely bronze for a guard but then they may not have had that much access to other metals.

Yup, lots of questions and lots of speculation.:D ;)
 
This was a very interesting read. Now I like Seax even better. Been thinking about having it etched sometime. Maybe when Ferrous gets back.
 
Daniel Koster said:
Edge-up is not an uncommon 2nd-knife technique. Works with a khukuri very well.
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Hope y'all can forgive me for stumbling along after the pack and then asking a kinda OT question, but.....

Could you expound on this a little bit? About a month or so, I'd mentioned in a thread that by inverting a khukuri one Could have potential for a bit of a "back cutting motion" In addition to increasing ones ability to reach femoral, and brachial arteries. When I mentioned this I all of a sudden felt like the guy in the Pollaners All Fruit commercial that said "Pass the jelly!" (can't believe I remember that stupid ad...) :D
 
Update:

I did some more beer can testing this morning with the seax to verify Jeb's theory. It appears that the slant does indeed force the edge in the opposite direction during a thrust; it seems that this action turns the thrust into kind of an internal draw cut, if that makes any sense. Whatever the case, the holes left are considerably larger than the blade but only the initial point of impact is triangular, with the bottom half of the hole being more of a slit.

Thrusting edge-up seemed awkward to me and I couldn't manage as much penetration but this is probably just a matter of practice. I observed the same thing - edge forced upwards, enlarged hole.

All of this was duly recorded but it's pretty gloomy out today and I won't know if the videos are any good or not until I get them on the computer. I'll try to put some up later today or tomorrow.
 
Jebadiah_Smith said:
Thank you Satori.

Is the handle symetrical?
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Very close to symmetrical, but not quite - it could just be my eye but it seems that the point is angled slightly lower than centerline.
 
Interesting. And where the cans set up on your stand, or hung on a string?

Im going to use a concrete bag as a target. I just dont know what to fill it with. I think that would better simulate a torso. Too bad those rubber man shaped "BOB" punching bags cost so much.
 
This is one of those "of course, why didn't I ever think of this before?" moments. It makes perfect sense to thrust with it edge-up, but we have never seen it done that way in the movies :confused: Now, I have to think about using a khukuri edge-up :confused:
I think that looking at a sharp edge coming at me would be much more intimidating than seeing the spine - :eek:
 
We've talked about it here before.

Devon (sp? Bando instructor, Bill's friend) did an edge-up maneuver in his demonstration, IIRC. As well as some nice reverse grip stuff with two khuks. :eek:


Interesting anecdote:

My father-in-law (who erved in Korea).....when he held his first khukuri (thanks Greg!)...after a few minutes, had rotated it into an edge up grip and mentioned it being very lethal in that respect.

Didn't Jim Bowie also famously execute such a maneuver?
 
I don't know anything about Jim Bowie using that particular manuever, (don't know much of anything anyways) but, I do recall hearing about Bowies being held edge up being referred to as a "Mountain Mans grip" In theory it would offer a few of the advantages already covered. The main reason I heard though, was to preserve the blade of the bowie, or perhaps to damage the blade of the opponents, Since tempering was a much less exacting science than it is now.

I swear I read that someplace...I just don't know where...maybe I just had a really vivid dream? :confused:

Bowie knives are so cool for all the myth, lore and legend that surround them.
 
Bowies being held edge up is what made me think of seaxs being held up. Mike Stewart mentioned it when he was designing the Rogue bowie.

KM, are my bowie pictures ready?
 
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