Navaja, opinion requested

[Sajen]

The navaja has arrived at it's destination. The scales are fortunately from horn, at a small area bugs have done their work.
The inscriptions are "La Giralda" at the tip of the blade and above from "Sevilla" is to read "armeria" bordered with two "z" which mean "weapon shop" when my translation is correct. So it is maybe indeed a display piece!?
Here some more pictures.

[Gavin Nugent]

One of my first loves in weapons was the Navaja and Sword cane...just something about them.

The one pictured reads CUCHILLERIA GAVILAN STA CRUZ de MUDELA and is of the place and period Chris writes about.

I've had many Navaja and one that sticks out in my mind was of the exact same profile with a beautiful panel of script that read;

"Cuando acaricia mi mano"
"la cacha de esta navaja"
hasta los valientes tiem?lau"
"al ver mis bravas houzanas"

It was manufactured by Alvaro Garcia Albacete and is thought to pre-date these by many decades.

Good to see you here Chris.

Gavin

[fernando]

Gavin, may i ?

"Cuando acaricia mi mano"
"la cacha de esta navaja"
hasta los valientes tremblan" (tremble)
"al ver mis bravas hazañas" (feats)


.

[Chris Evans]

Detlef: Glad to read that the scales are horn. Does the handle have metallic liners? If you can, please take a close-up photo of the ARMERIA, the ZZ and anything else that may give us a clue; Maybe I can trace its origins from one of my reference books.

Gavin: That's a nice one, and yes, there's something very special about navajas.

Fernado: Thanks for the correction, but keep in mind that many of the cutlers were illiterate, so bad spelling was the norm, rather than the exception

And here's my loose tranlsation into English:

"Cuando acaricia mi mano"
"la cacha de esta navaja"
hasta los valientes tremblan" (tremble)
"al ver mis bravas hazañas" (feats)

When my hands caress the handle of this navaja
Even the brave tremble
After having seen my brave feats.

Cheers
Chris

[asomotif]

There are various film on youtube illustrating making navajas.
Here is a nice one, giving you the feeling of you can start making them at home :-)
If you see this man working, with the most simple tools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSUK...04BD0D62115CF1

[Chris Evans]

Originally Posted by asomotif

There are various film on youtube illustrating making navajas.
Here is a nice one, giving you the feeling of you can start making them at home :-)
If you see this man working, with the most simple tools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSUK...04BD0D62115CF1

Good informative video.

Here's another one with more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXSyixRWyUU

Cheers
Chris

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Chris Evans

... Fernando: Thanks for the correction, but keep in mind that many of the cutlers were illiterate, so bad spelling was the norm, rather than the exception ...

Agreed Chris.
However in this case i saw the navaja in question and the spelling is correct; it is the reading that wasn't .

[Chris Evans]

Originally Posted by fernando

Agreed Chris.
However in this case i saw the navaja in question and the spelling is correct; it is the reading that wasn't .

Touche!

But on second thoughts, the cutler still cannot spell because the correct version is "tiemblan"


Cheers
Chris

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Chris Evans

Touche!

But on second thoughts, the cutler still cannot spell because the correct version is "tiemblan"


Cheers
Chris

Maybe not a cutler's mispell, Chris.
More like my short sight.
... or a certain influence of having a lot of similar terms both in castillian as in portuguese, all derived from as many similar terms in latin ... tremĕre, timĕre, tremulare (which gave temblar).

.

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by fernando

Gavin, may i ?

"Cuando acaricia mi mano"
"la cacha de esta navaja"
hasta los valientes tremblan" (tremble)
"al ver mis bravas hazañas" (feats)


.

Thank you Fernando.

Gavin

[Chris Evans]

Originally Posted by Sajen

The navaja has arrived at it's destination. The scales are fortunately from horn, at a small area bugs have done their work.
The inscriptions are "La Giralda" at the tip of the blade and above from "Sevilla" is to read "armeria" bordered with two "z" which mean "weapon shop" when my translation is correct. So it is maybe indeed a display piece!?
Here some more pictures.

"Aremeria Z of Sevilla was a sports store and a branch of Deportes Zulategui. According to this website, it was et up in 1945 and has ceased trading: http://www.sevilla.org/urbanismo/pub...ur/CAS_278.pdf


According to this webpage, Deportes Zulategui it is still trading, but not as Armeria Z: http://www.citiservi.es/sevilla/depo...82385_247.html Perhaps you can drop them a line and seek more information.

From the above we can confidently say that your navaja was made under contract, probably in Santa Cruz De Mudela, to be sold by Armeria Z post 1945.

Cheers
Chris