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Lance Morris




Location: NYC
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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2016 1:05 am    Post subject: Ghadjalt Viking sword matching dagger?         Reply with quote

Hey guys,

What kinda dagger would the Vikings carry in 1000 - 1150 to accompany the ghadjalt Viking sword?

Since I'm pushing my luck, what kinda belt and suspension would they have?

I'm doing some research to match a custom tinker ghadjalt
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Stephen Curtin




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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2016 1:40 am    Post subject: Re: Ghadjalt Viking sword matching dagger?         Reply with quote

Lance Morris wrote:

What kinda dagger would the Vikings carry in 1000 - 1150 to accompany the ghadjalt Viking sword....I'm doing some research to match a custom tinker ghadjalt


Well it's debatable whether or not you could call a Norseman in the 11th or 12th centuries a "viking ". As for daggers he probably wouldn't carry one and if he did it most likely wouldn't match his sword. Matching sword and dagger sets were never all that common, and probably unheard in your chosen time period. Saexes were still used in this time period, but I'm not sure if you would call a saex a dagger.

Éirinn go Brách
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Harry Marinakis




PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2016 7:49 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Daggers had not yet been "invented" during that time frame. The standard knife during the 10th-11th C was the seax. I can't recall ever seeing evidence that a sword and seax were worn at the same time. The seax was worn horizontally in front, unless is was so long that it interfered with swinging your arms while walking, then it was carried more or less vertically at the side like a short sword. The seax did not match the sword.
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Craig Peters




PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2016 8:43 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Technically, we do have the daggers from the 11th century Hrabanus Maurus manuscript: http://s1381.photobucket.com/user/druzhina3/m...3.jpg.html

That having been said, what Harry mentioned is basically correct. There are no surviving daggers from the 11th century, and this manuscript image is the only representation of them for nearly two centuries. I should repeat: out of how ever many manuscripts that exist in the 11th and 12th centuries, this is the only image with a dagger. So, if you are looking for historically accurate, do not make a dagger: there is next to no evidence for their existence.
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Lance Morris




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PostPosted: Tue 23 Aug, 2016 4:53 pm    Post subject: Hello         Reply with quote

Hey Craig,

I would love to see that image
But the link doesn't work


This is good input
I appreciate this.

Is there any pictures or tapestries that have images of a ghadjalt sword in a scabbard with belt?


Thank you
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Mikko Kuusirati




Location: Finland
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PostPosted: Wed 24 Aug, 2016 1:42 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The link worked for me... but in case there is something wrong with it, here's the picture:


"And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That's what sin is."
— Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum
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Craig Peters




PostPosted: Wed 24 Aug, 2016 2:29 am    Post subject: Re: Hello         Reply with quote

Lance Morris wrote:
Hey Craig,

I would love to see that image
But the link doesn't work


This is good input
I appreciate this.

Is there any pictures or tapestries that have images of a ghadjalt sword in a scabbard with belt?


Thank you


The problem with what you're requesting is that medieval art is not realistic enough for us to confidently say that a sword is a Gaddhjalt, as opposed to some other blade. Besides, this is an anachronistic way of thinking about it: no medieval person would have identified his sword as a Gaddhjalt, and there certainly was not a distinction between the scabbards of Gaddhjalt swords and the scabbards of other swords.

Instead, you should just look for patterns and trends in scabbard design from the period you're interested in. There's not a lot of images available from the 11th century, although the Bayeux Tapestry has some, among others. For the 12th century there is considerably more.

Generally, I would recommend:

-A white or light coloured thong-style belt.

-A vertical, integral suspension.

-No chape (the metal part) on the end of the scabbard.

-Minimal to no leather tooling (we do not know for certain how common this was on scabbards of this time, so I tend to prefer to be on the cautious side and go with none).

Have a look at Manuscript Miniatures and search for the times you are interested in. This will give you a much better idea about the kinds of scabbards appropriate to the period.
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Lance Morris




Location: NYC
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PostPosted: Thu 25 Aug, 2016 12:52 pm    Post subject: Mmmm         Reply with quote

Thank you Craig and everyone very much
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Lafayette C Curtis




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PostPosted: Sun 18 Sep, 2016 11:59 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

It's also worth noting that Hrabanus Maurus' work in this context is probably his commentary on Vegetius. Which means that the arms displayed might have been an attempt to represent the armament of the "ideal" Roman army as envisioned by Vegetius rather than an accurate representation of contemporary equipment.
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