A reprint of Gustav Oppert’s book can be had very cheaply on the net – should anyone be interested.
BTW 1 span is = 12 angulas = 1 vatasti = 9 inches. Funny are angulas not what they call the eels in Spain – or is it baby eels? I was once served a dish in Barcelona, it was baby eels boiled in oil, and I think it was called angulas.
I have seen different ways of spelling the ‘knife’ in question. Maustika and Maushtika, but I have also seen another spelling, Maush Tika which is supposed to be a weighted glove with spike on the knuckles. As the dagger mentioned, is a dagger, and as Maush Tika is supposed to be a spiked glove, meant for hitting like a boxer do – meaning holding the closed hand pointing towards your opponent, this could mean that the dagger had a hilt, where the hand would have been held in the same way.
What I mean is, that maybe part of the word means the way you hold it, and the other part means a pointed thing or a blade. Any comments to this postulate?
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