Thesgian-dubh (/ˌskiːənˈduː/skee-ən-DOO;Scottish Gaelic pronunciation:[s̪kʲənˈt̪u]) – alsoanglicized asskene-dhu[1] – is a small, single-edged knife (Scottish Gaelic:sgian) worn as part of traditional ScottishHighland dress. It is now worn tucked into the top of the kilt hose with only the upper portion of thehilt visible. Thesgian-dubh is normally worn on the same side as the dominant hand.
The name comes from theScottish Gaelicsgian-dubh, fromsgian ('knife') anddubh ('black', also with the secondary meaning of 'hidden'.[2]). Althoughsgian is feminine, so that a modern Gael might refer to a black knife assgian dhubh, the term for the ceremonial knife is a set-phrase containing a historical form withblocked lenition.[3][4] Other spellings are found in English, includingskean-dhu[5] andskene-dhu.[6] The Gaelic plural,sgianan-dubha, is only rarely encountered in English.
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Thesgian-dubh may have evolved from thesgian-achlais, a dagger that could be concealed under the armpit. Used by the Scots of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, this knife was slightly larger than the average modernsgian-dubh and was carried in the upper sleeve or lining of the body of the jacket.[7]
Draconian Scots laws introduced by the Scots Privy Council under the Stewart King in the late 1500s; intended to reduce interclan honour feuds and duelling included the outlawing of hidden weapons. {Basilikon Doron 1599}. This writ by the Scots King was impossible to enforce North of the Highland Line and so the carrying of weapons continued in the Highlands until the suppression period post Culloden in 1746. Nevertheless, the transition from the carrying of the last resort weapon (Sgian) may have begun to transition from armpit pocket to top of hose on the leg at this time.However, codes of Highland courtesy andetiquette would demand that when entering the home of a friend, any concealed weapons would be revealed. It follows that thesgian-achlais would be removed from its hiding place and displayed in the stocking top held securely by thegarters.[8]
Thesgian-dubh also resembles the small skinning knife that is part of the typical set of hunting knives. These sets contain a butchering knife with a 9-to-10-inch (23 to 25 cm) blade, and a skinner with a blade of about 4 inches (10 cm). These knives usually had antler handles, as do many early sgian-dubhs. The larger knife is likely the ancestor of the moderndirk.[9][10][11]
Thesgian-dubh can be seen in portraits of kilted men of the mid-19th century. A portrait bySir Henry Raeburn of ColonelAlasdair Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry hangs in theNational Gallery of Scotland; it shows hanging from his belt on his right hand side a Highland Scottishdirk, and visible at the top of his right stocking what appears to be a nested set of two sgian-dubhs. A similar sgian-dubh is in the collection ofThe National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland.[12]
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The early blades varied in construction, some having a "clipped" (famously found on theBowie knife) or "drop" point. The "spear-point" tip has now become universal. The earliest known blades, some housed in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, are made from German or Scandinavian steel, which was highly prized by the Highlanders. Scalloped filework on the back of the blade is common on all Scottish knives. A short blade of 3 to 3.5 inches (7.5 to 9 cm) is typical.[citation needed]
Traditionally thescabbard is made of leather reinforced with wood and fitted with mounts of silver or some other metal which may be cast or engraved with designs ranging from Scottish thistles,Celtic knotwork, or heraldic elements such as a crest. While this makes for more popular and expensive knives, the sheath is hidden from view in the stocking while thesgian-dubh is worn. The sheaths of many modern sgian-dubhs are made of plastic mounted with less expensive metal fittings.
Since the modernsgian-dubh is worn mainly as a ceremonial item of dress and is usually not employed for cutting food orself-defence, blades are often of a simple construction. These are typically made fromstainless steel. The hilts used on many modern sgian-dubhs are made of plastic that has been molded to resemble carved wood and fitted with cast metal mounts and synthetic decorative stones. Some are not even knives at all, but a plastic handle and sheath cast as one piece. Other examples are luxurious and expensiveart pieces, with hand-carvedebony orbog wood hilts, sterlingsilver fittings and may have pommels set with genuinecairngorm stones and blades ofDamascus steel or etched with Celtic designs or heraldic motifs.
When worn as part of the national dress of Scotland, thesgian-dubh is legal in Scotland, England, and Wales: in Scotland under theCriminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 s. 49(5)(c);[13] in England and Wales under theCriminal Justice Act 1988 (s. 139)[14] and theOffensive Weapons Act 1996 (s. 4).[15] However, the wearing of thesgian-dubh is sometimes banned in Britain in areas withzero tolerance weapons policies or heightened security concerns. For example, they were banned from a school dance in Scotland,[16] and initially banned for the June 2014 celebration of theBattle of Bannockburn.[17]
People travelling by air with asgian-dubh are now globally prohibited from having it in the cabin, but it is allowed inchecked baggage.[18][19][20]
Piper Jeff McCarthy was finedCA$221 on 2 November 2016 for wearing asgian-dubh in his kilt hose while performing in Montreal, Canada at theMcGill University convocation ceremony.[21] McCarthy immediately contested the fine, which was ultimately cancelled by The City of Montreal in May 2018; his knife was returned.[22]
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