The bog man from Bocksten, Sweden

E

EdgePal

Joined
Nov 7, 2004
Messages
316
alvar10hh.jpg
[/IMG]

in the start of 1900 a murdered man from about 1300 century was found in the south/west of Sweden. In his belt he has a knife there also the handle have a protection of leather, a "hat". To take out the knife from the sheath, he must first remove the hat from the handle, then take out the knife. This is what we in Sweden call a “hattkniv” = hatknife.

The picture is not the best but I think you can se the construction of the leather work. This hatknife I make for many years ago and it is of my own design. I use a piece of wood in the top of the “hat”.

During these days I think the knife have very high value. To secure the knife, and protect the knife from water, they made this design. A sort of cigar case – but for a knife.

Anther way to make the knife secured in the sheath.
If you study the knife you see that on the handle I have made a U-shape, about 2 mm deep, going around the handle. When I make the sheath, the leather is wet. I press in the leather in the U-shape and let dry. This method allowed you to use just 10 mm of leather around the handle. The U-shape make the knife very well secured in the sheath.
I have used this method for many years on my knifes and it works very well. You also get the “Scandinavian click” when you put the knife in the sheath.

For a hatknife, this method is very nice. If you try it on a regular knife, you must make a heavy sheath and a light handle on the knife f to get the balance right when you carry the knife in your belt.

Regards
Thomas
 
This is a very interesting design. It is also an interesting bit of history.

Do you know if the original sheaths and hats were water resistant? I seems to me that waxing the sheath would help protect the knife in rain and snow.
 
Thanks for the information and pictures. Looks like you did a great job making them. Are they meant to be worn around the neck?
 
Hi Jeff,
I do not knew if the leather was protected by wax. I think the construction was a protection of the knife. It is impossible for the knife to fall out from the sheath, I think the leather was more or less waterproof. I think with normal animal fat (and fat from his hands also).

Hi Basjoo,
The hatknife was found together with his belt, connected to the belt. But, the construction allows you to carry the knife around you neck, just make the leather string a little longer.

I shall try to get a picture of the real thing from the museum there the knife is today, and perhaps also some pictures of the man himself. Perhaps I can find a story about him in English - if you are interested about him and how he looks after 700 years. The fantastic thing about him is his cloths, they was very well conservd and it is possible to get a sew-description of them in detail so you can sew a copy of them. Perhaps you like to have a 1300 costume?

Thomas
 
Was he one of the many people found in Scandinavia who were human sacrifices ? They were buried in peat bogs which preserved them perfectly because of the tannins in the peat ....Your knives are very well made and an interesting design.
 
Hi all,
I have talk to the museum today. They shall make a part of their homepage in English “just for you guys”. I shall also get a picture from them of the original knife and the sheath. It will, I think, take some time, but I come back with this things.

The man, he is called “Bockstensmannen” = The man from Bocksten. Bocksten is a name of the place where he was found.

He was about 25 years old, rather thin and probably from upper class in the society. As I write before, he was very well preserved. Complete skeleton, hair, brain, some flesh was still there. He has a big red hair. The color of the hair can come from the ground around him.

His costume is very well conserved and complete.

He was found in a sort of watersick area, (I do not knew the name in English for this type of ground) peat bogs? He was dressed in his cloth, have the belt around him, but it was also another belt with a knife some meters from him. Three wooden “branches” was stuck throw his body. This was probably made to “lock his soul” in the ground sp he shall not be a ghost. A small rope was found beside his head, he can have been hanged, or he was lead to the place with a rope around his neck. He was killed on the spot where he was found. Murdered or sacrificed.

This happened in the beginning off 1300 century. The people was Christian during this time (most off them). This means that sacrificing is not really a option. He was probably murdered. What I remember there was some speculations about that he perhaps was a tax collector and he was murdered because off that, (tax collectors was unpopular also these days…)

Well, let us see what the museum write about him for you guys. They find the idea about English text good and they contact me when it is ready. You can be proud, because off you this man can be famus all over the world.

Then a correction…
This part off Sweden (parish: Halland) was a part off Denmark during this days. The man was probably a Danish man (or a Swede killed by Danish men). This part of Sweden was Swedish territory after one off the wars between Sweden and Denmark, it was around 1650.
(The parish Halland was one off the parish who one time was Danish, next time Swedish, most off the times it was Danish).

Sweden and Denmark was, most of the time, in war between 1000 – 1800. If I remember my history right there was war in 425 years and peace in 375…

After nearly 800 years of wartime, (not only with Denmark) we decided to be neutral and not fight wars any more.

One link to some photos: http://www.myra.nu/bockstensman.html

Regards
Thomas
 
hatknife0rl.jpg
[/IMG]

I was happy that you like the hatknifes I have made. I make a drawing how they are made and you are of cause free to make one your self. The drawing shows how I make them.

The original have a smaller hat and the top was made in leather, not in wood. The size off the hat was about one third off the handle. In my design the hat is almost the size of complete handle, minus about 10 mm. This because of the U-shape on the handle I talk about above.

Make one!
I have made some small one as a necklace and they was nice!

Regards
Thomas
 
pic15278021707492315cb.jpg


This is a copy of the original knife, it is made by Kenneth Bengtsson.
The picture is from the shop in the lansmuseum in Varberg, Sweden.

I have not find any picture yet of the original knife.

Regards
Thomas
 
Very nice work, Thomas. I especially like the birch on the handle. I don't see much birch in US knifemaking. Yours has very nice figure.

I bet Swedish birch is much denser than the stuff we see in the USA. I spent a month in Norway a few years ago and was impressed with how strong the pine is. The pine flooring was at least as hard as the white oak and maple over here. Our pine is soft and would only work as flooring in a "farmhouse" type building where you wanted it to look scuffed and dented. A native told me is was due to the short growing season--the rings were very close together.

Anyway, the knife and sheath look first rate--the detail is impressive.
 
Hi RobbW,

Yes, birch in Scandinavia is a rather hard and strong wood, perfect for knife handles. In our climate it grows slowly. Sweden is rather north on the globe. I live about 500 km from the artic circle. It is about Alaska on your side of the globe – but we have another climate then Alaska, a little warmer…
I live just north of a town named Ostersund in the middle of Sweden. Where I live it can be rather cold during the winter, minus 52 degrees Celsius is the record – but we can have over + 30 degrees during the summer. The trees, and the humans, gets strong, nice and very handsome… at least the trees..

It is amazing to se a old knife handle made by birch, horn from reindeers and “skin from birch”. The material who is the strongest is the “skin from birch”, then the wood, and last, the horn from reindeers. After many years the handle gets “ridges” (?) of “skin from birch” and wood, and the horn has been worn out. An old knife like that is very god to “cut up” hunted animals because of the “ridges”. It do not get slippery. So, old knifes can be very nice tools for hunters.

The knife I have made, on the first picture above, is colored with “skin-color” from another tree. We have a tree who grows close to water and when you take of bits of skin from the tree the skin gets red, in contact wit air. This tre is named in Swedish: Al. If you boil the skin, and then boil away most of the water, you get a very nice, and very strong red/brown color you can “paint” on wood, skin and other things, and the color never goes away. Many painted layers make the color darker (or less water from the start). The picture shows a knifehandle in birch, horn from reindeers and “skin from birch. The wood has been colored by skin from the tree Al.

(please, help me with the correct word for “skin from birch”)!!!

Regards
Thomas




handle6ta.jpg
 
We call it birch bark -- often one word, birchbark.

Thomas is talking about a traditional style of puukko handle that's kind of like a stackleather handle, but using disks of birchbark instead of leather, or alternating birchbark, birchwood, and reindeer antler. Surprisingly, the birchbark is the most durable material. Or maybe that isn't so surprising -- I've often seen long dead birch trees that have fallen and the wood is mostly rotted away but the bark is still intact and as good as new.
 
Edgepal, Again, beautiful work! If you get a chance, find the botanical (latin) name for the tree (al) you make the dye from. I'm in the horticulture business so I may be able to find the english common name if anyone is interested in using it here.
 
The colour is from an alder Alnus Incana , it is very dark red, was often used in times gone by.

TLM
 
Hi Guys,
After some study of botanic I found the name for the tree in Latin: Aldus glutinosa.
There are many variations of this tree Aldus, but I think the bark color is the same on all off them. (They bleed…)

Take Alnusbark, about a half kilo, fill with water so most of the bark is in the water, boil for about one our, perhaps some more. Take out the bark, boil away most of the water, stop when you find the color nice. Sometime I boil away so much water that I get a cream. When I use the cream, I use some water to the cream. When you get the cream, it is nearly black, or very dark brown. That is nice on birch handles, in my taste anyway…
Sometime I mix it with virgin oil (kitchen stuff) and it works nice and it goes deep in to the wood.
Try also to boil the birch in the “soup”, that gives a very deep color.
And guys, do boil the Alnusbark outdoors, it smells…and you can never use the pot for anything else after that.

About birhbark handles:
In old times there was in Scandinavia many knife handles made only by birchbark in layers on the tang. These was very nice and they never get slippery. They get the birchbark during the spring, lay it in press during the summer and start to work with it during the early winter. The bark was about 2-3 mm thick.

(Thanks for the word “bark” – and what do you knew, the word is the same in Swedish. Bark is bark).

I often use birchbark between antlers of wood and horn, or between any antler. The birchbark is nice to work with, easy to find (here anyway) and it works very fine as a layer between antlers. Take the birchbark during the spring. Find a smooth piece of bark on the birch - and do not cut into the green growing wood under the bark. If you do not cut into the green growing wood, you do not harm the tree. During the spring the bark is wet and it is easy to remove from the tree in big pieces. Lay the bark in press and let it dry and get plain during the summer. You can use it for many years after that. It do not get old.

I try this for my self but I get old anyway…

Regards
Thomas
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top