Anglo-Saxon seax compared to 19th century Bowie knife

[@Hedgehobbit]

There's a logical reason why a knife of that shape wouldn't have a sharpened false edge and that is skinning. It allows you to cut off the hide of an animal without also cutting the meat underneath (the knife is pushed, edge up, with the point between the hide and meat. The sharp edge cuts the hide while the unsharpened back edge slides on top of the meat). Assuming the seax was primarily a utility knife and not a fighting knife.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Hedgehobbit Very interesting, thanks.

[@lancerd4934]

Hedgehobbit Agreed. It also allows you to hammer on the spine of the blade without damaging it or your striker. This is also one reason many bowie knives have a blunt false edge (the other being legal status). Less utility as a weapon, but more utility as a tool.

[@wariscoming.]

Hedgehobbit i don't know about that have you ever skinned a deer with a knife that does not have a hand guard there's blood on your hands that makes you slip and with no hand guard you can cut yourself bad and back then your hands were every thing so why no hand guard

[@lancerd4934]

wariscoming I was taught to skin by placing the index finger behind the tip, so on a knife that size you'd be holding the flats of the blade. Can't slip up onto the edge if your hand is behind it.

[@wariscoming.]

lancer D got you makes more sense now thanks for the reply

[@Will-SFC06]

That single-edge, drop-point knife used for hunting, camping, cooking and fighting is such a ubiquitous design. The U.S.Marine "Kabar" is another example. I find it fascinating that so many cultures over thousands of years used such a similar design, each with their own cultural and individual nuances.

[@svfngngll]

In Icelandic sax means "cleaver" and as a verb means "to chop".

[@scholagladiatoria]

***** Nice!

[@miketaylor5212]

it may be chop but in the shield wall it was the stab that worked

[@faramund9865]

No shit ^_^

[@xandercorp6175]

@@miketaylor5212 Is there significant attestation of seax being used as primary weapons in the shield wall? I'm not aware of it, seems heavily inferior to spear and axe.

[@WastelandSeven]

xandercorp Shield and spear take more room to wield. When you're shield to shield and chest to chest with your opponent you've got no room to swing an axe or stab with a spear. A stabbing weapon could be very handy at that range. Its why the Spartans carried a short sword (xiphos) for up close and personal work. You could choke up on the axe blade and punch with the head, but, with the spear you can only stab the guy behind the guy who's in front of you. Especially if the shields on your side are overlapping. Kind of like standing behind a fence and fighting a guy on the other side of the fence. At head butting distance. With 10 guys behind you, Shields up against your back pushing you forward.

[@ImperialistRunningDo]

"Killing with the point lacks artistry, but don't let that hold your hand when the opening presents itself." Frank Herbert, Dune.

[@MrKirby2367]

+ImperialistRunningDo I'm just happy to get the knife to the person at all.

[@HanSolo__]

Wow. That's my point of view when it comes to cutting vs stabbing.

[@VideoMask93]

"Gurney's a romantic. I’d sooner you never had to kill…but if the need arises, you do it however you can-tip or edge." And I think both of Paul's major kills in the novel are done with the tip.

[@OldNavajoTricks]

Be alive after the battle and then you may enjoy the luxury of regret at leisure.

[@danielleriley2796]

It was Gurney Hallack or Duncan Idaho who said that. You don’t attribute the author but the character. You phrase it like ‘Character name, said “the quote in here” from Author’s book name

[@m.d.boncher7802]

You, Lindybeige, Hurstwic, ThegnThrand, Marobud and all the other medieval archeology/weapons channels are such a great credit to archeology. You've made my writing research so much more efficient. Thanks for all you do.

[@thevelointhevale1132]

LOL

[@jayglithero524]

If I remember correctly, Bernard Cornwell , historical novelist of the viking and other periods, said that the seax was used in the shield wall where the regular sword was too unwieldy, similar to the Roman gladius.

[@gavinsmith5753]

If you got a French hand grip for it, you'd have a Paris hilt on.

[@thrownswordpommel7393]

Good one

[@keithorbell8946]

I need to find the “groan” emoji.

[@kennethhamby9811]

Ouch !

[@eriklee6786]

Sure and if you visited the North Korean president’s racetrack you’d see Kim car dashin’

[@arctodussimus6198]

Great video. I was not familiar with the seax, but have been collecting, carrying and using bowie knives for over 38 years. Thanks for the info. I like the historical research you have done, and I will follow your channel to learn more.

[@laurencewithey15]

Come on Matt, get a grip!

[@studyinsteel5186]

+Laurence Withey I can't handle this.

[@harjutapa]

This comment left an odd tang in my mouth.

[@johnorlitta]

I see we have some sharp witted people here

[@harjutapa]

I think this thread is a wrap.

[@studyinsteel5186]

Anthony Ridgway I think we can all let go now.

[@southpawmoose]

prof that good designs transcend time.

[@rimandries]

Always loved the bowie knife. It looks like exactly like a knife should. Now you can imagine how thrilled I was to see the 15th ish century have its own bowie: the bauernwehr or hauswehr. My excitement was even bigger when I found out about the seax! Though not very suprising: it is such an effective design. I bet you see different versions of it all the way back to the bronze age and even the stone age. Good vid. Cheers.

[@rockfieldlangley1955]

I've recently found your channel, and I have enjoyed learning from your great videos. My understanding is that the very earliest bowies did not have hand guards, but that large hand guards were quickly added after it's adoption. The guards grew smaller (like on your example) over the year's as it the weapon transitioned to a more camp knife role. I grew up in the ArkLaTex area and had the privilege of seeing early examples as a kid. What's interesting is just how similar to the SEAX some of the early Bowies looked!

[@roykrossin8343]

The Bowie also were back sharpened for knife fignting which requires less force for penetration.

[@caesarmendez6782]

Interesting video. Some years ago I was surprised to see photos of Saxon Seaxes that amazingly resembled American Bowie knifes. I can't remember the publication's title or author but I do remember the captions that went with the photos stating that these were excavated (Bowie looking) Seaxes.

[@kamaeq]

(sigh) One of the biggest disappointments when my grandmother passed away was that someone stole all of the kitchen knives that she had inherited from both my greatgrandmothers. Good carbon steel kitchen knives... that look like the more "frankish" seaxes, although there was a larger one close to the blade you show, without the clipped point.

[@danielflynn9141]

Loved this video. I wrote a folklore paper last year on the weapons of Legolas as described in The Lord of the Rings (I also discussed the films), and the character's white knife is a clear representation of an Anglo-Saxon seax. In my research, I discovered that Anglo-Saxon's were frequently buried with a seax along with the bones of animals. It appears that the seax, in some cases, was used as a ceremonial weapon in hunting to dispatch the animal once it was mortally wounded, and high born people (like Legolas) were often given the honor of delivering the fatal blow with their seax. I also read that the bone char from sacred animals were frequently used as a source of carbon to create steel due to the belief that they would imbue the weapon with magical strength.

[@cuthbertsboots5733]

Do you have sources for this? I am doing my senior thesis on Anglo-Saxon cosmology pre-Christian to Christian.

[@trob1731]

In my mind, the first time I saw a seax, I couldn't help thinking of the Bowie knife. Thanks for doing this comparison.

[@jonathanpresson777]

My only issue with what you've said is that, in the historical references I've studied and, indeed, in the American martial arts, the Bowie is heavily used as a slashing implement, not a stabbing one. In its original stages, it was used more like the small swords of the 18th century, but it quickly became a slashing weapon, as seen in the teaching of both the Union and Confederate armies as well as in the traditional usage by native Americans, such as the Apache and Comanche. The Confederate army even had a "reversed blade Bowie" designed for use in slicing arms and legs when grappling, similar to Kali, but with the blade projecting upward and facing the radius instead of downward and facing the ulna.

[@corensam]

Super cool discussion in this video Matt, that's a beautiful blade you've got there! I look forward to seeing the handle you put on it!

[@garythornbury9793]

the back cut with the sharpened clip is what makes the bowie so deadly, it hits before the eye can see it coming.i have a Bagwell hells belles bowie

[@littlejimbridger7770]

Gary Thornbury Exactly correct and no surprise coming from the owner of a Bagwell Hell's Belle ... quite possibly the finest example of a pure fighting knife ever made. Yes, it's the back slash that provides the magic.

[@CarnalKid]

"Well, I expect most of you know what a seax is..." Damn Matt, that was a very refreshing change from "10 things you didn't know about X", hope it catches on.

[@ryanorionwotanson4568]

9 years later... I don't think it caught on... 😅

[@censusgary]

In Texas History class (that’s a thing in Texas public schools), we were told that James Bowie, who died at the Alamo, invented the Bowie knife (which we pronounce boo-ee). I’ve always wondered what aspect of it he was supposed to have invented. As viewers of this channel know, big knives were around long before James Bowie’s time.

[@dwaynewalker986]

Sir, As an American I feel compelled to inform you that most historical inquiries into Bowie's knife agree that the knife had no guard at all. Knives were carried concealed in shoulder holsters under frock coats so that any kind of "guard" may have snagged the draw. First hand accounts of The Sand Bar Duel report Bowie's knife as resembling a large butcher's knife...no guard. Bowie knives only had large guards when Sheffield of England began manufacturing their version of " Bowie knives" for export to America.

[@basednorsegael1089]

To be fair, Bowie’s knife was nothing like the modern Bowie knife lol. His sandbar fight just inspired knife makers to basically create and define the Bowie knife over the subsequent several decades

[@chosenfrozen4006]

Very interesting comparison. And that`s a beautifully done blade. Can`t wait to see the seax once you`ve put a handle on it.

[@derekstocker6661]

Very interesting video, love the enthusiasm and it comes across as from someone who knows his blades, the blade in the video has had some serious time put in and looks wonderful. Well done and thanks for sharing

[@TheLordArion]

That's an absolutely wicked blade you got! Can't wait to see where you take it =)

[@tsgillespiejr]

Oh, so Mr. Binns isn't taking any orders at the moment, eh? Don't think we didn't see that little "nah nah I got one and you can't" smirk on your face when you said that, Mr. Easton! :P

[@scholagladiatoria]

standingunder Kind of true....

[@nielsegense]

Sax/seax is like the nordic "saks", which just meant "knife". Now we (nordics) use "saks" as "a pair of scissors", a pair of knives...

[@scholagladiatoria]

Niels Egense Interesting, thanks.

[@TheMartyrdoom]

Thats funny cause, It was a way of saying knife in old english as well. But thanks to the the Norse invasions of England it fell out of use with the old Norse knífr taking its place. Its seems we have switched words.

[@GnuReligion]

@@scholagladiatoria France is derived from the throwing axe, or "Francisca." Germany comes from the word for spear, or "Ger." Of course Saxons are named for this "Seax" cutlery. West Europeans are a violent lot.

[@BrianFullerPDX1]

Why do I love this damn channel so much? Matt, would you be willing to do a video that gives the rough/general prices we'd need to pay to buy the different grades of antique swords? Ok, maybe just Napoleonic era swords... is there a commonly used grading system? Does having been previously sharpened add or take away from the value?

[@janjensen5357]

Many langseaxes had a small handguard, these where weapons of course and not tools like the seax shown in the video. I`ve tested the langseax as a stabbing weapon and it works very well and will go through chainmail with little effort. Of course the blade was made trom modern steel but so was the chainmail...

[@keessprong1]

Really cool, I didn't know the seax could be that big. I have seem a couple on some archeological digs, but they as you mentioned, where basically as big as bread knives.

[@hrotha]

That seax is a beauty! IIRC Hraban Maurus, in his rework of Vegetius, seemed to envision the Franks using the seax (which contemporary Frankish sources refer to as 'semispata' or 'gladius') as a stabbing weapon in close formation, very much like the Roman gladius. Historian Bernard S. Bachrach ('Early Carolingian Warfare') is convinced that Hraban is a trustworthy source not only for military theory but also for actual military practice in 9th century Francia, and Bachrach seems to be one of the leading experts on Carolingian warfare, but personally I find his thesis very questionable.

[@cha5]

About the best video on historic Bowie Knives on KZbin that really covers the evolution of these knives that I've ever seen IMHO would have to be 'Bowie Knives 1820-1870'.

[@bigbonerm]

Hey man! I thought you'd appreciate this, i just got a Katz Alamo Bowie Stag Crown handle! $560 bone Canadian, which isn't bad, Its got a ten incher for a blade and has just taken its place at the top of the pile of my weapon collection. Its perfectly weighted, and is a 1/4 inch thick. Its now the nicest thing i own, and is the best blade by far. I would definitely recommend it too you or anyone!

[@Hadlor]

I made my own Seax a few years back out of 5160 Spring steel. I made it of the broken back design and sharpened the back edge of it as more of an axe grind and found it to be VERY useful and Excellent at chopping and light duty work like a small hatchet. Also it made the tip Superbly sharp, and if doing and back handed cut, just even catching the tip of the Seax it REALLY ripped into and tore whatever it hit, open. I used to have an Ontario USA made Bowie knife I would use for woods use... Not anymore.

[@Th3Sabator45]

+Matthew Rydl i must see this seax

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

From what I've heard it was a utility knife. Utility is including some use in battle. We have many ancient examples of a wide variety of sizes.

[@ModernMarineFilms]

Matt, thanks for making this video. As a Texan who is interested in medieval History, I appreciate the comparison to the Bowie Knife. I own a Baltimore Knife and Sword Seax for Stage Combat, and I have found that it is wonderful for rapid cuts and that it looks quite fearsome while doing so. I also just made a scabbard for my knife, so I might post pictures on Myarmoury.

[@fizikshizik]

On the Hurstwic site there is the statistical summary of weapon usage in Sagas of Icelanders. And though seax is sometimes used for thrusting it is much more often used for cutting. So perhaps (with all the problems with Sagas as historical sources) it serves as a confirmation of your points.

[@scholagladiatoria]

fizikshizik Cool - I know the site, but hadn't seen that article, so I'll go and check it out.

[@fizikshizik]

scholagladiatoria It's here www.hurstwic.com/library/arms_in_sagas/weapon_use_summary.htm But now I see that there is something called "knife", probably based on different words (like knifur). And the "knife" has much higher percentage of thrust attacks though still used more for cutting. Maybe more smaller utility knife lay in this category?

[@leemcgann6470]

Both of those are gorgeous!

[@dwightehowell6062]

I'm betting that blade is in a drawer with no handle.

[@bmxriderforlife1234]

i hope not, the blade looks lovely

[@Tomartyr]

I hate it when I leave stuff in that drawer with no handle. Last time I had to work a coat hanger in to get the thing open again.

[@Helmholtzwatson1984]

+Tomartyr ha!

[@GrumpaGladstone1809]

LOL :)

[@najroe]

September 2019 still no handle

[@iainclark8695]

Bog oak for the grip? Seems like it would be very fitting.

[@iainclark8695]

***** I was thinking about aesthetics and the 'spirit' of the wood. Ash looks boring (I've never once seen it used in knife handles). Maple or birch birl would be nice. I very much doubt Matt would use his seax as a working knife so practicality matters not.

[@iainclark8695]

***** Pimp my seax! I reckon most of 'em would have used beech if you want to be super-practical and traditional. Applewood or pearwood would be a fine choice too.

[@iainclark8695]

***** Good. We're agreed. :-)

[@iainclark8695]

***** Yeah it could very well just be what was growing in the local area. e.g. on Orkney tool handles were mostly bone.

[@krknfmkr8919]

A small guard to keep your fingers from riding up on the blade is often referred to as a finger guard. Also the false edge aids in thrusting, indicating that sax was primarily for slashing in a fight.

[@sharpblades4118]

Sweet Video Matt! They are both great!,)

[@jeffbankston8806]

That is a beauty of a knife some Bowies did not have guard's on them. But now iv have seen it I want one of those

[@Mr400babies]

Absolutely beautiful. Don't be rushing that handle, bro and keep it simple. Ps. Hope you've checked out The Hollow Crown on iplayer. Its sublime.

[@JimFortune]

Are there Hacky seax?

[@biohazard724]

+Jim Fortune Keep that up and you'll be chased off. Probably to the tune of Yakkity Seax.

[@andrewp8284]

+Jim Fortune Goddamn it. ;)

[@grimslayerbrittain470]

+biohazard724 scram seax

[@nikitaonassis6090]

Be realistic, there is only lousy seax or great woohoo seax.

[@grimslayerbrittain470]

Nikita Onassis maybe . . . HOWEVER, NOTHING ON EARTH IS AS TERRIFYING, AS A *TRANSGENDER SEAX* .

[@BPaul-hk2jh]

Placing your hand far back on the handle of a saex, makes it a handy chopper. Also, many knife reviewers call the wedge shape on the back of a clip point a swedge.

[@bengalvin71]

Looking forward to seeing the finished seax. Thank you

[@Feldscher1039]

About stabbing and no handguards: Quite a few purpouse built modern knife designs are intended for stabbing but don't have a handguard for various reasons. The trick is to curl the little finger under the bottom of the grip in hammergrip, push the bottom into the palm in a more fencing-ish grip or rest the thumb on the bottom in icepick grip. These techniques work fine even when accidentaly hitting a ballistic plate, stab proof soft armor or a bone. All they requiere is a neutral handle with a flat bottom.

[@jorgefernandez6407]

Excellent video. Learned something... Learned A LOT actually!

[@GrandHochmeister]

Beautiful seax man! As soon as I saw I thought it was some of Paul Binn's work.

[@DrHenley]

Although the false edge on the Bowie did make stabbing easier, that wasn't it's main purpose. The reason for the false edge was to allow backhanded slashing. This in of itself is ample proof that the Bowie was designed for cutting as well as thrusting. One account of a fight in which Bowie used James Black's design (with false edge) said "Bowie used his knife to kill all three men: one assassin was nearly decapitated, the second was disemboweled, and the skull of the third man was split open." That sounds like more cutting than thrusting. And BTW, a false edge is sharp. "False" refers to the fact that it's not a true edge, which would be full length such as on a two edged dagger. For example, A U.S. Mark I fighting knife has two true (full length) edges, while a U.S. M3 fighting knife has one true edge and one 3 1/2" false edge. An unsharpened beveled clip is called a "swedge."

[@mikeg5616]

very beautiful pattern welding bro!

[@musketwithatapeworm]

If you've done a video on this before sorry for not knowing of it, but I read that the Bowie knife was held with the longer edge facing towards the wielded, so you could deflect opponents' thrusts and with a flicking wrist motion, cut the attacker's wrist, thus forcing him to switch to his offhand.

[@MrRourk]

Years ago some friends and I did a competition to see which knife design was best all around. Dadley Knife vs Kephart vs Nessmuck, vs Bowie, vs Roach Knife vs English Trade Knife, and vs French Trade. The Dadley Design was picked the winner. Kephart was 2nd.

[@verhungernorz343]

Then I see Skallagrim with a norse seax in recommended videos...treatsies :D You and skallagrim are too primo. Ty for your vids

[@Anelikital]

That seax look amazing, it seems really expensive.

[@patrickfreeman8816]

I saw an illustration of a man (tapestry or book illustration, I don't remember which)) with a seax that had an hourglass handle like a Kukri (though without the 'band' around the smallest diameter). The ends are thick as the round handle is wide at either end, and half that diameter in the middle. I've owned Kukri's for decades and never had one slip out of my hand when chopping brush, nor slid my hand forward when goofing around with it.

[@virusinstall9658]

that is a sick bowie I love the handle shape

[@Usammityduzntafraidofanythin]

I wanna see more videos about early medieval blades now!

[@neanderthor66]

I would like to see a large bowie with a knuckle bow on it. It seems like a logical improvement of the fighting capability without hindering the utilitarian aspect too much.

[@cbail91]

+neanderthor66 There were several examples of D-guard bowies used during the American Civil war.

[@icaliu1]

loving his smile when he refers to the seax and the maker of it

[@glennchartrand5411]

The Bowie was originally a modified corn knife. They just lightened the tip by grinding away the back near the tip.

[@realtourdreams9655]

I believe that bevel on the back of the Bowie is call the Texas clip. Something to do with the fact that that differentiated it to knives of other areas. Nice seax, btw👌

[@Tales_from_Germanium_Valley]

Nice video! I've got a quick question: are there any remaining examples of seax handles? I am wondering ... perhaps the wooden grip was shaped in a form which prevented the hand from slipping on the blade (akin to a roman gladius), thus allowing for 'safe' stabs.

[@radianman]

You should make a video about WW1 trench hand to hand weapons, such as trench knives, clubs and spades, etc.

[@dougparkhurst279]

excellent video, very informative...and that seax blade is beautiful!

[@cadarn1274]

From what you say, the Seaxes' grips seem to be a little longer than they need to be. Do you have a view on this?Could this be anything to do with two-handed use (seems unlikely on a knife) or maybe to do with having more guard to slide down before your hand slips onto the blade? That said, I don't think I've ever heard of a knife where you don't hold the highest point on the grip (closest to the blade.)

[@scholagladiatoria]

Dewi Bevan They did tend to have long grips, at least in England and France - they are shown in period art being held high up near the blade, with the extra handle extending below the hand. Perhaps it was for defending or grappling, as with the later German langesmesser, or perhaps it was to do with accessing the weapon quickly. I don't know, but I intend to experiment.

[@teakew8217]

scholagladiatoria Regarding quick access, remember that scabbards tended to reach up the handle a few inches. If you're drawing it very quickly, I'd expect you to end up with the hand at the opposite end of the handle from the blade.

[@thewolvesbane2536]

scholagladiatoria a long handle also means that you have more power when chopping if you grab it towards the non blade end, whilst keeping the controllability of a smaller blade when grabbing it towards the blade. Kind of like with an axe: if you grab it just below the head you can do some relatively fine work bit if you grab it at the other end you will get a lot of power when chopping

[@1FrankJaeger1]

I love Paul Binn's swords, he's a great smith and uses traditional techniques to get amazing results!

[@mt_baldwin]

I would be very interested in knowing the stats on your seax, especially the thickness of the blade, because there is not many of them on the market and I would like to compare it to the one I own. You'res looks wider in profile but not as thick, stats on mine are 30mm(1and 3/16th) wide, 8mm(5/16ths) thick and 11 3/4" long. Love your vids so be sure to post one on this when it's finished.

[@JTWilliams74]

Do we have any surviving examples of the handle scales or other grip components? Or perhaps any artwork that might indicate a swell in the grip to prevent the hand riding up in a thrust?

[@Benwell1]

+Jake Williams Von Starcher the vast majority of finds in the UK and across europe have been as in the video, without guards and pommels, bone or wood typical grip construction. The idea of them been a hacking weapon is a very good one. If you google STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD - a really nice Sax hilt and pommel, totally high end in gold was found among some 3,500 primarily military items most made of gold or value metals believed to have been a mercian warlords hoarde/pay chest.

[@FyremaelGlittersparkle]

It seems to me like a simple modification of the handle design would make it a much more efficient and less-dangerous (at least to the user) thrusting blade. If the handle were designed in such a way that there was a projection at the bottom that kept the hand from moving any further forward, you could dispense with a metal handguard and just have a rather simplistically designed wood handle, that, while not historically-accurate, would increase the functionality of the blade overall.

[@OrdenJust]

How does the seaxe that appears in the coat of arms for Middlesex County in England fit into this? It has a notch in the blade and a crescent-like tip.

[@kristofb5013]

Wow. I never realised that they were so small. On the coat of arms (sigil?) for places like Middlesex, they have Seaxes on them but they look like big cutlass/scimitar swords

[@scholagladiatoria]

Because they are heraldic falchions, not seaxes. Heraldry didn't exist until well after the seax fell out of use.

[@andyjones6643]

I’ve a broken back and Viking sax both made by Owen Bush. I think the Viking is a more practical tool as curves up from the bladed edge. The English version has the broken back and given the paucity of evidence I’d suggest that it may well be fashioned from a broken sword hence the shape and name. Both I think are utility knives so anything more than a 12 inch blade is a nuisance. The broken back is also less robust. They are carried horizontally in a sheath in the small of the back. The long handle allows for a long sheath of boiled leather to prevent it falling out. It is also carried sharp edge upwards. Some say to stop it getting blunt on the sheath. Probably not given frequent, use with forks not existing. I’d suggest that it’s carried sharp edge up for close quarter knife fights. It is in effect a gutting knife. Deployed from the sheath it can be immediately used as a stabbing weapon into the lower abdomen and then sliced up towards the sternum and heart. This is a single thrust immediate killing weapon. Then wipe it off and slice your cheese, with some apple tart!

[@nihangsingh51]

For 30 years now I am interested in Bowie knives and I realise that what people call (Bowie) can be in divided in 2 categories of use : The less than 9 inche blade hunting ,camp ,survival or combat knives . The heavy 10 inche or more blade handy for heavy hakking power used for general utility (and occasionaly for defence) or mostly as a weapon . For me a true fighting Bowie (At least 10 " bladed)is to be use most as a culass than as a smaller knife , it is the perfect combination of hakking ,slashing capability with stabbing capability of a dagger. We can see the evolution of the sax to the English clip point hunting knives than to the Bowie developed in the South, espetialy in Texas .

[@miketaylor5212]

the bowie was used quite often for slashing that is why most bowie handles taper to the front the pommel was thicker so you didnt loose it while slashing the one use for the seax was used under the shield wall where a full length sword was unwieldy. the bowie was a duel use knife.

[@johnsmith4630]

similar for sure. not quite straight edge w clip point. isuppose the bowie w itssharpened swedge and guard was slightly more suited for fighting. that is a glorious blade you have there.

[@BrianFullerPDX1]

Oh, and one other thing. On the "Forgotten Weapons" channel Ian reviews guns set for auction and then after the auction posts what each went for. Could you do this with the auction swords you sell? It would be awesome to be able to start to get an intuitive idea of different swords' values. Thanks for doing what you do.

[@Eametsa]

Seax was used in shield wall as well when fighting got really tight close and your standard sword was heavy to handle below and above shield, brutal shit.

[@pablosorensen]

I have a Sami knife with a 9”blade. It has a really simple hilt with no cross guard but many instructional videos show it being held with one or two fingers behind the hilt. This is supposed to give better leverage for chopping but I wonder if it would help in the thrust if it cam e to fighting?

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Now compare a stiletto-type period blade to an Arkansas Toothpick. Or just make a video on an Arkansas Toothpick. They're such fun blades. Anything involving an Arkansas Toothpick gets my love.

[@middlehearth6723]

Perhaps if the handle is relatively long, it was held relatively low down to negate the hand slipping an inch or two? From my understanding, knife fights can get very close, very quickly. I find it hard to imagine it not being used for stabbing at very close quarters. Cheers Matt

[@davewise97]

That blade is a beauty!

[@ThomasRonnberg]

We often compare designs by old traditional knives which were already inherently very diverse in design in every culture. Often we really end up comparing two basically identical things thinking that because one culture called a knife a long time ago this other one here must be something else.

[@TheBaconWizard]

Words fail me in expressing how completely jealous I am of that seax.. its GORGEOUS!

[@ronalddunne3413]

Matt, you and the lass should consider moving to USA... we can use folks with your weapon savvy and the opportunities to obtain weapons would probably increase... Good vid as usual!

[@brianfuller7691]

The seax was absolutely EDC for both Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. And it was a quite effective CQB arm🐱 It was functional and did work and the quality varies. For both Anglo Saxon and Vikings, swords were expensive. But everyone has a seax.

[@septegram]

I'm surprised you don't mention the examples of seaxes that have an absolutely straight edged side, such as the Seax of Beagnoth, unlike the Bowie knife which always has a curved edge.

[@zzzombiez]

Excellent talk, thank you. - Mike in Coronado

[@grinninggoat5369]

Makes sense just to have the two words Seax and langseax anf not worry about the other names. You only need two words to describe the standard and long version of a seax. I guess the long version came after the shorter one was around a while. It makes sense, since seax usually means a short cleaver and the growth in time of metal skills and high cost involved to male a longer blade probably means the long version came second and needed a differentiating word for a same styled longer version of the original shorter blade.

[@latenightcynic3582]

Is it possible or likely that the seax had a hand stop made of organic material? Like a leather wrap around where the guard would be.

[@Redshirt214]

Matt, do you think that the broken back of the Saex was more an adaptation to make it easier to hold while doing some mundane tasks like finely chopping herbs in the kitchen? The more you mentioned it being a cutting tool the more that broken back looked useful for holding the knife with two hands to allow finer control of the blade for such tasks to me.

[@Spec0psGrunt]

Could the seax be used primarily as a thrusting weapon with an icepick sort of grip, with the thumb resting on the cap of the pommel to keep the hand from riding up?

[@opwards]

With regard to the seax being used to stab or not Matt there is a historical fiction writer named Bernard Cornwell. Now i know it is fiction but i believe he trys to base everything as much as possible in historical fact only taking literary licence where it suits the story. In his series "the last kingdom" he tells quite often of the main character Uhtred opting to use his saxe "wasp sting" in the shield wall as his sword becomes too long to use when wall meets wall. He describes it being used in that instance to stab blindly under the rim of ones shield with hopes of striking groin, lower abdomen, leg/ femoral artery ect. This would seem quite plausible to me for someone to have done. Especially if they were in the front rank of a shield wall pressing shield agains the enemy wall with the second lines shield protecting your head and striking over the shield wall. He also described some of them as being sharpened "on the back" (the longest side) so when it did penetrate, especially into the abdomen it could be ripped upwards maximising damage. I realise im basing this one the words of historical fiction but it does seem quite plausible.

[@AwestaKhalid]

As someone of Afghan descent, I appreciate you saying "Afghan" instead of "Afghani"

[@Hissatsu5]

I heard that the bowie evolved from Mediterranean fighting knives it also share some similarities with the Spanish navaja I also notice that the from books & a period news paper I read on Bowie knife fighting and Navaja fighting are very similar and use a lot of the same techniques excluding the back cut

[@sputumtube]

Excellent vid, I learned a lot. Thanks for posting.

[@smooth_sundaes5172]

The seax is very handy in the scrum of the shield wall most especially when it starts to break down and the spear can be an encumbrance to be frank.

[@shlamimk4664]

I think I had some kind of knife-gasme when you described that patern weld construction.