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Zach Gordon
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 Posted: Mon 12 Oct, 2009 2:48 pm Post subject: Ballock dagger? |
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Hi, y'all.
I have a question concerning "Ballock Daggers", and the shape of the hilt. I was going to buy one of these and I showed a picture to a friend of mine that is not into this kind of thing. He thought it would not be a good buy because the shape of the hilt reminded him of er.......male genitalia. After hearing that and looking at a couple of ballock daggers I couldn't help but agree.... And as these were worn on the belt near that region, I was wondering if they were specifically designed to look like you know what. Are there any historical documents, etc. that confirm or denounce this, um, theory?
Thnx
Z
http://www.myArmoury.com/images/reviews/mi_bd1_s.jpg
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Zach Gordon
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| Posted: Mon 12 Oct, 2009 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks man! Sorry I had not seen that article.
Thnx,
Z
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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| Posted: Mon 12 Oct, 2009 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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Cool. One other thing worth mentioning is that the original photo you provided as a link is an example that is particularly "anatomic" in nature. Not only are the "lobes" present and quite defined, the grip and "pommel end" are also carved to represent the male anatomy.
In medieval culture, the phallic nature of imagery and art was not frowned upon, but was embraced and often flaunted. The ideas of shame and modesty were different than ours are today. They, of course, existed in their society, but they were not the same as modern notions.
Many ballock daggers are quite stylized, but like the one you show above, others are very lifelike. As our ballock dagger spotlight article mentions, the prudish Victorian culture renamed these daggers "kidney daggers" to deny the obvious phallic association.
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Hector Mendoza
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| Posted: Mon 12 Oct, 2009 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | The design is intentionally aimed at being a representation of the male anatomy. |
Question is why?
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Andrew Maxwell
Location: New Zealand Joined: 03 May 2009
Posts: 90
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| Posted: Mon 12 Oct, 2009 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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Just a note for anyone else who didn't realise- "ballock" or "bollock" are (rather old) English slang terms for testicles. 
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Sean Manning
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| Posted: Tue 13 Oct, 2009 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Hector Mendoza wrote: | | Quote: | | The design is intentionally aimed at being a representation of the male anatomy. |
Question is why? |
In the period when ballock daggers were popular, men would often wear a dagger at the front center of their belt. I'm sure medieval people made jokes about the long, hard, straight thing hanging between their legs, and some picked daggers which would add to the joke.
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