Share your miniature blades!

[Mel H]

Sajen, Yes, thanks for the memory jog (or should I say eselsbrücke ) The one I had was more like the first one in your photo, as I said it was a long time since.

[Sajen]

Hi Mel,

I know this problem! And yes, it was a "Eselsbrücke" for you!

Regards,
Detlef

[russel]

Here is another one from my collection. 12.5cm overall, 6.5cm blade. Well made and VERY sharp. I'm am not sure what this should be called.

[asomotif]

Nice thread.

Would like to see some more matchboxes as well

[Athanase]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Nice thread.

Would like to see some more matchboxes as well

I had the matchbox specialy for you (betwen 1872 and 1892)

Tow mini Kriss with pamor blade.

The first overlength : 15,4 cm (6,1'' )

The second overlength : 15,2cm (6'')

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Athanase

I had the matchbox specialy for you (betwen 1872 and 1892)

Tow mini Kriss with pamor blade.

The first overlength : 15,4 cm (6,1'' )

The second overlength : 15,2cm (6'')

Wow, never seen this sort of keris jimat!

[Mickey the Finn]

Mr. Osobist, I was about to ask if you're an Afghanistan veteran, but then I noticed that some people collect matchboxes. I used to collect cigarette packages when I was a kid. Then I switched to tarot cards and other things.
Mr. Sajen, มีดหมอ is perhaps the Thai word commonly used to refer to such articles. I find it transliterated as "meed mor". The transliteration into Latin letters may or may not accurately reflect the actual pronunciation. I find the word translated variously, on assorted webpages, as "knife", "lancet", "doctor's knife", "exorcist's knife", or "sorcerer's magic knife". The richness of the nuances of meaning can be lost in translation. A few of the problems with translations are: they may be a "rough and ready", improvised, or ad hoc solution intended to convey the "general idea", Mickey Moused up by a non-linguistically inclined layman who, in addition, is no "gunpowder inventor". Certain subtitled movies sometimes illustrate this; movies with the original audio of the dialogue dubbed over are even better, and so much worse.
The "word-for-word" translation is, in some languages, an impossibility. In those instances where it can be pulled off, the end result in the target language sometimes reads like a wooden shoe that's too small.
Unless it's explicitly stated, I'm left guessing as to whether the intent was to translate as literally as possible, to convey the meaning of an idiomatic expression in the source language, to interpret, or some ad hoc/ improvised/ variable/ combination/ "play it by ear"/ "fly by the seat of the pants" method.
How does one convey the meaning of "mumbo jumbo" into Swahili? Is "hoc est corpus" an accurate translation into Latin of "hocus pocus? Is "abracadabra" a good interpretation into English of "sim sala bim", or would it be best to leave it untranslated? Should "alakazam" be translated to "sim sala bim" if German is the target language? If I don't know the source language of a word (it's not necessarily the same as the language of origin of the word), translation or interpretation of "nostrum" or "patrem" are shots in the dark. "Sama suku" from Bahasa Indonesia to Finnish and vice versa is the only example which comes to mind that doesn't present very much of a conundrum.
I think I recall that Bambang Harsrinuksmo in "Ensiklopedi Keris" gave specific measurements which enabled one to distinguish a patrem from a "keris proper/ standard keris", and a patrem from a keris jimat.
The really tiny ones (<8cm. or so) appear to be made of brass and/or (I'm guessing) some other kind of copper alloy which can be patinated almost black.. I doubt very much that it's swasa, or any other alloy containing Au or Ag, though I could be wrong.
Pics can be found by Googling "keris jimat". Does anyone know what metals are used to make these, and the technique used to achieve the contrast in colours?

[ariel]

European agents of serious swordmaking companies used to carry miniature copies of the real wares in their traveling cases. Prospective buyers could pick and choose. But dating them to the 1960s seems to exclude this possibility. The Bebut ( curved bladed kindjal) from the Osobist's collection carries a niello inscription on the scabbard "Kavkaz" written in the old Russian style: a local souvenir. I guess that the mini Nihonto examples were also souvenirs.
There is a Polish book of a Kris collector ( I vaguely remember he might have been an ambassador to Indonesia). His most important item was a very miniature Kris, gifted to him by Sukarno.
What was the purpose of the rest of Indonesian, Thai and Philippine mini daggers is a mystery to me. They would not have any practical value as self-defense weapons, so souvenirs is the first thing that comes into my mind.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by ariel

There is a Polish book of a Kris collector ( I vaguely remember he might have been an ambassador to Indonesia). His most important item was a very miniature Kris, gifted to him by Sukarno.
What was the purpose of the rest of Indonesian, Thai and Philippine mini daggers is a mystery to me. They would not have any practical value as self-defense weapons, so souvenirs is the first thing that comes into my mind.

Hello Ariel,

Small keris like the one shown in post #1 this thread are jimats.
I don't think it's easy like this, some of the ones from me showed SEA items have a practical value, but by others like the gunong I would agree.
The two mini swords from Willem and me are collector items, I hesitate to call them souvenirs.

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

Originally Posted by ariel

... What was the purpose of the rest of Indonesian, Thai and Philippine mini daggers is a mystery to me. They would not have any practical value as self-defense weapons, so souvenirs is the first thing that comes into my mind.

Ariel, a lot of the small Thai knives are spiritual talismans called meed mor, but often referred to as "priest knives" in the older European literature. The composition of the knives and the religious blessings they receive have significance in the culture of origin.

[adamb]

Tiny badik from South Sulawesi; acquired last year from a Makasar man; the blade is black steel (Malela), which is seen as inherently poisonous. I was told these tiny badiks are not toys or talismans, but feared weapons used by assassins

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by russel

Here is another one from my collection. 12.5cm overall, 6.5cm blade. Well made and VERY sharp. I'm am not sure what this should be called.

Very nice Russel! I am a little bit jealous!

And yes, keep them coming up!

[asomotif]

Originally Posted by russel

Here is another one from my collection. 12.5cm overall, 6.5cm blade. Well made and VERY sharp. I'm am not sure what this should be called.

Ps. I am not sure if we should call this knife a miniature.
I don't know the name but I have seen them several times in the past and probably have one or two stored somewhere in the attic.
These knifes are never big. I would say between 10 and 15 cms total length is an average size.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Ps. I am not sure if we should call this knife a miniature.
I don't know the name but I have seen them several times in the past and probably have one or two stored somewhere in the attic.
These knifes are never big. I would say between 10 and 15 cms total length is an average size.

Hello Willem,
Yes, they are always small sized. But an eunjangdo as well. But it's a mini knife for sure.

Regards,
Detlef

[naturalist]

Most likely Sundanese (people of West Java) Pisau Raut (Carving knife)

Originally Posted by russel

Here is another one from my collection. 12.5cm overall, 6.5cm blade. Well made and VERY sharp. I'm am not sure what this should be called.

[Gonzoadler]

I want to show some miniature blades, too.

At first a small katana made of bone.
Length overall: 19,5cm
without scabbard: 16,5cm

[Gonzoadler]

Number two: a miniature Koummya.
Length overall: 9cm
Without scabbard: 8cm

[Gonzoadler]

Number three:
A miniature Kris, blade and scabbard are made of silver.
Is anyone here who is able to read the hallmarks?
Length overall: 20,5cm
Without scabbard: 19,5cm

[Ian]

Hi Gonzoadler. Unusual shaped blade on your second example.

[Duccio]

Health to all.
In the photo below you see three Byongi (parade knives of the Konda people, R.D.C.) of normal size and one of small size (18 cm), and then the mini knife alone.

[Duccio]

Here instead we see an akrafena (Akan people, Ivory Coast) of normal size and a tiny one.

[Duccio]

and, finally, a "homeopathic" keris (13 cm).