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Old 6th January 2010, 08:51 PM   #1
VANDOO
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Smile BICHWA (THE SCORPIONS STING)

THE BICHWA DAGGER OF INDIA LITTERLY MEANS SCORPIONS STING. THERE ARE OTHER INDIAN KNIVES (KANJARLI) AS WELL AS THOSE FROM ARABIC COUNTRYS (KHANJAR, JAMBAYA )THAT HAVE A SIMULAR SHAPED BLADE. PERHAPS THERE IS A LINK BETWEEN THE VARIOUS COUNTRYS AND FORMS. MAN OFTEN COPIES HIS IMPLEMENTS FROM THOSE HE OBSERVES IN NATURE. OFTEN HE COPIES AND RESPECTS THE THINGS HE FEARS, THE SCORPION BEING ONE OF THE CRITTERS UNIVERSALLY FEARED AND RESPECTED WHERE EVER IT IS KNOWN. THE TIGER ,SNAKE,SHARK AND LION BEING A FEW OTHER EXAMPLES.

THE SCORPION IS WELL KNOWN IN LEGENDS FROM ANCIENT TIMES IN MANY CULTURES.

1. GREEK, SEE THE LEGEND OF ORION, SCORPIONS ALSO FIGURE IN OTHER GREEK LEGENDS.

2. SCORPIONS ARE MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE AS AN EVIL CREATURE SO THEY PLAYED A PART IN THE ISRALITES LEGENDS.

3. MAYAN CIVILIZATION ASSOCIATED THE SCORPION WITH SURGERY PERHAPS BECAUSE OF ITS ABILITY TO PARALIZE ITS PREY.

4. EGYPT, GODDES ISIS HAD GIANT SCORPIONS AS BODYGAURDS. SCORPIONS WERE BELIVED TO BE GAURDIANS OF SACRED GATEWAYS, TOMBS AND THE ENTRANCE TO THE UNDERWORLD. EGYPTIAN GODDESS SERKET OFTEN SEEN GAURDING COPTIC JARS, SHE IS THE WOMAN WITH A SCORPION ON HER HEAD. THEY STILL USE SCORPION TAILSMEN AND AMULETS.

5. BABYLONIAN MYTH OF VERY FEARSOME WARRIORS REFERED TO AS SCORPION MEN.

6.AFRICA SOME REGARD SCORPIONS AS EVIL OTHERS AS GOOD. AN OIL DERIVED FROM SCORPION VENOM IS A TRADITIONAL MEDICINE. THEY HAVE SCORPION TAILSMEN AND CHARMS BOTH TO PROTECT THEM FROM SCORPIONS AS WELL AS TO GAIN THE SCORPIONS POWERS.

7. IN TIBET AMULETS ARE STILL WORN, BUDDHIST MYTHOLOGY SCORPIONS SERVED AS TEMPLE GAUARDIANS OF THE HOLY DHARMA. THE SCORPION WAS REGAURDED AS A SYMBOL OF PACIFICATION, WHICH TURNS MENACING AT THE FIRST SIGN OF ANYONE INTENDING HARM. THE SCORPION AMULET WAS OFTEN A DESIGN FOUND ON SWORD AND DAGGER HANDLES AND PERSONEL SEALS AMONG OTHER PLACES AND WAS THERE AS A PROTECTIVE FEATURE.

8. INDIA THE BUDDIST BELIEFS AND LEGENDS APPLY TO THE SCORPION. THE LARGE FALAKNUMA PALACE IN HYDERABAD INDIA IS LAID OUT IN THE SHAPE OF A SCORPION.

SOME CULTURES LOOK ON THE SCORPION AS A SYMBOL OF TREACHERY, DEATH, PAIN,DANGER,WICKEDNESS, HATRED AND ENVY. OTHERS HAVE A MORE FAVORABLE VIEW BUT MOST ALL FEAR AND RESPECT THE SCORPION.

ONE OF MANKINDS ANCIENT GOALS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT HE BE FEARED BY HIS FELLOW MEN. SO HAVING A WEAPON ASSOCIATED WITH A DANGEROUS ,POWERFUL AND FEARED CREATURE EITHER REAL OR FROM LEGEND CAN OFTEN CAUSE AN ENEMY TO FEAR YOU AND PERHAPS AVOID TROUBLE. SO A SCORPION WARRIOR WITH A SCORPIONS STING AS A WEAPON WOULD BE A GOOD DETERRENT. SO PERHAPS THIS CURVED BLADE FORM MAY HAVE EVOLVED FROM SOME OF THE ANCIENT BELIEFS?
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Old 6th January 2010, 09:11 PM   #2
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THE OTHER DAGGER FROM INDIA I HAVE SEEN REFERRED TO OVER THE YEARS AS A SCORPION DAGGER IS THE KANJARLI.
I HAVE ALSO ADDED A PICTURE OF A PERSIAN DAGGER FOR BLADE COMPARISON.
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Old 6th January 2010, 10:02 PM   #3
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The bottom dagger is not a khanjarli . This is in the family of daggers known as Tiger Teeth they come from North India, They are characterized by the curved blade with reinforced edges and slightly thickened tip.
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Old 6th January 2010, 10:43 PM   #4
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TRUE ITS AS YOU SAY AND I DID MIS IDENTIFY IT AS PERSIAN. THE THING I AM GETTING AT IS A POSSIBLE ORIGIN AND REASON FOR THE CURVED BLADE BEING DEVELOPED. IN THE BRONZE AGE MOST SWORDS AND DAGGERS HAD STRAIGHT BLADES, PERHAPS IT WAS BECAUSE OF WHAT IS NEEDED TO WORK BRONZE WEAPONS. I HAVE NOT SEEN ALL FORMS OF BRONZE WEAPONS BUT MOST OF THE SWORDS AND DAGGERS FROM LURISTAN, SYTHIA, GREECE AND CHINA I HAVE SEEN HAVE ALL BEEM STRAIGHT. SOME OF THE BRONZE AX BLADES ARE CURVED AND SOME EARLY CEREMONIAL ITEMS HAVE CURVED SHAPES.
THE CHINESE BRONZE POLE AX ( SHANG DYNASTY) WOULD STRIKE IN THE SAME MANNER AS A SCORPION. THE GREEK KOPIS AT THE MET. IS EARLY IRON AGE IS THE FIRST CURVED SWORDS I AM AWARE OF. PERHAPS SOMEONE WITH MUCH MORE KNOWLEGE THAN I CAN SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANYTHING ELSE REFERRED TO AS A SCORPION DAGGER, SWORD OR SPEAR ECT. ? I ADDED A SCORPIONS STINGER AND A 16 CENTURY KHANJAR.
I WAS JUST THINKING AND THOUGHT PERHAPS THIS MAY MAKE FOR AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION.
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Last edited by VANDOO; 6th January 2010 at 10:54 PM.
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Old 6th January 2010, 10:57 PM   #5
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JUST FOR FUN HERE ARE SOME OF THE CURRENT EBAY FANTASY ITEMS. PROBABLY VERY ATTRACTIVE TO THE YOUNG BOYS STILL IN THE COMIC BOOK STAGE.
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Old 6th January 2010, 11:02 PM   #6
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"JUST FOR FUN HERE ARE SOME OF THE CURRENT EBAY FANTASY ITEMS. PROBABLY VERY ATTRACTIVE TO THE YOUNG BOYS STILL IN THE COMIC BOOK STAGE.
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They are for middle-aged adults still in the comics book stage :-)
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Old 7th January 2010, 12:20 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES
The bottom dagger is not a khanjarli . This is in the family of daggers known as Tiger Teeth they come from North India, They are characterized by the curved blade with reinforced edges and slightly thickened tip.

Which shows just how interesting this 'study' is, and the potential 'inspiration' for these marvelous Indian weapons.
Following the tiger theme, the bagh-Nakh is 'tiger claws'. (not adding pics as this is really a digression from the theme of curved daggers)
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