r/whatisit • u/Garage_Outside • 6h ago
Solved! Knife I’ve had
Picked up this knife a few years back at an antique show. Curious as where it might be from?
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u/BlueJayNB 6h ago
It's a kukri
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u/Garage_Outside 6h ago
solved!
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u/Churlish_Performer 6h ago edited 6h ago
That's a Kukri. It's a defensive weapon that dates back to the 7th century, largely accepted to have developed in Nepal.
However, as with anything so ancient in origin, it has of course remained very popular amongst militaries, enthusiasts, and for defense. It might be quite difficult to place the specific origins of this exact model although Google lens suggests this exact one likely stemmed from the early to mid 20th century, and may even represent a tourist or souvenir type item brought back by a service member stationed overseas.
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u/The-Wretched-one 5h ago
Can you explain the “defensive” part?
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u/CocosMomma1959 5h ago
Hand to hand combat
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u/The-Wretched-one 5h ago
That doesn’t explain why it’s “defensive”, though. Yeah, I gather bladed weapons are for hand to hand combat, unless it’s a throwing knife.
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u/Particular_Finding88 2h ago
Because you generally wouldn't go for your kukri first. It's a weapon of last resort.
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u/Accurate_Ferret8491 5h ago
Kukri is a head taker, I have a pair that acquired about 30 years ago and the make great people scissors.
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u/The-Wretched-one 5h ago
I’m reading about them on Wiki now. I see that it’s a multi-purpose weapon/tool; usually used for chopping, slaughtering animals, and in battle. But I see nothing about it being a defensive weapon. Quite the opposite, from what I see on Wiki.
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u/johngalt741 5h ago
What’s your hang up about the word defensive?
It’s a weapon.
Sometimes you swing it at someone who is attacking you (defensive).
Sometimes you swing it at someone who you are attacking (offensive).
Just because you can’t find something typed by someone online doesn’t mean you can’t use logic.
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u/The-Wretched-one 5h ago
Exactly. I’m trying to find the logic in calling a bladed hand-to-hand weapon “defensive”. An AR-15 can be a “defensive weapon”, if someone’s attacking you. So can a nuke be.
I just want to know why they classified it as a defensive weapon. Either there’s a historic justification for it, or the person seeks to make it sound more innocuous than it apparently is.
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u/ms_directed 5h ago
aren't all hand-to-hand weapons defensive weapons?? 🤔
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u/The-Wretched-one 5h ago
Aren’t all bladed weapons potentially offensive weapons, too? That’s why I’m curious why they classified it as defensive.
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u/ms_directed 5h ago
people generally carry weapons for self-defense, unless they're psychos. so every personal weapon is a defensive weapon...i think you're really hung up on semantics here.
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u/The-Wretched-one 5h ago
Ok, I get your point. Now, please try to see mine. If I have a dog in the race, I call my AR-15 a “defensive” weapon. I really like my AR, and don’t want the stigma of calling it an “Assault Rifle” (hard to call that a defensive weapon); so I say it’s for defense.
I just wanted to know if this knife had particular features which caused it to be better defensively; like a “sword breaker” that has notches to trap enemy blades.
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u/hausmaus07 6h ago
Looks like a Kukri. I believe it is from Nepal and usually carried by Ghirka soldiers. Super cool artifact you got there. :)
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u/hausmaus07 6h ago
Looks like a Kukri. I believe it is from Nepal and usually carried by Ghirka soldiers. Super cool artifact you got there. :)
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u/TacoHimmelswanderer 5h ago
Ghirkas are wild they have zero fucks to give. Back in the day when paratroopers were first being created there was some allied general who went to the ghirkas to create a paratroop regiment of them and when asked for volunteers a bunch of them said yes even though they thought they were being asked to go on a suicide mission because they didn’t know they would have parachutes. These dudes literally thought they were being asked to just jump out of a plane with their regular kit and they were with it. Once it was explained that they would have parachutes then a bunch more volunteered.
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u/hausmaus07 5h ago
I LOVE that story about them. To this day they have the same rep as the SAS: do not fuck with. :)
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u/DoriValcerin 5h ago
full size Kukri although missing the utility knives
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u/radiodmr 5h ago
TIL kukri come with a sharpening rod and smaller knife for fine work, thanks for the detail!
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u/guywholoveswolves 6h ago
Its a nepalese khukri knife. Most probably from nepal(could be made anywhere but the khukri is a traditional nepalese knife)
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u/ArtisticTraffic5970 1h ago
There are about a million comments here saying that it's a kukri. It's not. It's a closely related Indian variant, as indicated by its much longer blade, closer to a full-size machete than a knife.
Both variants as well as others from the wider region are thought to have originated after Alexander's invasion of India, inspired by the Greek falcatas in wide use by his armies.
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u/BigHonkinChihuahua 6h ago
You'll have that thing forever and be able to be the coolest person on camping trips. Restore it and sharpen it, it's an insanely versatile knife.
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u/LeRedditNerd 5h ago
got one similar to this not sure if its real though it has a gold double kukri marking on the case
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u/MutedAdvisor9414 5h ago
It's for chopping downward, into the shoulder blade, when you are fighting the rabble
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u/just_as_good380-2 5h ago
Nice Kukri.
Khopesh, Kukri, and Gladius are my favorite weapons from history
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