small dha

[wilked aka Khun Deng]

Freddy meed maw (lit. doctor knife) or meed phra (lit. preist knife) are as katana stated talismanic and while they come in varying sizes from penknife to full blown dha what makes them meed phra is the blessing they receive from a Buddhist priest. The more venerated the Buddhist priest the more potent and expensive they are. Sometimes the priests would wrap a hair or a small paper prayer around the tang before the smith finished assembly.

Different temples and makers will have different designs on the blades generally near the hilt. While I haven't seen one with this particular blade profile or design it does show some age and the handle wrap and scabbard manufacture are of the old technique so I'd say you have a nice piece there.
BTW these can be QUITE expensive in Thailand.

As for the other two;
The top one I'm at a loss it almost looks like someone mixed styles when they added the new scabbard, but the blade itself with the upturned tip follows the profile of other meed phra I've seen and I've seen a similar handle (although using pewter instead the brass ferrules) but that scabbard doesn't seem to fit at all.

The middle knife is a newer example of a northern hill tribe knife (Mark has the actual name - it escapes me right now). Every male member of the hill tribes carries these. The blades are generally of less than stellar quality and the ivory on this one shows none of the yellowing I'd expect with age, but a very nice piece none the less.

Dan