Knives of the Norsemen

[Rich]

OK, on a more serious note (why change now) :-)

I wonder why the development of the horsehead pommel?
I can see the purpose of the hook pommel; IMHO it gives
more control of the blade and you can do more "forceful"
cutting with it then with a plain straight pommel.

Perhaps the horsehead design is just an aesthetic
embellishment of the hook pommel? I know little (that's
an understatement) of Finnish culture, but I don't think
of horses as a major component of Finnish culture.

Just wondering? Any thoughts?

http://home.earthlink.net/~steinpic/pommel.jpg

Rich S