Newest Treasure Acquisition, The Most Magic Knife, Esoteric Secrets, Gematria,+,+,+

Raf · 29th January 2023, 01:29 PM

Or 1 divided 9 =1111111111 and 1111111111 x 1111111111=123456789 which I still find really scary.
Are you sure the handle isn't actually horn? Horn was the plastic of the eighteenth century. It could be boiled in caustic which de natures the horn and reduces it to a pulpy plastic mass that could be pressed into moulds. When dry it reverts back to a solid form. Inlays could be temporarily attached to the inside of the mould and the horn moulds itself around the inlay. Which is maybe what you have here. Is that alchemical enough for you ?

JoeCanada42 · 29th January 2023, 03:58 PM

yes, quite alchemical, thank you very much!
That is something very interesting and something I have not heard of.
Actually I was not at all certain what the handle was made from, I was assuming ebony or horn.

JoeCanada42 · 2nd February 2023, 07:31 AM

I Hope these Posts can help inspire more comments
they are part of my quest to uncover the meaning in the symbols or some corroborative evidence .
What came first the the Chicken or the Egg?
A:they exist inside the other

JoeCanada42 · 2nd February 2023, 07:33 AM

abrakadabra,,, Abraxas,, and Hermanubis

The mysteries are like an onion with many layers but one core

JoeCanada42 · 2nd February 2023, 07:34 AM

what kind of blade? I was thinking, arming sword?, knightly sword?, Viking sword?
something significant?

Interested Party · 2nd February 2023, 01:24 PM

Joe that is quite a rabbit hole you are going down. I can appreciate this as I am also a global learner and ideas tend to spider web and morph into related concepts for me as well.

Yes, the swastika was a solar sign usually associated with a cycle of rebirth. Day and night were a metaphor for the transmigration of the soul. The other side of the handle could be looked at as a fertility symbol of vaguely phallic and vaginal symbolism especially when mixed vegetative growth. Were these put there for an overt purpose? Or were they vestigial decorations that were merely decorations? My grandparents had a family bible from the last quarter of19th century its cover was covered in a knotwork of protection spells. Were they there in a pagan sense or just serendipity? I would argue that the artist did not know what they were imitating and merely added the pattern to give the bible a traditional cultural feel to the demographic the sale was aimed at, but that is just my opinion. If the knowledge and practices was still common understanding it would not be so esoteric. In my insignificant opinion it is interesting and important to understand where art and tradition originate but I am not sure how much meaning is behind the placement of such symbols. They do help the since of continuity with prehistory though.

Jim McDougall · 2nd February 2023, 07:54 PM

Very well said I.P.!!!
In the study of ethnographic arms, there are constant religious, superstitious, talismanic imbuements of virtually all sorts, though scholarly studies typically are inclined to avoid any in depth study of these. Presumably anything which cannot be proven empirically is glossed over except with occasional side notes.
However, in the designs and symbolism inherent in most of these forms, these are virtually predominant, despite metaphysical origins.

In European arms the presence of similar associations with magic, occult and superstitious elements in decoration, inscriptions and markings equally are often present.

Ironically, much of the same arcane symbology is of course present on these kinds of weapons in the private sector and often in ritual and ceremonial practice. Yet this is often met with similar reticence to that of serious study of these kinds of character in the arms used in warfare or self defense.

I have always thought, we do not have to believe in what these symbols and esoteric elements represent....but to understand and perhaps identify a weapon being examined.....we must become aware of what the people using them believed.

As I.P. has well noted, often examples being copied or produced later may well incorporate the significant symbols without awareness of meaning, but simply carrying forth the completeness of the item copied.

I always think of the automotive analogy........in the 1950s, the Buick had distinctive discs on the side of the hood. Most people had no idea what these represented, however these were vestigial representations of the exhaust ports from cars of the 1930s, as well as aviation, those on fighter planes.

JoeCanada42 · 14th March 2023, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Interested Party

Joe that is quite a rabbit hole you are going down. I can appreciate this as I am also a global learner and ideas tend to spider web and morph into related concepts for me as well.

well here is another rabbit hole I hope some may appreciate,
just put this together,
trying to work with you Fernando took forever but put 35+ images into one..

Bes Commonly depicted on an instrument called the Sistrum

2nd February 2023, 07:31 AM	#3
JoeCanada42 Member Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Canada Posts: 259	I Hope these Posts can help inspire more comments they are part of my quest to uncover the meaning in the symbols or some corroborative evidence . What came first the the Chicken or the Egg? A:they exist inside the other Attached Images

2nd February 2023, 07:33 AM	#4
JoeCanada42 Member Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Canada Posts: 259	abrakadabra,,, Abraxas,, and Hermanubis The mysteries are like an onion with many layers but one core Attached Images

2nd February 2023, 07:34 AM	#5
JoeCanada42 Member Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Canada Posts: 259	what kind of blade? I was thinking, arming sword?, knightly sword?, Viking sword? something significant? Attached Images

2nd February 2023, 07:54 PM	#7
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,410	"..curioser and curiouser"!! Very well said I.P.!!! In the study of ethnographic arms, there are constant religious, superstitious, talismanic imbuements of virtually all sorts, though scholarly studies typically are inclined to avoid any in depth study of these. Presumably anything which cannot be proven empirically is glossed over except with occasional side notes. However, in the designs and symbolism inherent in most of these forms, these are virtually predominant, despite metaphysical origins. In European arms the presence of similar associations with magic, occult and superstitious elements in decoration, inscriptions and markings equally are often present. Ironically, much of the same arcane symbology is of course present on these kinds of weapons in the private sector and often in ritual and ceremonial practice. Yet this is often met with similar reticence to that of serious study of these kinds of character in the arms used in warfare or self defense. I have always thought, we do not have to believe in what these symbols and esoteric elements represent....but to understand and perhaps identify a weapon being examined.....we must become aware of what the people using them believed. As I.P. has well noted, often examples being copied or produced later may well incorporate the significant symbols without awareness of meaning, but simply carrying forth the completeness of the item copied. I always think of the automotive analogy........in the 1950s, the Buick had distinctive discs on the side of the hood. Most people had no idea what these represented, however these were vestigial representations of the exhaust ports from cars of the 1930s, as well as aviation, those on fighter planes.

29th January 2023, 01:29 PM	#1
Raf Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 252	Or 1 divided 9 =1111111111 and 1111111111 x 1111111111=123456789 which I still find really scary. Are you sure the handle isn't actually horn? Horn was the plastic of the eighteenth century. It could be boiled in caustic which de natures the horn and reduces it to a pulpy plastic mass that could be pressed into moulds. When dry it reverts back to a solid form. Inlays could be temporarily attached to the inside of the mould and the horn moulds itself around the inlay. Which is maybe what you have here. Is that alchemical enough for you ?

29th January 2023, 03:58 PM	#2
JoeCanada42 Member Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Canada Posts: 259	yes, quite alchemical, thank you very much! That is something very interesting and something I have not heard of. Actually I was not at all certain what the handle was made from, I was assuming ebony or horn.

2nd February 2023, 01:24 PM	#6
Interested Party Member Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Eastern Sierra Posts: 505	Joe that is quite a rabbit hole you are going down. I can appreciate this as I am also a global learner and ideas tend to spider web and morph into related concepts for me as well. Yes, the swastika was a solar sign usually associated with a cycle of rebirth. Day and night were a metaphor for the transmigration of the soul. The other side of the handle could be looked at as a fertility symbol of vaguely phallic and vaginal symbolism especially when mixed vegetative growth. Were these put there for an overt purpose? Or were they vestigial decorations that were merely decorations? My grandparents had a family bible from the last quarter of19th century its cover was covered in a knotwork of protection spells. Were they there in a pagan sense or just serendipity? I would argue that the artist did not know what they were imitating and merely added the pattern to give the bible a traditional cultural feel to the demographic the sale was aimed at, but that is just my opinion. If the knowledge and practices was still common understanding it would not be so esoteric. In my insignificant opinion it is interesting and important to understand where art and tradition originate but I am not sure how much meaning is behind the placement of such symbols. They do help the since of continuity with prehistory though.