There's a logical reason why a knife of that shape wouldn't have a sharpened false edge and that is skinning. It allows you to cut off the hide of an animal without also cutting the meat underneath (the knife is pushed, edge up, with the point between the hide and meat. The sharp edge cuts the hide while the unsharpened back edge slides on top of the meat). Assuming the seax was primarily a utility knife and not a fighting knife.
Hedgehobbit Agreed. It also allows you to hammer on the spine of the blade without damaging it or your striker. This is also one reason many bowie knives have a blunt false edge (the other being legal status). Less utility as a weapon, but more utility as a tool.
Hedgehobbit i don't know about that have you ever skinned a deer with a knife that does not have a hand guard there's blood on your hands that makes you slip and with no hand guard you can cut yourself bad and back then your hands were every thing so why no hand guard
wariscoming I was taught to skin by placing the index finger behind the tip, so on a knife that size you'd be holding the flats of the blade. Can't slip up onto the edge if your hand is behind it.
That single-edge, drop-point knife used for hunting, camping, cooking and fighting is such a ubiquitous design. The U.S.Marine "Kabar" is another example. I find it fascinating that so many cultures over thousands of years used such a similar design, each with their own cultural and individual nuances.
You, Lindybeige, Hurstwic, ThegnThrand, Marobud and all the other medieval archeology/weapons channels are such a great credit to archeology. You've made my writing research so much more efficient. Thanks for all you do.
@@miketaylor5212 Is there significant attestation of seax being used as primary weapons in the shield wall? I'm not aware of it, seems heavily inferior to spear and axe.
xandercorp Shield and spear take more room to wield. When you're shield to shield and chest to chest with your opponent you've got no room to swing an axe or stab with a spear. A stabbing weapon could be very handy at that range. Its why the Spartans carried a short sword (xiphos) for up close and personal work. You could choke up on the axe blade and punch with the head, but, with the spear you can only stab the guy behind the guy who's in front of you. Especially if the shields on your side are overlapping. Kind of like standing behind a fence and fighting a guy on the other side of the fence. At head butting distance. With 10 guys behind you, Shields up against your back pushing you forward.
"Gurney's a romantic. I’d sooner you never had to kill…but if the need arises, you do it however you can-tip or edge." And I think both of Paul's major kills in the novel are done with the tip.
It was Gurney Hallack or Duncan Idaho who said that. You don’t attribute the author but the character. You phrase it like ‘Character name, said “the quote in here” from Author’s book name
If I remember correctly, Bernard Cornwell , historical novelist of the viking and other periods, said that the seax was used in the shield wall where the regular sword was too unwieldy, similar to the Roman gladius.
Great video. I was not familiar with the seax, but have been collecting, carrying and using bowie knives for over 38 years. Thanks for the info. I like the historical research you have done, and I will follow your channel to learn more.
Always loved the bowie knife. It looks like exactly like a knife should. Now you can imagine how thrilled I was to see the 15th ish century have its own bowie: the bauernwehr or hauswehr. My excitement was even bigger when I found out about the seax! Though not very suprising: it is such an effective design. I bet you see different versions of it all the way back to the bronze age and even the stone age. Good vid. Cheers.
(sigh) One of the biggest disappointments when my grandmother passed away was that someone stole all of the kitchen knives that she had inherited from both my greatgrandmothers. Good carbon steel kitchen knives... that look like the more "frankish" seaxes, although there was a larger one close to the blade you show, without the clipped point.
Loved this video. I wrote a folklore paper last year on the weapons of Legolas as described in The Lord of the Rings (I also discussed the films), and the character's white knife is a clear representation of an Anglo-Saxon seax. In my research, I discovered that Anglo-Saxon's were frequently buried with a seax along with the bones of animals. It appears that the seax, in some cases, was used as a ceremonial weapon in hunting to dispatch the animal once it was mortally wounded, and high born people (like Legolas) were often given the honor of delivering the fatal blow with their seax. I also read that the bone char from sacred animals were frequently used as a source of carbon to create steel due to the belief that they would imbue the weapon with magical strength.
Interesting video. Some years ago I was surprised to see photos of Saxon Seaxes that amazingly resembled American Bowie knifes. I can't remember the publication's title or author but I do remember the captions that went with the photos stating that these were excavated (Bowie looking) Seaxes.
My only issue with what you've said is that, in the historical references I've studied and, indeed, in the American martial arts, the Bowie is heavily used as a slashing implement, not a stabbing one. In its original stages, it was used more like the small swords of the 18th century, but it quickly became a slashing weapon, as seen in the teaching of both the Union and Confederate armies as well as in the traditional usage by native Americans, such as the Apache and Comanche. The Confederate army even had a "reversed blade Bowie" designed for use in slicing arms and legs when grappling, similar to Kali, but with the blade projecting upward and facing the radius instead of downward and facing the ulna.
Sir, As an American I feel compelled to inform you that most historical inquiries into Bowie's knife agree that the knife had no guard at all. Knives were carried concealed in shoulder holsters under frock coats so that any kind of "guard" may have snagged the draw. First hand accounts of The Sand Bar Duel report Bowie's knife as resembling a large butcher's knife...no guard. Bowie knives only had large guards when Sheffield of England began manufacturing their version of " Bowie knives" for export to America.
To be fair, Bowie’s knife was nothing like the modern Bowie knife lol. His sandbar fight just inspired knife makers to basically create and define the Bowie knife over the subsequent several decades
I've recently found your channel, and I have enjoyed learning from your great videos. My understanding is that the very earliest bowies did not have hand guards, but that large hand guards were quickly added after it's adoption. The guards grew smaller (like on your example) over the year's as it the weapon transitioned to a more camp knife role. I grew up in the ArkLaTex area and had the privilege of seeing early examples as a kid. What's interesting is just how similar to the SEAX some of the early Bowies looked!
Many langseaxes had a small handguard, these where weapons of course and not tools like the seax shown in the video. I`ve tested the langseax as a stabbing weapon and it works very well and will go through chainmail with little effort. Of course the blade was made trom modern steel but so was the chainmail...
In Texas History class (that’s a thing in Texas public schools), we were told that James Bowie, who died at the Alamo, invented the Bowie knife (which we pronounce boo-ee). I’ve always wondered what aspect of it he was supposed to have invented. As viewers of this channel know, big knives were around long before James Bowie’s time.
That seax is a beauty! IIRC Hraban Maurus, in his rework of Vegetius, seemed to envision the Franks using the seax (which contemporary Frankish sources refer to as 'semispata' or 'gladius') as a stabbing weapon in close formation, very much like the Roman gladius. Historian Bernard S. Bachrach ('Early Carolingian Warfare') is convinced that Hraban is a trustworthy source not only for military theory but also for actual military practice in 9th century Francia, and Bachrach seems to be one of the leading experts on Carolingian warfare, but personally I find his thesis very questionable.
Thats funny cause, It was a way of saying knife in old english as well. But thanks to the the Norse invasions of England it fell out of use with the old Norse knífr taking its place. Its seems we have switched words.
@@scholagladiatoria France is derived from the throwing axe, or "Francisca." Germany comes from the word for spear, or "Ger." Of course Saxons are named for this "Seax" cutlery. West Europeans are a violent lot.
Gary Thornbury Exactly correct and no surprise coming from the owner of a Bagwell Hell's Belle ... quite possibly the finest example of a pure fighting knife ever made. Yes, it's the back slash that provides the magic.
"Well, I expect most of you know what a seax is..." Damn Matt, that was a very refreshing change from "10 things you didn't know about X", hope it catches on.
Really cool, I didn't know the seax could be that big. I have seem a couple on some archeological digs, but they as you mentioned, where basically as big as bread knives.
***** I was thinking about aesthetics and the 'spirit' of the wood. Ash looks boring (I've never once seen it used in knife handles). Maple or birch birl would be nice. I very much doubt Matt would use his seax as a working knife so practicality matters not.
***** Pimp my seax! I reckon most of 'em would have used beech if you want to be super-practical and traditional. Applewood or pearwood would be a fine choice too.
Do we have any surviving examples of the handle scales or other grip components? Or perhaps any artwork that might indicate a swell in the grip to prevent the hand riding up in a thrust?
+Jake Williams Von Starcher the vast majority of finds in the UK and across europe have been as in the video, without guards and pommels, bone or wood typical grip construction. The idea of them been a hacking weapon is a very good one. If you google STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD - a really nice Sax hilt and pommel, totally high end in gold was found among some 3,500 primarily military items most made of gold or value metals believed to have been a mercian warlords hoarde/pay chest.
How does the seaxe that appears in the coat of arms for Middlesex County in England fit into this? It has a notch in the blade and a crescent-like tip.
On the Hurstwic site there is the statistical summary of weapon usage in Sagas of Icelanders. And though seax is sometimes used for thrusting it is much more often used for cutting. So perhaps (with all the problems with Sagas as historical sources) it serves as a confirmation of your points.
scholagladiatoria It's here www.hurstwic.com/library/arms_in_sagas/weapon_use_summary.htm But now I see that there is something called "knife", probably based on different words (like knifur). And the "knife" has much higher percentage of thrust attacks though still used more for cutting. Maybe more smaller utility knife lay in this category?
Oh, so Mr. Binns isn't taking any orders at the moment, eh? Don't think we didn't see that little "nah nah I got one and you can't" smirk on your face when you said that, Mr. Easton! :P
Hey man! I thought you'd appreciate this, i just got a Katz Alamo Bowie Stag Crown handle! $560 bone Canadian, which isn't bad, Its got a ten incher for a blade and has just taken its place at the top of the pile of my weapon collection. Its perfectly weighted, and is a 1/4 inch thick. Its now the nicest thing i own, and is the best blade by far. I would definitely recommend it too you or anyone!
Although the false edge on the Bowie did make stabbing easier, that wasn't it's main purpose. The reason for the false edge was to allow backhanded slashing. This in of itself is ample proof that the Bowie was designed for cutting as well as thrusting. One account of a fight in which Bowie used James Black's design (with false edge) said "Bowie used his knife to kill all three men: one assassin was nearly decapitated, the second was disemboweled, and the skull of the third man was split open." That sounds like more cutting than thrusting. And BTW, a false edge is sharp. "False" refers to the fact that it's not a true edge, which would be full length such as on a two edged dagger. For example, A U.S. Mark I fighting knife has two true (full length) edges, while a U.S. M3 fighting knife has one true edge and one 3 1/2" false edge. An unsharpened beveled clip is called a "swedge."
I made my own Seax a few years back out of 5160 Spring steel. I made it of the broken back design and sharpened the back edge of it as more of an axe grind and found it to be VERY useful and Excellent at chopping and light duty work like a small hatchet. Also it made the tip Superbly sharp, and if doing and back handed cut, just even catching the tip of the Seax it REALLY ripped into and tore whatever it hit, open. I used to have an Ontario USA made Bowie knife I would use for woods use... Not anymore.
Very interesting video, love the enthusiasm and it comes across as from someone who knows his blades, the blade in the video has had some serious time put in and looks wonderful. Well done and thanks for sharing
Matt, thanks for making this video. As a Texan who is interested in medieval History, I appreciate the comparison to the Bowie Knife. I own a Baltimore Knife and Sword Seax for Stage Combat, and I have found that it is wonderful for rapid cuts and that it looks quite fearsome while doing so. I also just made a scabbard for my knife, so I might post pictures on Myarmoury.
About the best video on historic Bowie Knives on RUclips that really covers the evolution of these knives that I've ever seen IMHO would have to be 'Bowie Knives 1820-1870'.
I have a Sami knife with a 9”blade. It has a really simple hilt with no cross guard but many instructional videos show it being held with one or two fingers behind the hilt. This is supposed to give better leverage for chopping but I wonder if it would help in the thrust if it cam e to fighting?
Could the seax be used primarily as a thrusting weapon with an icepick sort of grip, with the thumb resting on the cap of the pommel to keep the hand from riding up?
If you've done a video on this before sorry for not knowing of it, but I read that the Bowie knife was held with the longer edge facing towards the wielded, so you could deflect opponents' thrusts and with a flicking wrist motion, cut the attacker's wrist, thus forcing him to switch to his offhand.
A small guard to keep your fingers from riding up on the blade is often referred to as a finger guard. Also the false edge aids in thrusting, indicating that sax was primarily for slashing in a fight.
About stabbing and no handguards: Quite a few purpouse built modern knife designs are intended for stabbing but don't have a handguard for various reasons. The trick is to curl the little finger under the bottom of the grip in hammergrip, push the bottom into the palm in a more fencing-ish grip or rest the thumb on the bottom in icepick grip. These techniques work fine even when accidentaly hitting a ballistic plate, stab proof soft armor or a bone. All they requiere is a neutral handle with a flat bottom.
Nice video! I've got a quick question: are there any remaining examples of seax handles? I am wondering ... perhaps the wooden grip was shaped in a form which prevented the hand from slipping on the blade (akin to a roman gladius), thus allowing for 'safe' stabs.
Placing your hand far back on the handle of a saex, makes it a handy chopper. Also, many knife reviewers call the wedge shape on the back of a clip point a swedge.
From what you say, the Seaxes' grips seem to be a little longer than they need to be. Do you have a view on this?Could this be anything to do with two-handed use (seems unlikely on a knife) or maybe to do with having more guard to slide down before your hand slips onto the blade? That said, I don't think I've ever heard of a knife where you don't hold the highest point on the grip (closest to the blade.)
Dewi Bevan They did tend to have long grips, at least in England and France - they are shown in period art being held high up near the blade, with the extra handle extending below the hand. Perhaps it was for defending or grappling, as with the later German langesmesser, or perhaps it was to do with accessing the weapon quickly. I don't know, but I intend to experiment.
scholagladiatoria Regarding quick access, remember that scabbards tended to reach up the handle a few inches. If you're drawing it very quickly, I'd expect you to end up with the hand at the opposite end of the handle from the blade.
scholagladiatoria a long handle also means that you have more power when chopping if you grab it towards the non blade end, whilst keeping the controllability of a smaller blade when grabbing it towards the blade. Kind of like with an axe: if you grab it just below the head you can do some relatively fine work bit if you grab it at the other end you will get a lot of power when chopping
Years ago some friends and I did a competition to see which knife design was best all around. Dadley Knife vs Kephart vs Nessmuck, vs Bowie, vs Roach Knife vs English Trade Knife, and vs French Trade. The Dadley Design was picked the winner. Kephart was 2nd.
Haven't gone through all the comments to see whether this has been pointed out yet, but Bowie knife is pronounced like Jim Bowie's name, not like David Bowie's name. BOO-eee. Not BOW-eee.
+MattMexor of the many Pennsylvania Dutch names, we could apply the logic on a name by name basis. But the Bowie's have told us what the proper proper pronunciation is for their name.
MattMexor Unless your name was, and still is, famous, and has been well known for over 200 years. People have been mispronouncing their name for over 200 years. The Bowie family knows how it was pronounced then.
Why do I love this damn channel so much? Matt, would you be willing to do a video that gives the rough/general prices we'd need to pay to buy the different grades of antique swords? Ok, maybe just Napoleonic era swords... is there a commonly used grading system? Does having been previously sharpened add or take away from the value?
I'm surprised you don't mention the examples of seaxes that have an absolutely straight edged side, such as the Seax of Beagnoth, unlike the Bowie knife which always has a curved edge.
I’ve a broken back and Viking sax both made by Owen Bush. I think the Viking is a more practical tool as curves up from the bladed edge. The English version has the broken back and given the paucity of evidence I’d suggest that it may well be fashioned from a broken sword hence the shape and name. Both I think are utility knives so anything more than a 12 inch blade is a nuisance. The broken back is also less robust. They are carried horizontally in a sheath in the small of the back. The long handle allows for a long sheath of boiled leather to prevent it falling out. It is also carried sharp edge upwards. Some say to stop it getting blunt on the sheath. Probably not given frequent, use with forks not existing. I’d suggest that it’s carried sharp edge up for close quarter knife fights. It is in effect a gutting knife. Deployed from the sheath it can be immediately used as a stabbing weapon into the lower abdomen and then sliced up towards the sternum and heart. This is a single thrust immediate killing weapon. Then wipe it off and slice your cheese, with some apple tart!
I would like to see a large bowie with a knuckle bow on it. It seems like a logical improvement of the fighting capability without hindering the utilitarian aspect too much.
I saw an illustration of a man (tapestry or book illustration, I don't remember which)) with a seax that had an hourglass handle like a Kukri (though without the 'band' around the smallest diameter). The ends are thick as the round handle is wide at either end, and half that diameter in the middle. I've owned Kukri's for decades and never had one slip out of my hand when chopping brush, nor slid my hand forward when goofing around with it.
For 30 years now I am interested in Bowie knives and I realise that what people call (Bowie) can be in divided in 2 categories of use : The less than 9 inche blade hunting ,camp ,survival or combat knives . The heavy 10 inche or more blade handy for heavy hakking power used for general utility (and occasionaly for defence) or mostly as a weapon . For me a true fighting Bowie (At least 10 " bladed)is to be use most as a culass than as a smaller knife , it is the perfect combination of hakking ,slashing capability with stabbing capability of a dagger. We can see the evolution of the sax to the English clip point hunting knives than to the Bowie developed in the South, espetialy in Texas .
Did you ever put a handle on this/talk more about the seax? I have a Paul Binns seax and need to sort out a sheath - but most examples seem to be vertical carry with blade facing up, surely this is really impractical? I know it supposedly stops the knife cutting through the sheath, but lots of examples seem to be re-inforced with rivets/metal anyway...? Would love to know your thoughts.
Matt, do you think that the broken back of the Saex was more an adaptation to make it easier to hold while doing some mundane tasks like finely chopping herbs in the kitchen? The more you mentioned it being a cutting tool the more that broken back looked useful for holding the knife with two hands to allow finer control of the blade for such tasks to me.
As a slightly unrelated question, do you think Bernard Cornwell's book are usually realistic in their depictions? I remember a few scenes where a character remarks on seaxes being dreaded in shield walls because they were short and sturdy enough to stab in the gaps between the shields.
what specify a seax? When searching the net I see a lot of knifes with no similarities (except the way they were carried.) Also, couldn't the shap of the handle make the seax better at thrusting like the kurkuri knife?
the bowie was used quite often for slashing that is why most bowie handles taper to the front the pommel was thicker so you didnt loose it while slashing the one use for the seax was used under the shield wall where a full length sword was unwieldy. the bowie was a duel use knife.
It seems to me like a simple modification of the handle design would make it a much more efficient and less-dangerous (at least to the user) thrusting blade. If the handle were designed in such a way that there was a projection at the bottom that kept the hand from moving any further forward, you could dispense with a metal handguard and just have a rather simplistically designed wood handle, that, while not historically-accurate, would increase the functionality of the blade overall.
How well does a lang seax or regular seax cut compared to a sword or axe? Also, if you put a proper hilt on it, how well does it thrust? The seax is probably the most interesting weapon/tool of the time, such a useful little thing.
Masra94 Based on experience with Bowie knives, I expect it to cut as well as a kukri or machete. These cut as well as some types of sword and not as well as other types of sword - of course the main difference is that you have much less reach and leverage, but in close range you can get the weapon moving faster, which helps compensate for the lack of leverage.
Would it be practical to carry into battle multuple backup weapons? Like maybe you use primarily a two handed axe, but you also bring with you a small or medium sized shield and a sword and axe for use in a shield wall if they need you for that, and then a seax or two as well?
similar for sure. not quite straight edge w clip point. isuppose the bowie w itssharpened swedge and guard was slightly more suited for fighting. that is a glorious blade you have there.
At the risk of asking a silly question that has no quantifiable answer, what's the difference between Damascus steel and pattern welded steel? Which one is superior for an edged weapon like a knife or sword? Thanks in advance.
Adrian Fisher I will precede this by saying I am not in any way a metallurgical expert. However, as I understand it, Damascus steel is more or less the same as "crucible steel," which is a very pure, homogeneous steel with a proper carbon percentage. Compared to pattern-welded steel which is essentially two grades of steel, a soft, low carbon iron and hard, high carbon iron that have been beaten or folded together. The high carbon iron is harder so it retains an edge better and thus makes up the sharpened portion, while the soft iron forms the spine of the blade. Typically, you find that Damascus steel can be used in any blade application, since it's homogeneous and of good all around quality. Pattern-welded steel blades are usually single-edged, like seaxes and katanas, for the reason Matt stated in the video, the soft iron doesn't hold an edge well. In our modern era, nearly all the steel you or I have ever come in contact with is most closely related to Damascus steel, it is all very pure and homogeneous. That said, it is considerably more advanced than Damascus steel, but we can thank modern metallurgy for that. Unless you specifically look for it, you probably won't find pattern-welding in your local sporting shop or kitchen outlet store.
Andrew Crosthwaite Thanks for that. I'd love to have a blade made but have been thinking about different things like historical accuracy (should I have it made to look like an existing piece or adjust it to improve it, etc) and also what sort of materials to choose.
Adrian Fisher There are so many cool designs out there, both historical and fantasy. In the end, as long as you pick one that fits your needs and taste, then you can't go wrong. If you haven't already, I suggest writing down a few things, like what you plan to do with the blade, how much you're willing to spend, and if it needs to be functional.
Andrew Crosthwaite In an ideal world, I'd like one for what American's call an EDC knife that would be a deterrent for criminals but since the British government won't let us bear arms, I have to accept that only criminals here are armed. I'd probably be done for using a weapon if I picked something up at the scent with which to defend myself or my family. It's sick and twisted.
Ah, the daft and confused UK weapon laws. To be honest, I don't know enough about UK crime rates to make a reasoned judgement, but in the US, I haven't felt the need to carry a weapon. However, I do have an old rifle in my home, but it's mostly for sentimental value. That said, self defense should be a perfectly valid reason to have a weapon. I wonder, would it be that you'd be arrested for the weapon or for trying to defend yourself? Again, I'm not from the UK, but in some US states, law abiding citizens are required to flee, rather than defend themselves. Which is awkward given that criminals in the US have easy access to firearms.
Since there's nothing to prevent he hand sliding onto the blade, let's tentatively hypothesize that these weapons were used for cutting mainly. What then do we make of the ones with edges that are slightly hooked forward, or have a straight edge which is skewed in the knuckle direction? And speaking of, what is the supposed advantage of a karambit's talon blade?
About Bowie knife handguards, some instructors (most notably James A. Keating) proclaim using an upwards curved handguard (crossada) to trap the opponent's knife blade and possibly disarm him that way. Do you know much about to what extent (if at all) this was actually done in real fights?
ecept for the edge at the spine of the bowie they are really close in hedeby for example ond across the otto kingsome there where what is now called duck beak style ppf tips which are a steaper curve then a bowie but still closer to it then any other kind of sax
I was under the impression that the seax was used by archers as a back up weapon and used as a cutting weapon not only to fight with but used to clear under growth and and just about anything else in-between . The one I have is smaller but thicker than the one you have JOHN C
I wonder about thrusting with a seax. Especially with the broke back seax, the tip seems ideal for thrusting. I may be mistaken, but I believe the Scottish dirk also lacked a hand guard, but was used for stabbing, just in an ice pick grip.
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There's a logical reason why a knife of that shape wouldn't have a sharpened false edge and that is skinning. It allows you to cut off the hide of an animal without also cutting the meat underneath (the knife is pushed, edge up, with the point between the hide and meat. The sharp edge cuts the hide while the unsharpened back edge slides on top of the meat). Assuming the seax was primarily a utility knife and not a fighting knife.
Hedgehobbit Very interesting, thanks.
Hedgehobbit Agreed. It also allows you to hammer on the spine of the blade without damaging it or your striker. This is also one reason many bowie knives have a blunt false edge (the other being legal status). Less utility as a weapon, but more utility as a tool.
Hedgehobbit i don't know about that have you ever skinned a deer with a knife that does not have a hand guard there's blood on your hands that makes you slip and with no hand guard you can cut yourself bad and back then your hands were every thing so why no hand guard
wariscoming I was taught to skin by placing the index finger behind the tip, so on a knife that size you'd be holding the flats of the blade. Can't slip up onto the edge if your hand is behind it.
lancer D got you makes more sense now thanks for the reply
That single-edge, drop-point knife used for hunting, camping, cooking and fighting is such a ubiquitous design. The U.S.Marine "Kabar" is another example. I find it fascinating that so many cultures over thousands of years used such a similar design, each with their own cultural and individual nuances.
If you got a French hand grip for it, you'd have a Paris hilt on.
Good one
I need to find the “groan” emoji.
Ouch !
Sure and if you visited the North Korean president’s racetrack you’d see Kim car dashin’
You, Lindybeige, Hurstwic, ThegnThrand, Marobud and all the other medieval archeology/weapons channels are such a great credit to archeology. You've made my writing research so much more efficient. Thanks for all you do.
LOL
In Icelandic sax means "cleaver" and as a verb means "to chop".
***** Nice!
it may be chop but in the shield wall it was the stab that worked
No shit ^_^
@@miketaylor5212 Is there significant attestation of seax being used as primary weapons in the shield wall? I'm not aware of it, seems heavily inferior to spear and axe.
xandercorp Shield and spear take more room to wield. When you're shield to shield and chest to chest with your opponent you've got no room to swing an axe or stab with a spear. A stabbing weapon could be very handy at that range. Its why the Spartans carried a short sword (xiphos) for up close and personal work.
You could choke up on the axe blade and punch with the head, but, with the spear you can only stab the guy behind the guy who's in front of you. Especially if the shields on your side are overlapping. Kind of like standing behind a fence and fighting a guy on the other side of the fence. At head butting distance. With 10 guys behind you, Shields up against your back pushing you forward.
"Killing with the point lacks artistry, but don't let that hold your hand when the opening presents itself." Frank Herbert, Dune.
+ImperialistRunningDo I'm just happy to get the knife to the person at all.
Wow. That's my point of view when it comes to cutting vs stabbing.
"Gurney's a romantic. I’d sooner you never had to kill…but if the need arises, you do it however you can-tip or edge."
And I think both of Paul's major kills in the novel are done with the tip.
Be alive after the battle and then you may enjoy the luxury of regret at leisure.
It was Gurney Hallack or Duncan Idaho who said that. You don’t attribute the author but the character.
You phrase it like ‘Character name, said “the quote in here” from Author’s book name
Come on Matt, get a grip!
+Laurence Withey I can't handle this.
This comment left an odd tang in my mouth.
I see we have some sharp witted people here
I think this thread is a wrap.
Anthony Ridgway I think we can all let go now.
If I remember correctly, Bernard Cornwell , historical novelist of the viking and other periods, said that the seax was used in the shield wall where the regular sword was too unwieldy, similar to the Roman gladius.
Great video. I was not familiar with the seax, but have been collecting, carrying and using bowie knives for over 38 years. Thanks for the info. I like the historical research you have done, and I will follow your channel to learn more.
prof that good designs transcend time.
Always loved the bowie knife. It looks like exactly like a knife should. Now you can imagine how thrilled I was to see the 15th ish century have its own bowie: the bauernwehr or hauswehr. My excitement was even bigger when I found out about the seax! Though not very suprising: it is such an effective design. I bet you see different versions of it all the way back to the bronze age and even the stone age. Good vid. Cheers.
(sigh) One of the biggest disappointments when my grandmother passed away was that someone stole all of the kitchen knives that she had inherited from both my greatgrandmothers. Good carbon steel kitchen knives... that look like the more "frankish" seaxes, although there was a larger one close to the blade you show, without the clipped point.
Loved this video. I wrote a folklore paper last year on the weapons of Legolas as described in The Lord of the Rings (I also discussed the films), and the character's white knife is a clear representation of an Anglo-Saxon seax. In my research, I discovered that Anglo-Saxon's were frequently buried with a seax along with the bones of animals. It appears that the seax, in some cases, was used as a ceremonial weapon in hunting to dispatch the animal once it was mortally wounded, and high born people (like Legolas) were often given the honor of delivering the fatal blow with their seax. I also read that the bone char from sacred animals were frequently used as a source of carbon to create steel due to the belief that they would imbue the weapon with magical strength.
Do you have sources for this? I am doing my senior thesis on Anglo-Saxon cosmology pre-Christian to Christian.
Interesting video. Some years ago I was surprised to see photos of Saxon Seaxes that amazingly resembled American Bowie knifes. I can't remember the publication's title or author but I do remember the captions that went with the photos stating that these were excavated (Bowie looking) Seaxes.
My only issue with what you've said is that, in the historical references I've studied and, indeed, in the American martial arts, the Bowie is heavily used as a slashing implement, not a stabbing one. In its original stages, it was used more like the small swords of the 18th century, but it quickly became a slashing weapon, as seen in the teaching of both the Union and Confederate armies as well as in the traditional usage by native Americans, such as the Apache and Comanche. The Confederate army even had a "reversed blade Bowie" designed for use in slicing arms and legs when grappling, similar to Kali, but with the blade projecting upward and facing the radius instead of downward and facing the ulna.
Sir, As an American I feel compelled to inform you that most historical inquiries into Bowie's knife agree that the knife had no guard at all. Knives were carried concealed in shoulder holsters under frock coats so that any kind of "guard" may have snagged the draw. First hand accounts of The Sand Bar Duel report Bowie's knife as resembling a large butcher's knife...no guard. Bowie knives only had large guards when Sheffield of England began manufacturing their version of " Bowie knives" for export to America.
To be fair, Bowie’s knife was nothing like the modern Bowie knife lol. His sandbar fight just inspired knife makers to basically create and define the Bowie knife over the subsequent several decades
I've recently found your channel, and I have enjoyed learning from your great videos. My understanding is that the very earliest bowies did not have hand guards, but that large hand guards were quickly added after it's adoption. The guards grew smaller (like on your example) over the year's as it the weapon transitioned to a more camp knife role. I grew up in the ArkLaTex area and had the privilege of seeing early examples as a kid. What's interesting is just how similar to the SEAX some of the early Bowies looked!
Many langseaxes had a small handguard, these where weapons of course and not tools like the seax shown in the video. I`ve tested the langseax as a stabbing weapon and it works very well and will go through chainmail with little effort. Of course the blade was made trom modern steel but so was the chainmail...
In Texas History class (that’s a thing in Texas public schools), we were told that James Bowie, who died at the Alamo, invented the Bowie knife (which we pronounce boo-ee). I’ve always wondered what aspect of it he was supposed to have invented. As viewers of this channel know, big knives were around long before James Bowie’s time.
That seax is a beauty!
IIRC Hraban Maurus, in his rework of Vegetius, seemed to envision the Franks using the seax (which contemporary Frankish sources refer to as 'semispata' or 'gladius') as a stabbing weapon in close formation, very much like the Roman gladius. Historian Bernard S. Bachrach ('Early Carolingian Warfare') is convinced that Hraban is a trustworthy source not only for military theory but also for actual military practice in 9th century Francia, and Bachrach seems to be one of the leading experts on Carolingian warfare, but personally I find his thesis very questionable.
The Bowie also were back sharpened for knife fignting which requires less force for penetration.
Sax/seax is like the nordic "saks", which just meant "knife". Now we (nordics) use "saks" as "a pair of scissors", a pair of knives...
Niels Egense Interesting, thanks.
Thats funny cause, It was a way of saying knife in old english as well. But thanks to the the Norse invasions of England it fell out of use with the old Norse knífr taking its place. Its seems we have switched words.
@@scholagladiatoria France is derived from the throwing axe, or "Francisca." Germany comes from the word for spear, or "Ger." Of course Saxons are named for this "Seax" cutlery. West Europeans are a violent lot.
the back cut with the sharpened clip is what makes the bowie so deadly, it hits before the eye can see it coming.i have a Bagwell hells belles bowie
Gary Thornbury Exactly correct and no surprise coming from the owner of a Bagwell Hell's Belle ... quite possibly the finest example of a pure fighting knife ever made. Yes, it's the back slash that provides the magic.
"Well, I expect most of you know what a seax is..." Damn Matt, that was a very refreshing change from "10 things you didn't know about X", hope it catches on.
9 years later... I don't think it caught on... 😅
In my mind, the first time I saw a seax, I couldn't help thinking of the Bowie knife. Thanks for doing this comparison.
Are there Hacky seax?
+Jim Fortune Keep that up and you'll be chased off. Probably to the tune of Yakkity Seax.
+Jim Fortune Goddamn it. ;)
+biohazard724 scram seax
Be realistic, there is only lousy seax or great woohoo seax.
Nikita Onassis maybe . . .
HOWEVER, NOTHING ON EARTH IS AS TERRIFYING,
AS A *TRANSGENDER SEAX*
.
I'm betting that blade is in a drawer with no handle.
i hope not, the blade looks lovely
I hate it when I leave stuff in that drawer with no handle.
Last time I had to work a coat hanger in to get the thing open again.
+Tomartyr ha!
LOL :)
September 2019 still no handle
Really cool, I didn't know the seax could be that big. I have seem a couple on some archeological digs, but they as you mentioned, where basically as big as bread knives.
Bog oak for the grip? Seems like it would be very fitting.
*****
I was thinking about aesthetics and the 'spirit' of the wood. Ash looks boring (I've never once seen it used in knife handles). Maple or birch birl would be nice. I very much doubt Matt would use his seax as a working knife so practicality matters not.
*****
Pimp my seax! I reckon most of 'em would have used beech if you want to be super-practical and traditional. Applewood or pearwood would be a fine choice too.
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Good. We're agreed. :-)
*****
Yeah it could very well just be what was growing in the local area. e.g. on Orkney tool handles were mostly bone.
Do we have any surviving examples of the handle scales or other grip components? Or perhaps any artwork that might indicate a swell in the grip to prevent the hand riding up in a thrust?
+Jake Williams Von Starcher the vast majority of finds in the UK and across europe have been as in the video, without guards and pommels, bone or wood typical grip construction. The idea of them been a hacking weapon is a very good one. If you google STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD - a really nice Sax hilt and pommel, totally high end in gold was found among some 3,500 primarily military items most made of gold or value metals believed to have been a mercian warlords hoarde/pay chest.
Super cool discussion in this video Matt, that's a beautiful blade you've got there! I look forward to seeing the handle you put on it!
Very interesting comparison. And that`s a beautifully done blade. Can`t wait to see the seax once you`ve put a handle on it.
From what I've heard it was a utility knife. Utility is including some use in battle. We have many ancient examples of a wide variety of sizes.
How does the seaxe that appears in the coat of arms for Middlesex County in England fit into this? It has a notch in the blade and a crescent-like tip.
On the Hurstwic site there is the statistical summary of weapon usage in Sagas of Icelanders. And though seax is sometimes used for thrusting it is much more often used for cutting. So perhaps (with all the problems with Sagas as historical sources) it serves as a confirmation of your points.
fizikshizik Cool - I know the site, but hadn't seen that article, so I'll go and check it out.
scholagladiatoria It's here
www.hurstwic.com/library/arms_in_sagas/weapon_use_summary.htm
But now I see that there is something called "knife", probably based on different words (like knifur). And the "knife" has much higher percentage of thrust attacks though still used more for cutting. Maybe more smaller utility knife lay in this category?
Oh, so Mr. Binns isn't taking any orders at the moment, eh? Don't think we didn't see that little "nah nah I got one and you can't" smirk on your face when you said that, Mr. Easton!
:P
standingunder Kind of true....
Hey man! I thought you'd appreciate this, i just got a Katz Alamo Bowie Stag Crown handle! $560 bone Canadian, which isn't bad, Its got a ten incher for a blade and has just taken its place at the top of the pile of my weapon collection. Its perfectly weighted, and is a 1/4 inch thick.
Its now the nicest thing i own, and is the best blade by far.
I would definitely recommend it too you or anyone!
Although the false edge on the Bowie did make stabbing easier, that wasn't it's main purpose. The reason for the false edge was to allow backhanded slashing. This in of itself is ample proof that the Bowie was designed for cutting as well as thrusting. One account of a fight in which Bowie used James Black's design (with false edge) said "Bowie used his knife to kill all three men: one assassin was nearly decapitated, the second was disemboweled, and the skull of the third man was split open." That sounds like more cutting than thrusting.
And BTW, a false edge is sharp. "False" refers to the fact that it's not a true edge, which would be full length such as on a two edged dagger. For example, A U.S. Mark I fighting knife has two true (full length) edges, while a U.S. M3 fighting knife has one true edge and one 3 1/2" false edge. An unsharpened beveled clip is called a "swedge."
That's an absolutely wicked blade you got! Can't wait to see where you take it =)
I made my own Seax a few years back out of 5160 Spring steel. I made it of the broken back design and sharpened the back edge of it as more of an axe grind and found it to be VERY useful and Excellent at chopping and light duty work like a small hatchet. Also it made the tip Superbly sharp, and if doing and back handed cut, just even catching the tip of the Seax it REALLY ripped into and tore whatever it hit, open. I used to have an Ontario USA made Bowie knife I would use for woods use... Not anymore.
+Matthew Rydl i must see this seax
Very interesting video, love the enthusiasm and it comes across as from someone who knows his blades, the blade in the video has had some serious time put in and looks wonderful. Well done and thanks for sharing
Matt, thanks for making this video. As a Texan who is interested in medieval History, I appreciate the comparison to the Bowie Knife. I own a Baltimore Knife and Sword Seax for Stage Combat, and I have found that it is wonderful for rapid cuts and that it looks quite fearsome while doing so. I also just made a scabbard for my knife, so I might post pictures on Myarmoury.
About the best video on historic Bowie Knives on RUclips that really covers the evolution of these knives that I've ever seen IMHO would have to be 'Bowie Knives 1820-1870'.
I have a Sami knife with a 9”blade. It has a really simple hilt with no cross guard but many instructional videos show it being held with one or two fingers behind the hilt. This is supposed to give better leverage for chopping but I wonder if it would help in the thrust if it cam e to fighting?
Could the seax be used primarily as a thrusting weapon with an icepick sort of grip, with the thumb resting on the cap of the pommel to keep the hand from riding up?
If you've done a video on this before sorry for not knowing of it, but I read that the Bowie knife was held with the longer edge facing towards the wielded, so you could deflect opponents' thrusts and with a flicking wrist motion, cut the attacker's wrist, thus forcing him to switch to his offhand.
A small guard to keep your fingers from riding up on the blade is often referred to as a finger guard. Also the false edge aids in thrusting, indicating that sax was primarily for slashing in a fight.
Excellent video. Learned something... Learned A LOT actually!
Looking forward to seeing the finished seax. Thank you
About stabbing and no handguards: Quite a few purpouse built modern knife designs are intended for stabbing but don't have a handguard for various reasons. The trick is to curl the little finger under the bottom of the grip in hammergrip, push the bottom into the palm in a more fencing-ish grip or rest the thumb on the bottom in icepick grip. These techniques work fine even when accidentaly hitting a ballistic plate, stab proof soft armor or a bone. All they requiere is a neutral handle with a flat bottom.
Did pattern welding fade out slightly because of better quality steel from other parts of the known world?
Nice video!
I've got a quick question: are there any remaining examples of seax handles?
I am wondering ... perhaps the wooden grip was shaped in a form which prevented the hand from slipping on the blade (akin to a roman gladius), thus allowing for 'safe' stabs.
Placing your hand far back on the handle of a saex, makes it a handy chopper. Also, many knife reviewers call the wedge shape on the back of a clip point a swedge.
Is it possible or likely that the seax had a hand stop made of organic material? Like a leather wrap around where the guard would be.
From what you say, the Seaxes' grips seem to be a little longer than they need to be. Do you have a view on this?Could this be anything to do with two-handed use (seems unlikely on a knife) or maybe to do with having more guard to slide down before your hand slips onto the blade? That said, I don't think I've ever heard of a knife where you don't hold the highest point on the grip (closest to the blade.)
Dewi Bevan They did tend to have long grips, at least in England and France - they are shown in period art being held high up near the blade, with the extra handle extending below the hand. Perhaps it was for defending or grappling, as with the later German langesmesser, or perhaps it was to do with accessing the weapon quickly. I don't know, but I intend to experiment.
scholagladiatoria Regarding quick access, remember that scabbards tended to reach up the handle a few inches. If you're drawing it very quickly, I'd expect you to end up with the hand at the opposite end of the handle from the blade.
scholagladiatoria a long handle also means that you have more power when chopping if you grab it towards the non blade end, whilst keeping the controllability of a smaller blade when grabbing it towards the blade. Kind of like with an axe: if you grab it just below the head you can do some relatively fine work bit if you grab it at the other end you will get a lot of power when chopping
That is a beauty of a knife some Bowies did not have guard's on them. But now iv have seen it I want one of those
Years ago some friends and I did a competition to see which knife design was best all around.
Dadley Knife vs Kephart vs Nessmuck, vs Bowie, vs Roach Knife vs English Trade Knife, and vs French Trade. The Dadley Design was picked the winner. Kephart was 2nd.
That seax look amazing, it seems really expensive.
Haven't gone through all the comments to see whether this has been pointed out yet, but Bowie knife is pronounced like Jim Bowie's name, not like David Bowie's name. BOO-eee. Not BOW-eee.
+Roger Cline Apparently that is a much argued point, and nobody really knows one way or the other.
Actually, we do know this is true because the living ancestors of Resin and James Bowie have told us this..
+MattMexor of the many Pennsylvania Dutch names, we could apply the logic on a name by name basis.
But the Bowie's have told us what the proper proper pronunciation is for their name.
MattMexor Unless your name was, and still is, famous, and has been well known for over 200 years. People have been mispronouncing their name for over 200 years. The Bowie family knows how it was pronounced then.
MattMexor LOL
very beautiful pattern welding bro!
Why do I love this damn channel so much? Matt, would you be willing to do a video that gives the rough/general prices we'd need to pay to buy the different grades of antique swords? Ok, maybe just Napoleonic era swords... is there a commonly used grading system? Does having been previously sharpened add or take away from the value?
Could the difference in shape be due to difficulties of forging a steel edge sandwiched in iron vs forging a full steel blade?
I'm surprised you don't mention the examples of seaxes that have an absolutely straight edged side, such as the Seax of Beagnoth, unlike the Bowie knife which always has a curved edge.
I’ve a broken back and Viking sax both made by Owen Bush. I think the Viking is a more practical tool as curves up from the bladed edge. The English version has the broken back and given the paucity of evidence I’d suggest that it may well be fashioned from a broken sword hence the shape and name.
Both I think are utility knives so anything more than a 12 inch blade is a nuisance. The broken back is also less robust.
They are carried horizontally in a sheath in the small of the back. The long handle allows for a long sheath of boiled leather to prevent it falling out.
It is also carried sharp edge upwards. Some say to stop it getting blunt on the sheath. Probably not given frequent, use with forks not existing.
I’d suggest that it’s carried sharp edge up for close quarter knife fights. It is in effect a gutting knife. Deployed from the sheath it can be immediately used as a stabbing weapon into the lower abdomen and then sliced up towards the sternum and heart. This is a single thrust immediate killing weapon.
Then wipe it off and slice your cheese, with some apple tart!
Is there a video that shows the finished knife?
Absolutely beautiful. Don't be rushing that handle, bro and keep it simple. Ps. Hope you've checked out The Hollow Crown on iplayer. Its sublime.
I would like to see a large bowie with a knuckle bow on it. It seems like a logical improvement of the fighting capability without hindering the utilitarian aspect too much.
+neanderthor66 There were several examples of D-guard bowies used during the American Civil war.
The Bowie was originally a modified corn knife.
They just lightened the tip by grinding away the back near the tip.
Interesting video, do you know where I might find literature or other resources regarding Bowie fencing?
I saw an illustration of a man (tapestry or book illustration, I don't remember which)) with a seax that had an hourglass handle like a Kukri (though without the 'band' around the smallest diameter). The ends are thick as the round handle is wide at either end, and half that diameter in the middle. I've owned Kukri's for decades and never had one slip out of my hand when chopping brush, nor slid my hand forward when goofing around with it.
Could some messer swords be compared to a very large bowie or seax?
Yes. The messer is simply a big bloody knife
+MIDDLE HEARTH especially the krieggsmesser
For 30 years now I am interested in Bowie knives and I realise that what people call (Bowie) can be in divided in 2 categories of use : The less than 9 inche blade hunting ,camp ,survival or combat knives . The heavy 10 inche or more blade handy for heavy hakking power used for general utility (and occasionaly for defence) or mostly as a weapon . For me a true fighting Bowie (At least 10 " bladed)is to be use most as a culass than as a smaller knife , it is the perfect combination of hakking ,slashing capability with stabbing capability of a dagger. We can see the evolution of the sax to the English clip point hunting knives than to the Bowie developed in the South, espetialy in Texas .
Both of those are gorgeous!
Did you ever put a handle on this/talk more about the seax?
I have a Paul Binns seax and need to sort out a sheath - but most examples seem to be vertical carry with blade facing up, surely this is really impractical? I know it supposedly stops the knife cutting through the sheath, but lots of examples seem to be re-inforced with rivets/metal anyway...? Would love to know your thoughts.
Could you put a link to a video where you have added a handle to the sax?
Matt, do you think that the broken back of the Saex was more an adaptation to make it easier to hold while doing some mundane tasks like finely chopping herbs in the kitchen? The more you mentioned it being a cutting tool the more that broken back looked useful for holding the knife with two hands to allow finer control of the blade for such tasks to me.
As a slightly unrelated question, do you think Bernard Cornwell's book are usually realistic in their depictions?
I remember a few scenes where a character remarks on seaxes being dreaded in shield walls because they were short and sturdy enough to stab in the gaps between the shields.
what specify a seax? When searching the net I see a lot of knifes with no similarities (except the way they were carried.)
Also, couldn't the shap of the handle make the seax better at thrusting like the kurkuri knife?
the bowie was used quite often for slashing that is why most bowie handles taper to the front the pommel was thicker so you didnt loose it while slashing the one use for the seax was used under the shield wall where a full length sword was unwieldy. the bowie was a duel use knife.
It seems to me like a simple modification of the handle design would make it a much more efficient and less-dangerous (at least to the user) thrusting blade. If the handle were designed in such a way that there was a projection at the bottom that kept the hand from moving any further forward, you could dispense with a metal handguard and just have a rather simplistically designed wood handle, that, while not historically-accurate, would increase the functionality of the blade overall.
Could it not have had wooden guards or a non slip handle profile similar to the kukri?
The point of the bowie is on the centerline - makes it better for thrusting, right?
How well does a lang seax or regular seax cut compared to a sword or axe? Also, if you put a proper hilt on it, how well does it thrust?
The seax is probably the most interesting weapon/tool of the time, such a useful little thing.
Masra94 Based on experience with Bowie knives, I expect it to cut as well as a kukri or machete. These cut as well as some types of sword and not as well as other types of sword - of course the main difference is that you have much less reach and leverage, but in close range you can get the weapon moving faster, which helps compensate for the lack of leverage.
Would it be practical to carry into battle multuple backup weapons? Like maybe you use primarily a two handed axe, but you also bring with you a small or medium sized shield and a sword and axe for use in a shield wall if they need you for that, and then a seax or two as well?
and a few pommels
so you can purchase sans handle? Sweet blade! Where can I buy one? I might try using it in the kitchen..
similar for sure. not quite straight edge w clip point. isuppose the bowie w itssharpened swedge and guard was slightly more suited for fighting. that is a glorious blade you have there.
are you going to put any hand guard on
can you talk about the big sax in future vieo
At the risk of asking a silly question that has no quantifiable answer, what's the difference between Damascus steel and pattern welded steel? Which one is superior for an edged weapon like a knife or sword?
Thanks in advance.
Adrian Fisher I will precede this by saying I am not in any way a metallurgical expert. However, as I understand it, Damascus steel is more or less the same as "crucible steel," which is a very pure, homogeneous steel with a proper carbon percentage. Compared to pattern-welded steel which is essentially two grades of steel, a soft, low carbon iron and hard, high carbon iron that have been beaten or folded together. The high carbon iron is harder so it retains an edge better and thus makes up the sharpened portion, while the soft iron forms the spine of the blade.
Typically, you find that Damascus steel can be used in any blade application, since it's homogeneous and of good all around quality. Pattern-welded steel blades are usually single-edged, like seaxes and katanas, for the reason Matt stated in the video, the soft iron doesn't hold an edge well.
In our modern era, nearly all the steel you or I have ever come in contact with is most closely related to Damascus steel, it is all very pure and homogeneous. That said, it is considerably more advanced than Damascus steel, but we can thank modern metallurgy for that. Unless you specifically look for it, you probably won't find pattern-welding in your local sporting shop or kitchen outlet store.
Andrew Crosthwaite
Thanks for that. I'd love to have a blade made but have been thinking about different things like historical accuracy (should I have it made to look like an existing piece or adjust it to improve it, etc) and also what sort of materials to choose.
Adrian Fisher There are so many cool designs out there, both historical and fantasy. In the end, as long as you pick one that fits your needs and taste, then you can't go wrong.
If you haven't already, I suggest writing down a few things, like what you plan to do with the blade, how much you're willing to spend, and if it needs to be functional.
Andrew Crosthwaite
In an ideal world, I'd like one for what American's call an EDC knife that would be a deterrent for criminals but since the British government won't let us bear arms, I have to accept that only criminals here are armed. I'd probably be done for using a weapon if I picked something up at the scent with which to defend myself or my family. It's sick and twisted.
Ah, the daft and confused UK weapon laws. To be honest, I don't know enough about UK crime rates to make a reasoned judgement, but in the US, I haven't felt the need to carry a weapon. However, I do have an old rifle in my home, but it's mostly for sentimental value.
That said, self defense should be a perfectly valid reason to have a weapon. I wonder, would it be that you'd be arrested for the weapon or for trying to defend yourself? Again, I'm not from the UK, but in some US states, law abiding citizens are required to flee, rather than defend themselves. Which is awkward given that criminals in the US have easy access to firearms.
Beautiful seax man! As soon as I saw I thought it was some of Paul Binn's work.
Since there's nothing to prevent he hand sliding onto the blade, let's tentatively hypothesize that these weapons were used for cutting mainly. What then do we make of the ones with edges that are slightly hooked forward, or have a straight edge which is skewed in the knuckle direction? And speaking of, what is the supposed advantage of a karambit's talon blade?
that is a sick bowie I love the handle shape
I have to ask, was there ever an example of hacky seax? :D
did you ever get a handle on that Seax? I searched in your videos for it, but couldn't find a video.
The original Bowie knife was not a utility knife, though. It was custom ordered by Colonel Bowie with the a fighting knife in mind.
I thought it was a kind of butchers knife his brother gave him. I may be mixing something up though.
About Bowie knife handguards, some instructors (most notably James A. Keating) proclaim using an upwards curved handguard (crossada) to trap the opponent's knife blade and possibly disarm him that way. Do you know much about to what extent (if at all) this was actually done in real fights?
I wanna see more videos about early medieval blades now!
ecept for the edge at the spine of the bowie they are really close in hedeby for example ond across the otto kingsome there where what is now called duck beak style ppf tips which are a steaper curve then a bowie but still closer to it then any other kind of sax
I was under the impression that the seax was used by archers as a back up weapon and used as a cutting weapon not only to fight with but used to clear under growth and and just about anything else in-between . The one I have is smaller but thicker than the one you have JOHN C
I wonder about thrusting with a seax. Especially with the broke back seax, the tip seems ideal for thrusting. I may be mistaken, but I believe the Scottish dirk also lacked a hand guard, but was used for stabbing, just in an ice pick grip.
I though seaxs were used when there wasnt much space is a shield wall? To stab upwards under the wall?