Fabrice Cognot

Industry Professional







Joined: 29 Sep 2004



Posts: 354



Feedback score: None

Location: DijonJoined: 29 Sep 2004

Posted: Tue 08 Jul, 2014 1:22 pm Post subject: (Westerosi) Roundel Dagger



(Feel free to punish me, Nathand and all, for posting here something not purely historical - but at least, I hope there's enough historical accuracy in the making methods involved here to kindle your indulgence...)





So.. A Commemorative roundel dagger - this shall be explained below.



Main inspirations were two late XVth-early XVIth daggers, one kept in Florence, the other in Turin, of so-called 'late' "Burgundian" style.



The blade is high carbon steel showing a nice, rich wood pattern (unfortunately, can't see much of that on the pic), with fileworked back matching said inspirations. Roundels are hollow, made of steel, and assembled using methods I documented on several daggers (notably kept at the Museum of London). Handle is ebonised oak, hollowed-out and hand-carved, fit around a brass tube.

And on top of the top roundel there's a bezel holding a semi-precious stone (aluminium oxydes - means the reddish parts are low-quality ruby) in shape of a turtle.



Roundel sides have been acid-etched - and here we get to the bottom of things : the guard sports the emblems of the Royal Houses of Westeros, while the top roundel bears the writing "Dijõ MMXIII granarii libellis" and my own mark.



I can't give you it's dimensions, however, as a mere hours after being finished, it left me for other hands.









Now, why all this ?



Well, last Thursday, on July 3rd, Mr. George R. R. Martin, bookwriter of some success, came to our old and proud (yet small) town of Dijon for a whole afternoon of signing. Let's say we tried to give him a warm welcome - and this dagger was part of it.

Over 4,000 people flocked in the streets of Dijon to get a chance to have his scribble on a book (some of them waiting since 3 am in the street by the library while signing would only begin at 14:00), while my friends and I kept them entertained and educated by showing them the wonders of Historical European Martial Arts.



And here's me handling said dagger to the author - it is known that GRRM took the turtle as his personal emblem.

(I also offered him one of my Raven Friction Folders, and he seemed to really have appreciated it, by the way he kept toying with it for the time he stayed in the bookshop) :









And as tradition has it, he gave me in exchange a coin from his own pocket - with a hooded figure on one side, and "Valar Morghulis - Valar Dohaeris" written on the other.







Unfortunately time ran out on me and I couldn't give it a scabbard. Hi all(Feel free to punish me, Nathand and all, for posting here something not purely historical - but at least, I hope there's enough historical accuracy in the making methods involved here to kindle your indulgence...)So.. A Commemorative roundel dagger - this shall be explained below.Main inspirations were two late XVth-early XVIth daggers, one kept in Florence, the other in Turin, of so-called 'late' "Burgundian" style.The blade is high carbon steel showing a nice, rich wood pattern (unfortunately, can't see much of that on the pic), with fileworked back matching said inspirations. Roundels are hollow, made of steel, and assembled using methods I documented on several daggers (notably kept at the Museum of London). Handle is ebonised oak, hollowed-out and hand-carved, fit around a brass tube.And on top of the top roundel there's a bezel holding a semi-precious stone (aluminium oxydes - means the reddish parts are low-quality ruby) in shape of a turtle.Roundel sides have been acid-etched - and here we get to the bottom of things : the guard sports the emblems of the Royal Houses of Westeros, while the top roundel bears the writing "Dijõ MMXIII granarii libellis" and my own mark.I can't give you it's dimensions, however, as a mere hours after being finished, it left me for other hands.Now, why all this ?Well, last Thursday, on July 3rd, Mr. George R. R. Martin, bookwriter of some success, came to our old and proud (yet small) town of Dijon for a whole afternoon of signing. Let's say we tried to give him a warm welcome - and this dagger was part of it.Over 4,000 people flocked in the streets of Dijon to get a chance to have his scribble on a book (some of them waiting since 3 am in the street by the library while signing would only begin at 14:00), while my friends and I kept them entertained and educated by showing them the wonders of Historical European Martial Arts.And here's me handling said dagger to the author - it is known that GRRM took the turtle as his personal emblem.(I also offered him one of my Raven Friction Folders, and he seemed to really have appreciated it, by the way he kept toying with it for the time he stayed in the bookshop) :And as tradition has it, he gave me in exchange a coin from his own pocket - with a hooded figure on one side, and "Valar Morghulis - Valar Dohaeris" written on the other.Unfortunately time ran out on me and I couldn't give it a scabbard. PhD in medieval archeology.



De Taille et d'Estoc director

Maker of high quality historical-inspired pieces. PhD in medieval archeology. HEMAC member