Manual del Baratero - A Review

[Frank]

Chris

In your first post you said something about `Passata Sotto'. I couldn't see it in the book. What and wher is it and why is it bad.

Best wishes
Frank

[tom hyle]

Any commentary on that cool bolster?

[Chris Evans]

Hi Frank,

A `Passata Sotto' (PS) is an Italian fencing term, going back to the rapier era and which E.D.Morton describes a stop hit (counter thrust to a thrust attack) in the low line (see picture). The whole body is dropped under the opponent's incoming blade and the left leg is thrown diagonally across the line of attack, to the executant's right, whilst supported on the ground with the left hand.

It is considered as an extremely risky move and best deployed only against a purely thrusting sword. This is because:

a) It calls for great commitment;
b) recovery from the dropped position is very difficult;
c) it is all too easy to misjudge the direction of the attack, or the attacker can relatively easily change the direction of the thrust and thus hit the defender; and
d) if the opponent is using an edged sword and unless is instantly disabled, which is unlikely, he or she can execute a draw cut against the exposed neck and head, or even thrust into the equally exposed head/shoulder/back.

These risks increases dramatically as the length of the blade shortens and for this reason it is seldom performed with modern fencing swords (old rapiers were much longer); With knives, the PS becomes unacceptably dangerous, especially on account of d) above. If facing an edgeless thrusting dagger it is marginally safer as the threat of a counter cut is non existent, but of course, the possibility of a counter thrust into the defender's exposed back and neck remains, as do the other risks listed.

In the MdB a ridiculously complex and suicidally risky version is presented, as described and illustrated on pg18. I intentionally identified the core technique as a PS, to draw attention to that it was an adapted fencing move. It can be readily seen from the drawing how easy it would be for the upright attacker to execute a potentially fatal downward cut against the defender's exposed neck or even stab into his completely open neck, head, or back - And all this on top of the insane risks involved in falling down backwards, dropping the navaja onto the ground and then recovering so as to execute a PS, a difficult and overly risky move in its own right.

Hope this helps
Chris

[Chris Evans]

Hi Tom,

I presume that you are referring to that embossed bolster on the navaja with the modified lock.

That was on a French navaja made for the Spanish market and constructed in the manner of the Southern Spanish design, including the ratchet lock. The bolsters on the Spanish design were made from sheet-metal, usually brass, and hammer beaten to conform to the shape of the horn handle. Its function was to provide some extra strength once the blade's pivot pin was riveted, much like what a washer would provide. In fact, the cheaper navajas had only a washer.

The French decided to up the ante by embossing them - Little touches like these, and being cheaper, is what allowed their products to displace the Spanish made navajas in their own country. The absence of a full lock did not seem to bother the Spaniards much and that throws one hell of a question mark over their alleged propensity for fighting with navajas.

Cheers
Chris

[tom hyle]

Thanks. What would you estimate the period to be on that piece? It seems like it might tie in with known art movements; Egyptophilism or whatever it's called; I know that seems to go through modern Europe and N America in waves, from time to time. The images don't seem to be drawn straight from heiroglyphics, at least not entirely, but to be referential of them, and perhaps of other "ethnic" ie antiquitous and/or non-European symbols? Primitivism? Art movements are one of those things where the words in the name don't mean what the words mean, and that always confuses me when the humans do that..........it has something, perhaps, to do with social institutions........confusing to us Martians This seems like an European art movement I've seen. It reminds of deco, but is this knife older than that?.......a possible cross-reference, anyway.

[Chris Evans]

Hi Tom,

The rule of thumb for dating navajas, assuming that they are fitted with a spine spring, is by the locking mechanism.

Post 1900: External sheet metal spine spring, fitted with a release lever as per my earlier post.

Circa 1865-1900: Ring release and spring housed within the handle as per my earlier post.

Circa 1815-1865 Spring housed within the handle and no release mechanism (pick-lock)

Pre 1815: The spine spring is screwed to the back of the handle and no release mechanism (pick-lock) as in this picture.

The importation of French navajas into Spain commenced in earnest around 1850 and fell away after 1870. Given that that navaja has a ring release and a modified lock for the Spanish market, its date of manufacture was probably around 1865-70, maybe even a little later.

I do not know if these Spanish style navajas were sold in countries other than Spain. If they were, then it could have been made as late as 1890 or thereabouts. The Spanish authority Forton, simply dates similar ones as from the "late 19th century".

Cheers
Chris

[Frank]

Chris

Thanks for that explanation of the PS. I have seen the reference to it many times but never understood what it menas.

I am surprised that nobody woke up that it could get you killed! I have been reading about the MdB on teh net for some years and nobody seemed to pick up on that. . I have seen that move described in other knife fighting books too. Can't remeber which but I have seen it. Makes one wonder doesn't it.

Now here is a question for you. Were ANY of the navajas suitable for fighting. From what I can see in Fortons books, more than half did not even have a lock.

Best wishes
Frank