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WABUKAN Arsenal · Knives and blades · Europe

Seax

A large single-edged knife, fighting knife or short sword of the Germanic peoples of the Migration Period and Early Middle Ages, especially the Saxons.

Seax
Seax WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

sax; sæx; scramasax (scramaseax); Latin sachsum

Origin and history

The name is the Old English word for "knife", from a Germanic root *sah- "to cut" (the same root as saw). The form scramaseax ("wounding-knife") is not found in Old English: it comes from scramasaxi in Gregory of Tours’ History of the Franks. On the continent, seaxes from about 450 to 800 are sorted into types in rough order of date, from the narrow long seax and the short seax to the broad seaxes and finally the long seax.

Martial arts that use it

Seen in traditional practice, historical reenactment and demonstrations; no art page on WABUKAN yet.

Construction

Great variety, but usually a large single-edged blade with a tang in its centre line set into a hilt of wood or horn. It was worn horizontally in a scabbard on the belt, edge upwards. Narrow seaxes often have braided bands or snakes engraved on the blade; long seaxes have blades of 50 cm or more, often with several fullers and pattern-welded steel.

Basic techniques

Training

Short-blade training starts with trainers made of wood, aluminium or rubber. Students drill angles of attack, grips (forward and reverse), checking the opponent’s arm and footwork, then flow drills with a partner. Live blades are kept for solo forms by experienced practitioners, if at all.

Safety

Use training knives for all partner work and eye protection for fast drills. Never mix live and training blades in the same session, store blades sheathed and out of reach of children.

Legality (general information)

Swords, knives and other edged weapons are regulated very differently from country to country (and sometimes from region to region): owning one at home is often allowed, while carrying it in public, buying it under a certain age or importing it may be restricted or banned. Practitioners usually transport them cased, out of reach and straight between home and dojo. This is general information, not legal advice: check the law where you live.

Did you know?

In heraldry the seax is a curved sword with a notched blade, seen in the coats of arms of Essex and the former Middlesex. The roofer’s tool called a zax takes its name from the same word.

More weapons

Barong Navaja Kris Golok Balisong Tanto

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Seax