Dirk
A dirk is a long-bladed thrusting dagger.[1] Historically, it gained its name from the Highland dirk (Scottish Gaelic dearg) where it was a personal weapon of officers engaged in naval hand-to-hand combat during the Age of Sail[2] as well as the personal sidearm of Highlanders. It was also the traditional sidearm of the Highland Clansman and later used by the officers, pipers, and drummers of Scottish Highland regiments around 1725 to 1800[1] and by Japanese naval officers.[3]
Etymology
The term is associated with
Highland dirk
The Scottish dirk (also "Highland dirk",
The traditional Scottish dirk is a probable development from the 16th century but like all medieval societies, the Highlander needed a knife for everyday use. The dirk became symbolic of a Highland man’s honour and oaths were sworn on the steel which was believed to be holy. The following highlights the importance of the dirk in Highland culture:[10]
The dirk occupies a unique niche in Highland culture and history. Many Highland Scots were too cash-poor to buy a sword, following the Disarming Acts enacted to erode Highland martial insurrections but virtually every male carried a dirk—and carried it everywhere! If in Japan the katana was the soul of the Samurai, in Scotland the dirk was the heart of the Highlander. In many warrior cultures oaths were sworn on one's sword. Among the Gael, however, binding oaths with the force of a geas (involving dire supernatural penalties for breaking such an oath) were sworn on one's dirk. The English, aware of this, used the custom against the Highlanders after Culloden: When Highland dress was prohibited in 1747 those Gael who could not read or sign an oath were required to swear a verbal oath, "in the Irish (Scots Gaelic) tongue and upon the holy iron of their dirks", not to possess any gun, sword, or pistol, or to use tartan: "... and if I do so may I be cursed in my undertakings, family and property, may I be killed in battle as a coward, and lie without burial in a strange land, far from the graves of my forefathers and kindred; may all this come across me if I break my oath."
During the period of proscription, only service in a British regiment permitted Highlanders to bear their traditional arms and dress. The
As is well documented in the oral traditions and in almost every title written prior to 1979, the perceived "holiness" of the steel is likely to have originated in folk superstitions. These origins are often ascribed to "magic" in the forging of Germanic steel. For this reason, it is established that Highlanders retained reverence for blades forged from Solingen steel.[citation needed]
The modern development of the Scottish dirk into a ceremonial weapon occurred during the 19th century.[
in Muzeum Miniaturowej Sztuki Profesjonalnej Henryk Jan Dominiak in Tychy
.jpg)
A thrusting weapon, the naval dirk originally functioned as a boarding weapon and as a functional fighting dagger.[2] During the days of sail, midshipmen and officers wore dirks; the daggers gradually evolved into ceremonial weapons and badges of office.[2] In the Royal Navy, the naval dirk is still presented to junior officers; the basic design of the weapon has changed little in the last 500 years.[2]
The naval dirk (Polish: kordzik, Russian: кортик) became part of the uniform of naval officers and civilian officials in the
]In the United States, the dirk was introduced by Scottish immigrants in the 1700s. This was originally a single-edged weapon, but by 1745 more commonly had a double-edged blade making the dirk more or less synonymous with the dagger. Dirks were often made from old sword blades. In the nineteenth century dirks started to be made with a curved blade, but returned to a straight blade by the end of the century. Some were long enough to be considered a short sword.[17]
See also
- Kindjal
- Knife fight
- List of blade materials
References
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh (ed.); "Dagger", Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729.
- ^ ISBN 0-393-03858-0(1974), p. 35.
- ^ The imperial Japanese navy, Author Frederick Thomas Jane, Publisher W. Thacker & co., 1904 P.276
- ISBN 0-19-283098-8.
- ISBN 0-19-283098-8.
- ^ Hensleigh, Wedgwood; A dictionary of English etymology, 1859.
- ISBN 0-00-472529-8.
- ISBN 0-08-028491-4.
- ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755). A Dictionary of the English Language. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). London: W. Strahan. 597.
Dirk. n. s. [an Earse word.] A kind of dagger used in the Highlands of Scotland. 'In vain thy hungry mountaineers Come forth in all their warlike geers, The shield, the pistol, the dirk, and dagger, In which they daily wont to swagger.' Tickell
- ^ Seago, Dale (1999). The Weapons and Fighting Methods of the Highland Scots: A Study of the Historical Swordsmanship and Warfare Practices of the Scottish Highlanders.
- ^ a b Browne, James; A History of the Highlands and of the Highland Clans, Vol. IV, Edinburgh, Scotland: A. Fullarton & Co. (1838), p. 250.
- ^ Grant, James; British Battles on Land and Sea, Vol. II, London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin (1873), p. 82.
- ^ Fisher, Jay. "Custom Knife Embellishment". Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ISBN 0-8108-2933-9(1994), p. 133.
- ^ Whitelaw, C. E.; Scottish History & Life: Scottish Weapons, Glasgow: James Maclehose & Sons (1902), p. 238.
- ISBN 978-0-395-56236-9(1980), p. 40.
- ISBN 1543826814.
External links
- Spotlight: The Scottish Dirk (myArmoury.com article)