[Dan Kary]

Hi everybody,

I'm sure many of us have seen Tod's awesome new skeans and videos about them (check them out if you haven't on the Tod's Workshop and Tod Cutler channels on YouTube!).

I have a question in virtue of learning that little bit more about them. Tod highlights the unusual construction of them. There is, however, at least one skean I know of that didn't have that same construction using wedges. It uses a more or less standard peen with a pommel or pommel cap. It also has a round, non-waisted grip. Tod, as some of us might remember, used to sell one (it is still available at kult of athena: https://www.kultofathena.com/product/tod-cutler-irish-scian-or-skean-medieval-dagger/) and there are others who sell, or sold, very similar ones.

Wulflund sells this: https://www.wulflund.com/weapons/swords/other-swords/irish-skean-xvi-century-battle-ready-replica.html/

An Irish arms one was featured here: https://myArmoury.com/nateb_dagg_ia_skean.html

Apparently this style is based on one from the river Shannon. I'm wondering if this was a weird one-off, or if it is an earlier, or later development (Wulflund says 16th century, which I think makes a contemporary of the wedge constructed ones). Any insights?

Thanks guys!

Dan

[Ryan S.]

I got the impression that Tod discontinued the old version of the scian because he wasn't satisfied with its accuracy, possibly after reading the book on it. The Rambling Kern did a short review on the book and said that most repos weren't that accurate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsSdf_reEuw

I think especially the wedges isn't something that is going to be apparent from art and information about scians is rare. Do you know any information about the Shannon river scian?

[Dan Kary]

Thanks Ryan.

I don't, but I was assuming that it was three makers all basing it on the same skean find. Otherwise, was it one of them just copying the others...

Thanks for the video link. I will for sure check that out. I should really follow the Rambling Kern. I've watched a few of his videos and I enjoyed them.