The perfect weapon that came to us from the Scandinavians is the Finnish knife. Thanks to a simple, but at the same time functional design, it can be used for household and hunting needs.
History of occurrence
How did the word that designates the Finnish knife appeared? “Pukko” - this is the name of the gun in Finnish, “puu”, in turn, means “tree”.
Initially, the Finnish knife played the role of an economic tool, but a little time passed, and it changed. Knives began to be made in such a way that they were used as weapons. They were used during the fight.
An embossed pattern was applied to the sheath, painted in red and engraved brass plates were mounted on them. The knife was hung on a chain, and while walking it swayed, thus drawing the attention of others to itself and its owner. It was very stylish at the time. The handle of a Finnish knife was made of Karelian or wavy birch, that is, hardwood.
Knife characteristic
The finca usually has straight or with a slight bevel, but the angle of meeting of the blade and the butt of the blade is large. A striking feature of the Finnish knife is the absence of a limiter. The horseman mount method is used. A characteristic phenomenon for a knife is a wide lower shackle, sometimes covering part of the heel. To the upper part of the shackle, the handle thickens. When sheathed, only a small part of the handle remains outside. The technology for creating Finnish knives is characterized by an ideal ratio of the blade to the length of the handle, as well as the ratio of the width of the blade to its length.
Almost every modern knife has a manufacturer's mark. The blade of the finca must have a certain shape, since marriage immediately catches the eye. If we take the rustic form, the blade does not exceed 10 cm in length.
In ancient times, the scabbard was hung from the belt at two ends, and they hung parallel to the ground. After a while, they began to make only one strap on a Finnish knife. The photo, which depicts a modern knife, shows that the sheath has only one loop, which is attached to the belt, and the knife hangs perpendicular to the ground.
Finca is not just an ordinary knife, it is a continuation of the human limb
The main advantage of the knife is its versatility. The knife cannot boast of large sizes, it is very simple, but despite this, they can cut tree branches, cut bread, sausage, cut game, and even open canned food and bottles. If the finca is real, you can safely beat it with its hammer on its thick butt. Finnish hunting knives are very strong, with their help the Finns did any work. They could remove splinters, crush ice, shave, repair household items, equipment and other gear. The knife is so comfortable that you don’t even want to let it out of your hands - the handle naturally rests in the palm of your hand, as if it were a continuation of a limb. Even the very contemplation of the blade can awaken the instinct of the hunter. Primitive man would not have survived without such a knife. As for the more sophisticated models (notched, etched), they are perfect for collectors.
Scandinavian creation
Finnish knife - a knife for real men, for creators and miners. But this does not mean that he is shapeless and ugly, moreover, he is beautiful. Its beauty is discreet, special and utilitarian. This is a creation of real Scandinavians with their exquisite nature. Constantly fighting for survival, only they could come up with such beauty, useful and justified.
Do Finnish do it yourself
The original finca is very expensive, but do not worry: in any situation there is a solution, and of course, in this one. Do-it-yourself Finnish knife is the best solution. Fink can be made from improvised means. So, the most important thing in the knife is good steel.
You can get it on the market or in the store of power tools. Tool
steel tools are best suited
. It is good when there is access to a metallurgical plant, however, you can buy a saw blade that cuts thick metal. That's all the material for the blade, the next step is the handle. What is suitable for the handle? You can take birch, maple, beech. There should be no problems with the material for the handle, as the wood is accessible to any person.
Sewing a scabbard is one of the main stages in creating a finca
Making Finnish knives is a laborious and very complicated process. Some masters believe that the most important thing is sewing the scabbard. To make a good sheath, you need to spend a lot of time, in contrast to the manufacture of the finca itself. The whole secret lies in a special technology that must be followed without fail. If you do not fulfill at least one condition developed by the Finns, the cover will be damaged and you can throw it away. The scabbard is made exclusively from wet skin, it fits the insert well and is stitched. Finns are more responsible for making scabbard than for the knife itself.
Of particular popularity are the sheath of dark red leather with a curved tip. Such scabbard is called the “bishop's hat” (in honor of one of the prelates of the Catholic Church, who was killed by a simple peasant because he ruined his entire household).
Finca is a tool and at the same time a weapon
It must be clearly recognized that the Finnish knife is an instrument, not a weapon. Vivid proof of this is the simple design of the knife, which was formed in the Middle Ages: the sheath, blade and handle. The size and proportions of the finca depend on its purpose, whether it be household chores or hunting. The blade and handle have a length that is comparable to the width of the palm, of course, in some knives the blade is much shorter. The blade of the Finnish knife is sharpened on one side, the other side is thickened for convenient use during hard work.
If necessary, the Finnish knife can be used as a weapon. By tradition, the Finnish hilt is made of wood, but other materials can also be used. For example, in Lapland, the handle is made of deer horn. The scabbard is sewn from leather, but not always; other materials are also welcome.
Finnish knife in folklore
Finca, like any other household item, found its place in the customs and folklore of the people. In Karelia, all the girls for a certain period of time wore empty scabbard from a knife on their belts. The guy who wanted to marry the girl put his knife into her scabbard. If, at their next meeting, his Finnish knife remained in the scabbard, this meant that he was a welcome groom. This was a special sign, after which the guy could send matchmakers to the girl. If the girl took the Finnish from its sheath, it meant that she did not want to marry this guy.
In the Far North, men also had their own customs. If a man worked for a very long time in the forest and had to spend the night there, he stuck a knife into the wall above himself, thus protecting himself from evil spirits. Similar things were done in the houses, people stuck a knife over the door, as if blocking the path for all evil spirits. In addition, there was another custom: if the baby in the house began to cry, a knife was inserted above the door.
The invention of the knife can be put on a par with the achievements of the primitive man: making fire and taming pets, because with the advent of the knife, people's life has become much easier, food production has become a simple matter, and people were able to defend themselves from wild animals and invading tribes.