Ever step out at night without your Black Dagger, feeling positively
buck naked? Sure, who hasn't?
It may sound funny these days, but there once was a time
when dirk-wielding was not only socially acceptable, but thoroughly
fashionable. In bygone days, the average fellow wearing a
kilt would sooner be struck dead than to be caught out in
public without a proper knife tucked into the top of his kilt
hose. Even today, there are many purists among kiltsmen who
won't venture out in a kilt without a little black dagger
on board.
This indispensable kiltsman's accessory is known as
the Sgian
Dubh (pronounced skein doo)—sgian is the word
for dagger, and dubh means black. But which meaning of black
is being implied: black signifying the traditional color of
the knife's handle, or black in the sense of something
that is secret, concealed, covert?
Predictably Hazy Origins
As seems to be always the case with matters Celtic, the
origins of The Black Dagger have been obscured by the hazy
mists
of time, and have become a strangely controversial topic
stimulating much lively debate. The most glamorous origin
story, however—and the tale we'll go with for
the purposes of this article—identifies the immediate
ancestor of the sgian dubh to be the sgian achlais (pronounced
skein occle), an armpit dagger used by Scots since way back
in the 1600s.
The sgian achlais was around the same size as the sgian dubh,
or slightly larger. This dagger was carried in the upper sleeve
of one's coat, or in a pocket in the coat's lining,
and drawn through the armhole using the opposite hand. When
social customs changed, and entering someone's home
with a concealed weapon became poor manners, the armpit dagger
shrank a bit and moved south, to a new place of residence—inside
the top of the kilt stocking, which was—if you knew
where to look—in plain sight.
The sgian dubh took a while to catch on, but by the mid-19th
century, it was universally worn throughout Scotland. Early
versions of the Black Dagger were crude, mounted in brass,
with handles crafted from antlers or horns. Later and fancier
models had carved ebony or ivory handles, or pommels decorated
with silver or brass and mounted with gemstones; occasionally,
these models were sold as a matching set complete with dirk
(a larger knife), sporran, and plaid brooch. Sgian dubhs intended
for use by the military frequently were engraved with regimental
insignias on the handle or blade. While early models had simple
leather sheaths, later versions of the sgian dubh came with
ornate, museum-quality sheaths fitted with engraved silver
throats and tips.
Tattooing the Sgian: A Sad Fad
In this age of terrorism and its aftermath, concealed weapons
may be rather less popular than at any other time in history,
and the prohibitions against them more numerous. Dirkwise,
these developments have even had an impact on the UK Armed
Forces. Some members of Highland regiments have have had
to resort to tattooing a sgian dubh on the leg—right
where the Black Dagger would be, if regulations permitted
actually carrying one.
It all makes one nostalgic for better days, now receding
into the distant past. Dirkmaking's Golden Age was the
turbulent and flamboyant period between the two World Wars,
when the most lavishly decorated sets of all time were made.
A 1987 auction for a set made for the Prince of Wales in 1925—currently
in residence among the vast knife collections of the Tower
of London Royal Armories—fetched a winning bid in excess
of $400,000. Now that's a knife!
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