Does anyone have any information or thoughts about Bauernwehr-Hauswehre with quillons?

Over the last few years I've come across a lot of photos of original and replica Bauernwehr, but I've only ever found two photos of Bauernwehr with quillons.

The attached photo is from the book "Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World by Harold L. Peterson".

In the book Peterson dedicates half a page to "Peasant Knives (Hauswehren)". He only mentions those will quillons very briefly but stating "Some Hauswehren had quillons (Plate 43)."

The second photo I found at the following website:

http://www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/hhm48...at48_1.txt


So I'm guessing that these knives were pretty rare. Were they a regional variant perhaps, popular in a particular region only?

Is there any period art depicting them? Does anyone have any further photos to share?

Thanks

Danny

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[ Download ]

Hi Danny, This is a question that has interested me too, ever since seeing that photo in Peterson ... a Bauernwehr with quillons and a false edge would be fairly close in profile and handling to a Bowie, which I find intriguing.

Anyway, I've just had a quick look through Europäische Heib- und Stich- Waffen by Hartmut Kolling and Heinrich Muller, and did not see one, so that strikes one possible source off your list. (They do show one with a fairly substantial curved lower guard, but not full quillons.)

However, I don't read German, so not sure if they say anything about this question or not.

The text on the Hermann Historica site says, that the quillons do not belong to the Hauswehr (und eines mit nicht zugehöriger Parierstange und Stichblatt). Anyway I would really like to hear about Hauswehren with quillons...

Sure I can.
The Text says:
Four Bauernwehre, german, 15th -17th century. Iron. An extremely big example with butt-cap, one other example with butt-cap and shell-shaped Nagel. One with by-knife and pricker and one with quillons which does not belong to it.
Cleaned and conserved earth-find. length 14,1 to 22 inches.

I hope it helps.
Martin

Hi Martin,

In the original, do you think this text means that the quillons do not belong on the Bauernwehr, or could it mean that the by-knife and pricker do not belong with (ie make a 'set' with) the Bauernwehr?

If the original wording allowed for that interpretation, perhaps that would make more sense - as we often see 'paired' items which were not initally made/carried together, and if Bauernwehr did occasionally have quillons, as Peterson suggests ...

Does anyone else have any images of Bauernwehr with quillons?

Below is the image from Peterson, so you don't need to download it.

I have a question: from the shadows / changes in colour, and from the profile on the right hand side, does it look to anyone else that this one has both a nagel as well as those quillons?

Danny's scan shows it a little, but checking the original in my 1st edition of Peterson shows a clear strip of reflection on the left hand side where it looks like the nagel is, as well as a less distinct reflection below this, near the ricasso, where the base of the nagel would be.

While this might not be common on many knives throughout history, it does make sense from a defensive / weapons use point of view. One of the best examples of modern thinking and design in this regard is James Keating's Crossada (that has a downward-curved crossguard as well as ball-terminalled cross-quillons), as well as the slight diamond-shaped flare on the sides of the crossguard on Bill Bagwell's Hell's Belle Bowie - these flares are very subtle, but are enough to catch an opponent's blade if they try to run down the length of yours.

Anyone else see a nagel here, or is it just me?

Mark T

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What Paul said. The description encompasses four different knives, not including the by-knife. Ein or eines (a, one) denotes the next knife. See the picture in the first post.

Paul and Matthijs,
Thanks for the clarification!

Now, does anyone else see a nagel on the Bauernwehr with quillons?

I don't have anything new to add, other than theory about why the quillons may have been "added" to the one knife. Given the date range that it has been placed in, the knife may have had quillons and/or side-ring, since to me it more resembles a side-ring instead of a nagel, added to it in order for the weapon to function as a parrying dagger. The nagel already functioned in in a similar manner to a side-ring, just add quillons, and you have a cheap solution for the need of a parrying dagger, without having to buy an entirely new weapon.

Hurray, practicality!

I'm pretty sure I see the nagel on the second example as well, Mark.

The bowie-bauernwehr similarity has interested me as well. I've set aside an Atlanta Cutlery bowie blade to finish as a mashup between a bauernwehr and early bowie. The nagel seems like such an obvious benefit in carriage and knife fighting that I'm thinking about adding one to my project. Of course, there's also something to be said for a flat profile in a sidearm. Oooh...how about a folding nagel?

These are all 1460-1500, clustered around 1490. One of 'em might be considered a hunting sword, but that one does at least appear to be single-edged, judging from the curved grip. It's probably a minor distinction, anyway. The second knife shown below does appear to have short quillons and a curved nagel.

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