Davis Reproductions Ballock Dagger and By-Knife
A hands-on review by Chad Arnow
Introduction
Pommel cap of 15th century dagger
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Ballock daggers are a provocative form, which may have accounted for some of their popularity throughout the Middle Ages. Some examples are extremely suggestive in their anatomical details, while others are more stylized. Some possess religious motives that are seemingly at odds with the shape of the grip. The Middle Ages, though, were a contradiction in many ways: great learning flourished alongside pervasive illiteracy, ideals of chivalry coexisted with butchery on and off the battlefield, and the formation of modern legal systems combatted old systems, and in some cases, general lawlessness in certain areas. With that in mind, perhaps it should not be surprising to see religious iconography combined with forms such as the ballock dagger.
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