Living The Dream,

Bill: Cancer,  Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius

Handmade Knives - Tungolgim (Anglo-Saxon Seax)

Maker: Scott Roush of Big Rock Forge

Talking about Tungolgim, Scott Roush says: “This knife started as a gift from Sweden… bars of carburised bloomery steel made by Götz Breitenbücher, a smith who smelts much of his own steel directly from iron ore for use in his wonderful weapons. One of the bars he sent to me had Gibeon meteorite folded with the bloomery steel. I have taken these bars and forge welded them together and forged this blade.”

“It is an Anglo-Saxon seax and I call it Tungolgim, meaning Old Saxon for ‘Star-Gem’. The blade is mounted in ebony and bog yew from the UK that dates back to 3300 BCE. This wood was salvaged from bogs and used for cabinet making. I was able to purchase a chunk of it. The rune carving motif comes form the ‘Franks Casket’, an ancient relic that bears a rune poem telling the story of Weyland the Smith.”

“The 'gripping beast’ motif is a classic Anglo-Saxon theme found on many aspect of their craft-work. One side of the grip was left largely without carving in order to allow the grain of the bog yew to dominate. I have inlaid my maker’s mark on the spine with 24k gold wire. The scabbard is cowhide, bronze and bog yew and made in the Gotlandic style. The total length of this knife is 12.5 inches. The spine is a bit over ¼” at its widest, and the distal taper is historically accurate having its widest point at approximately the 'breaking point’ in the shape of the blade.“

VERECUND

[adjective]

shy; modest; bashful.

Etymology: Latin verēcundus, equivalent to verē(rī) - to fear + -cundus adjective suffix.