Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:
Attached to this e-mail are four (04) photographs of my sword, dirk, and sgian dubh.
For those of you who do not speak Gaelic, "sgian dubh", is pronounced, "skeen doo", and the literal translation is "knife black" (in Gaelic, the descriptive adjective comes AFTER the noun).
Basically, these are naught but stage props, only for show, and thoroughly useless for real combat.
Darn it!
The sgian dubh was traditionally carried concealed, hence the name, "black knife", because it was secret, usually hidden in the armpit.
When visiting another clansman, the polite Highlander would leave his weapons at the door, but retain his sgian dubh, as it was a weapon of last resort, not meant for his host, but for an intruder.
Out of consideration for his host, the visiting Highlander would tuck the sgian dubh in the top of his hose, where it would be in plain view.
I bought my sgian dubh from J.Higgins, Ltd., at the same time I ordered my kilt, as part of the package.
I purchased the sword and dirk on the Internet from Next Generation Web, which supplies theatres, motion picture companies, reenactors, et cetera.
The dirk came with its own frog already attached.
I bought a frog for the sword, but I don't remember where on the Internet I found it.
The sword can't be worn with my Argyll jacket, so I think I'm going to order a baldric from the Ravenswood Leather web site.
Thank you.
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400
NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."
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