Leather Sheath Sword

tom hyle · 8th April 2005, 01:45 PM

Tim, the longer sword you show is also narrower (most importantly at the tip) than the other style of seme, and seems to lack the midrib. It certainly is a different style, and the ones in it I see are usually old, but is it your contention that the shorter broader form is a newer style that did not exist at the time of the longer ones? I suspect this would be incorrect, though I have nothing real solid on it at the moment. Another telling feature can be the handle of somewhat squarish wooden slabs covered with rawhide vs. the(older? or just nicer? or ethnically different?) more rounded handle with often raised rings for grip, as I think we see on that long one of yours (?), and as is fairly often seen (by me) lacking the Massai red dye, as with your long one; how meaningful is this red dye? I honestly don't know.
Some additional explaining about the longbladed spear; the lion killing ritual is the entrance to traditional manhood/militia; you are not a hero, a killer, a defender of stock and women, until you have done this proof. The spear used for it would thus seem (?) to be the lowest rank militia spear. Complicating this further is that I've seen the thing done on television, by a Massai, and it was not done with that type of spear with which it is reputed to be done, and (of course?) it was not done by "planting" the spear - a seeming conflation with boar hunting and anticavalry tactics - but by throwing the spear like a sensible person who wants to kill the enemy AND live.
Martindale is still in business in England, and it is my information that they still forge their blades on a hand-guided trip hammer.

8th April 2005, 01:45 PM	#1
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Tim, the longer sword you show is also narrower (most importantly at the tip) than the other style of seme, and seems to lack the midrib. It certainly is a different style, and the ones in it I see are usually old, but is it your contention that the shorter broader form is a newer style that did not exist at the time of the longer ones? I suspect this would be incorrect, though I have nothing real solid on it at the moment. Another telling feature can be the handle of somewhat squarish wooden slabs covered with rawhide vs. the(older? or just nicer? or ethnically different?) more rounded handle with often raised rings for grip, as I think we see on that long one of yours (?), and as is fairly often seen (by me) lacking the Massai red dye, as with your long one; how meaningful is this red dye? I honestly don't know. Some additional explaining about the longbladed spear; the lion killing ritual is the entrance to traditional manhood/militia; you are not a hero, a killer, a defender of stock and women, until you have done this proof. The spear used for it would thus seem (?) to be the lowest rank militia spear. Complicating this further is that I've seen the thing done on television, by a Massai, and it was not done with that type of spear with which it is reputed to be done, and (of course?) it was not done by "planting" the spear - a seeming conflation with boar hunting and anticavalry tactics - but by throwing the spear like a sensible person who wants to kill the enemy AND live. Martindale is still in business in England, and it is my information that they still forge their blades on a hand-guided trip hammer.