Kaskara for Comment.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Edster

This is my first post so kindly forgive any errors.

The stamp blade mark in an 8/9/09 exchange between Rick and Wodimi (Wolf) is the Fly or duran . It’s a bit of symbolic magic so the user can jump like a fly when fighting. See the attached photo of a similar version of the mark from the Kassala, Sudan Suq al Haddad circa 1984

Also, silver furniture on the sword handles also is magic in that it protects the user from sword wounds. Copper also protects, but silver trumps copper.

Thanks,
Edster

Thank you !
Duran, talismanic .

Interesting .

Rick

[Edster]

Iain,

I spent a week at the Kassala, Sudan blacksmith market in 1984 and did socio-economic research with the sword and knife makers there. Learned about the manufacturing processes as well as historic and cultural significance of sword and knife use. Hopefully, a paper I wrote of the experience will be shared on the EAA forum in the next week or so.

The info on the Fly motif was provided by swordsmiths and other knowledgable members of the market.

It was an exciting and rare opportunity to see how the kaskara swords were made much like they had always been made, at least since forged steel blades were worked.

Best regards,
Ed

[Iain]

Hi Ed,

Always very exciting to hear from people who've had the opportunity to do first hand research.

I can't wait to read your paper. The talismanic meanings behind some of the blade markings are something that quite a few people have speculated about but having hands on confirmation is amazing!

Really looking forward to learning more from your experiences.

Cheers,

Iain

[Edster]

Hi Iain,

Islam didn't get a good foothold in Sudan until the 14-15 Century. Also, Popular Islam as practiced by most folks in the countryside retained a lot of pre-Islamic elements and also tended toward Sufi mysticism. People did a lot of symbolic things to gain "baraka" or Allah's blessing including Koranic inscriptions and amulets to protect from this and that. Anything to reduce risk and increase self confidence in a highly uncertain environment, especially in war or just being out and about in a socially unpredictible environment. Also, if it were publically known that you had a sword with a silver wrapped handle your religo-magic protection would be greater than a potential attacker with just a leather wrapped one.

When I was there I carried an amulet or two myself and have always given money to begger women just to increase my chances of avoiding misfortune. In Islam to give money to the poor increases baraka or blessing.

Religo-magic isn't only popular in rural Islam. I have a replica of a cast bronze 700 B. C. Late Bronze - Early Iron Age axe head from the South Russia Steppes. It has two 1/8 inch iron rod serpentine inlayes on each face in form of snakes. Snake Cults were popular in the area at the time and in the period iron was more valuable than gold. Also, on the axe head are eight crudely engraved small fish. Fish represent the Underworld in the cosmology of the time and place.

There seems to me to be a parallel between the use of rare metals and religious inscriptions to protect one in battle. It may be rewarding to examine other weapons from other places/times to find and identify what talismen may be incorporated into the design. Items of material culture usually reflect some component of social culture as well.

Best regards,
Ed