About the Dussäge

Marc · 18th January 2007, 10:54 AM

I know the one you mean. It’s beautiful.

"Dussack", "Dussäge"... is quite used, generically, to describe short, curved swords of centre-north European origin from about 15th - 18th c., as well as the training instruments utilised to learn its use.. Many featured a yelman of sorts, and can be related to what later was known as a "cutlass". To find pieces similar to the one you saw, though, you may have better luck searching for "Sinclair Sabre" or Saber. This is how many of those were labelled by the XIX c. collectors/academics due to a spurious history that linked the spread of those in Europe to a Scottish mercenary and his men, who were allegedly defeated in an ambush in Norway. The story goes saying that from the basket-hilts that were taken as spoils of that battle by the victors, this typology emerged. The anecdote is indeed spurious, as are many of the early typological justifications put forth with dismaying easiness by quite a number of those who studied Arms and armour in the 19th. c., but the name, as so many others, stuck, and have survived up to our days, for the desperation of some.

Of course, if one wants to keep a bit of seriousness in the study, has to know the facts and discard the adornments, but, in this case, as many others, I can't help but thinking that, as the Italians say, "se non è vero, è ben trovato" (loosely, "Even if it's not true, it is well conceived").

A couple pics, from around the web:

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Threaded Mode

18th January 2007, 10:54 AM	#4
Marc Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Madrid / Barcelona Posts: 256	I know the one you mean. It’s beautiful. "Dussack", "Dussäge"... is quite used, generically, to describe short, curved swords of centre-north European origin from about 15th - 18th c., as well as the training instruments utilised to learn its use.. Many featured a yelman of sorts, and can be related to what later was known as a "cutlass". To find pieces similar to the one you saw, though, you may have better luck searching for "Sinclair Sabre" or Saber. This is how many of those were labelled by the XIX c. collectors/academics due to a spurious history that linked the spread of those in Europe to a Scottish mercenary and his men, who were allegedly defeated in an ambush in Norway. The story goes saying that from the basket-hilts that were taken as spoils of that battle by the victors, this typology emerged. The anecdote is indeed spurious, as are many of the early typological justifications put forth with dismaying easiness by quite a number of those who studied Arms and armour in the 19th. c., but the name, as so many others, stuck, and have survived up to our days, for the desperation of some. Of course, if one wants to keep a bit of seriousness in the study, has to know the facts and discard the adornments, but, in this case, as many others, I can't help but thinking that, as the Italians say, "se non è vero, è ben trovato" (loosely, "Even if it's not true, it is well conceived"). A couple pics, from around the web: