filled wholes on indian sword blades

Jim McDougall · 5th October 2008, 08:19 PM

In other reading I found some other items I thought I would add here to those interested in this topic.

In Elgood's "Hindu Arms and Ritual" (p.265), it is noted that,"...before going off to war a husband would have his forehead marked with a 'tilak', a smear of sandal paste between the eyebrows. The same auspicious dot is placed on arms to be worshipped".

Given the aversion to iron/steel observed in Hindu religion, I wonder if a brass dot might somehow attend to these beliefs in auspicious placement on the blade in the manner of the sandal paste dot? It is known that the use of brass and copper on mounts on Hindu weapons were often intended to counter the negative forces of the iron in the blade.

In another note which may or may not apply to pierced dots in blades, while reading through notes from Briggs ("European Blades in Tuareg Swords and Daggers", JAAS, Vol.V, #2, 1965), he notes on p.80 that one takouba blade was pierced just above the rounded point and had the hole filled by a copper plug. It should be noted that Tuaregs also maintained superstitious aversion to iron, which is why hilts are leather covered as well as some forms are brass covered on guard.
Also he notes that a 'southern' type takouba has a blade pierced near the middle of the blade with an open oval hole, and states "...I have no idea what the purpose and meaning, if any, of these mutilations by piercing can have been".

Our frustrations were clearly also experienced by this great scholar!!!

Best regards,
Jim

5th October 2008, 08:19 PM	#12
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	In other reading I found some other items I thought I would add here to those interested in this topic. In Elgood's "Hindu Arms and Ritual" (p.265), it is noted that,"...before going off to war a husband would have his forehead marked with a 'tilak', a smear of sandal paste between the eyebrows. The same auspicious dot is placed on arms to be worshipped". Given the aversion to iron/steel observed in Hindu religion, I wonder if a brass dot might somehow attend to these beliefs in auspicious placement on the blade in the manner of the sandal paste dot? It is known that the use of brass and copper on mounts on Hindu weapons were often intended to counter the negative forces of the iron in the blade. In another note which may or may not apply to pierced dots in blades, while reading through notes from Briggs ("European Blades in Tuareg Swords and Daggers", JAAS, Vol.V, #2, 1965), he notes on p.80 that one takouba blade was pierced just above the rounded point and had the hole filled by a copper plug. It should be noted that Tuaregs also maintained superstitious aversion to iron, which is why hilts are leather covered as well as some forms are brass covered on guard. Also he notes that a 'southern' type takouba has a blade pierced near the middle of the blade with an open oval hole, and states "...I have no idea what the purpose and meaning, if any, of these mutilations by piercing can have been". Our frustrations were clearly also experienced by this great scholar!!! Best regards, Jim