Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Canary Islands Dagger or Spanish Philippines Naval Dirk?

Ian · 9th January 2024, 01:23 AM

Hi SL79,

Both a tool and a weapon. As a weapon, the corvo is a very nasty one used against soft body parts such as the abdomen and neck. It was much feared by opponents. A peasant knife, it was converted to military use and infamously used in the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru in the mid-19th C. Two modified versions are still in military use by Chile. There is quite a lot of information about the corvo in the Ethno Forum pages.

Your example shows the typical, tightly stacked hilt on these knives. The OP of this thread shows that the various disks on the hilt are loose and mobile, unlike the tight finish on a corvo. Thanks for showing your example for comparison.

9th January 2024, 01:23 AM	#8
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,041	Hi SL79, Both a tool and a weapon. As a weapon, the corvo is a very nasty one used against soft body parts such as the abdomen and neck. It was much feared by opponents. A peasant knife, it was converted to military use and infamously used in the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru in the mid-19th C. Two modified versions are still in military use by Chile. There is quite a lot of information about the corvo in the Ethno Forum pages. Your example shows the typical, tightly stacked hilt on these knives. The OP of this thread shows that the various disks on the hilt are loose and mobile, unlike the tight finish on a corvo. Thanks for showing your example for comparison.