Omani Sayf; markings for ID

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams Jim ~ What more can we say?! That about nails it Jim ! On the final paragraph I would add that woolf skin applied wrapped arround the butt of Abu Futtila (The one with the Match or Father of the Match) or Roomi(Long Leaf) long guns was said to give strength and ward off any bad luck for the firer. Woolf therefor carries not a negative but a positive and talismanic effect on weapons / their owners.
The talisman boxed criss cross marks are perfectly described in your post. The sword is clearly Red Sea and as you note its European origins and likely switch hilted and hybridised as Omani and sold to a tourist in Muscat souk more likely....and my money is on the same store I was in (they have had a prolific number of swords through their workshops over 2 generations~ this looks like their work )! Regards Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Thank you very much Ibrahiim! That is great information regarding the perspective on the wolf as a talismanic totem, and better explains the favor toward the Passau wolf representation being used. Interestingly this had become the same purpose for its application on European sword blades, as one of the key elements of 'Passau Art'. It would seem that my observation on the negative characterization of dogs would clearly not include the wolf, and entirely different interpretations. The graphed 'beduh' boxes which typically enclosed talismanic numbers as you note were widely applied in material culture .

All the best,
Jim