I MUST ADMIT I AM A BIT SHY ABOUT GETTING INTO THIS AS I AM NOT AN EXPERT IN THIS TYPE OF ARTEFACT NOR HAVE I A LARGE COLLECTION OF THEM AND HAVE NOT CAREEFULLY RESEARCHED THE SUBJECT OF SATAN WORSHIP NOR PRACTICED IT. SO ANYTHING I SAY WILL BASED ON LOGIC AND MY PERSONEL OPINIONS SO I HOPE I DON'T WASTE ANYONES TIME , AND I HOPE I DON'T GET MY TAIL FEATHERS SCORCHED OFF
I HAVE SEEN AND HANDLED QUITE A FEW KNIVES OF THIS TYPE FROM THE EARLY 1960'S UNTIL THE LAST ONE IN THE 1990'S. THEY WERE AT GUN SHOWS AND WERE ALWAYS TOO HIGH PRICED FOR ME TO EVER OWN ONE BUT I ALWAYS ENJOYED LOOKING AT THE VARIETY AND EXCELLENT WORKMANSHIP. I DON'T REMBER EVER SEEING A EXAMPLE THAT SHOWED A LOT OF WEAR FROM USE ALTHOUGH THEY DID SHOW AGE AND A FEW HAD BEEN ABUSED BY SOME CHILD OR ADULT DOLT. I HAVE ONLY SEEN ONE EXAMPLE MISSING ITS SCABBARD THIS WOULD INDICATE TO ME THAT THE DAGGERS WERE USUALLY VERY WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND WERE VERY EXPENSIVE WHEN THEY WERE MADE AND DURING THE PERIOD OF THEIR USE. OFTEN THEY WERE DESCRIBED AS WITCHCRAFT DAGGERS OR ASSOCIATED WITH SECERET SOCIETYS.
I THINK THEY USUALLY WERE CUSTOM MADE OR TO SHOW OFF THE SKILL OF THE MAKERS AND REFLECTED THE CURRENT FASHONS OF THE SOCIETY AT THE TIME. I ALSO EXPECT THAT ONLY THE RICH OR WEALTHY PEOPLE BELONGING TO A SECERET SOCIETY COULD HAVE AFFORDED THEM. THERE WERE MANY SECRET SOCIETYS IN THE PAST IN MOST COUNTRYS SOME STILL EXHIST AND MANY DO NOT. THE SKULL SYMBOL IS OFTEN A REMINDER OF MANS MORTALITY AS WE ALL PONDER DEATH FROM TIME TO TIME. MOST OF THE OTHER SYMBOLS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED ALSO HAVE SEVERAL WAYS OF INTREPETING THEM.
MANY OF THE THINGS SAID TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH SATAN WORSHIP WERE RELATED TO THE OLD IDEAS OF NATURE WORSHIP WHICH IS NOT SATANISM OR WITCHCRAFT BUT A REVERENCE FOR NATURE AND THE FORCE OR FORCES THAT CREATED EVERYTHING. IN THE PROCESS OF ONE RELIGION DISPOSING OF A OLDER LOCAL RELIGION ALL SUCH BELIEFS AND THEIR SYMBOLS WERE SAID TO BE OF THE DEVIL AND FEARSOME EXAMPLES WERE MADE OF PEOPLE TO TRY AND STAMP OUT SUCH PRACTICES.
MANY SECRET SOCIETYS EVOLVED FROM THIS AND BEING SECRET I AM SURE THEY HAD SECRET SIGNS AND MEETINGS SO IF HISTORY NOTES THEM AT ALL IT WILL BE FROM THE VIEWS OF THOSE WHO FIND AND DESTROY THEM. IF THEY BELONGED TO SUCH A SOCIETY AND IT IS STILL IN EXHISTANCE I DOUBT THAT THE KNIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN SOLD UNLESS A THIEF TOOK IT.
PERHAPS THERE ARE THOSE WHO WORSHIP SATAN AND HOPE TO GAIN WEALTH AND POWER THRU IT BUT I WOULD THINK THEY WOULD BE FAR AND FEW IN BETWEEN THROUGHT HISTORY. MANY OF THE THINGS YOU READ ABOUT BLACK MASSES, HUMAN SACRIFICE, SUMMONING DEAMONS , VAMPIRES, DRAGONS AND ORGES ARE BASED ON OLD TALES, BOOKS, MOVIES AND SUCH. SOME CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN THESE STORYS AND TRY TO BECOME A MASTER OF THE BLACK ARTS OR A WICKED WITCH AND MAY DO SOME TERRIBLE SECRET THINGS AND BECOME FEARED AS A DEAMON IN HUMAN FORM. THIS IS THEIR DOING BUT I FEEL THEY DON'T GET ANY REAL POWER FROM IT AND IT IS A FORM OF ROLE PLAYING GAME. THE DEVIL WILL OF COURSE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FOR HIS OWN ENDS BUT IS A FRIEND TO NO MAN.
FIGURES FROM GREEK, ROMAN, EGYPTIAN AND OTHER TIMES AND COUNTRYS HAVE BECOME THE FASHON IN ART THROUGHOUT HISTORY. PERHAPS THE INDIVIDUAL WHO BOUGHT OR ORDERED THE DAGGER MADE WOULD KNOW WHAT ALL THE SYMBOLS STOOD FOR, PERHAPS NOT. A SECRET SOCIETY WOULD KNOW WHAT THE SYMBOLS STOOD FOR AND THEY WOULD BE A PART OF THEIR CREDO.
I WOULD THINK THAT ONE WHO PRACTEDED THE BLACK ARTS WOULD HAVE SOME PROTECTIVE SPELLS AND DEADLY CURSES INCORPORATED INTO THE DESIGNS UNLESS CURSES AND SPELLS CAN ONLY BE SPOKEN.? BUT I DON'T SEE WHY THEY WOULD HAVE RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS OF THE CHURCH AND SUCH ON A IMPLEMENT THEY PLANNED TO USE TO DESICRATE THE CHURCH AND RELIGION.
SOME POSSIBILITYS FOR THE ORIGINAL DAGGER WOULD BE
1. ONE OR MORE EXAMPLES WERE MADE TO BE PRESENTED AS GIFTS TO SOME IMPORTANT PERSON. PERHAPS VICTOR HUGO HIMSELF? IF YOU COULD PROVE THAT IT WOULD BE WORTH MORE THAN A MERE SATANIC DAGGER
2. AN ARTIST LIKED THE BOOK AND WAS INSPIRED TO MAKE THE KNIFE OR SOMEONE ELSE COMMISIONED IT AS HE WAS A FAN OF VICTOR HUGO.
3. THE VICTOR HUGO FAN CLUB HAD THEM MADE IN THE THOUSANDS FOR ALL MEMBERS
OR NOT
I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY OF THESE DAGGERS TAKEN APART BEFORE AND WONDER IF VERY MANY KNIVES WERE MADE WITH THE DETACHABLE BLADE AND IF IT MIGHT HAVE HAD MULTIPLE BLADES FOR DIFFERENT USES?
MY GUT FEELING ABOUT THIS TYPE OF KNIFE IS THAT IT WAS NOT MADE FOR USE BY THOSE WHO WORSHIP SATAN. BUT IN THE YEARS SINCE ITS CREATION WHO KNOWS WHO HAS HAD IT OR WHAT THEY HAVE USED IT FOR. AS THEY HAVE BEEN SOLD AS DAGGERS RELATED TO WITCHCRAFT, ECT. AT LEAST SINCE THE EARLY 1960'S.
SORRY I CAN'T LAY ALL THE INFORMATION OF THE TYPE AND THE HISTORY ON YOU . BUT REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS ITS A REAL SWEET DAGGER AND IT HAS BEEN A VERY INTERESTING DISCUSSION.
PS. THE SWASTKA IS ALSO AN ANCIANT SYMBOL USED BY SOME OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBES, A VERY OLD SYMBOL BUT NOTHING EVIL ABOUT IT.
13th January 2007, 10:23 AM
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