Welcome to CretanKnife.com - The Cretan knife

Written inscription on the blade.	The blade Fire, anvil, steel, hammer, long-handled pliers and the dagger -manufacturer's dexterity are the necessary elements for manufacturing the Cretan dagger.Its steel blade is sturdy and has only one edge, while the side opposite to the edge, "rahi", is flat, reinforced in its base and it grows thinner on approaching the tip, ending at a very sharp point which has a slight upward gradient.The blade's length varies. In the mid 19th century Cretan dagger manufacturers fabricated oversized daggers, the length of which could reach 80 cm. These huge daggers could be used as sabres.

Hilt fixed with "Pertsinia". The V-shaped fInish.	The hilt Τhe part of the dagger opposite to its pointed part is called "manika" and this is where the hilt was fixed, earlier with six pins "pertsinia", today with only three. The Cretan dagger's hilt is called "manika". Its shape varies. However, three are the dominant types. In the first the hilt's end resembles a bird's beak, in the second the shape of the hilt's end is the same as in the 18th and 19th century cutlasses and in the third, which is the classical Cretan type, the hilt's end is V-shaped.The V- shaped hilt appears only in Cretan daggers, endowing them with a singularity of type.The hilt is always made of animal horn or bone, while in the most lavishly manufactured daggers it is made of ivory. Hilts which are not made of this precious material are made of white bone, derived mainly from ox feet, which the dagger manufacturers, even today, boil in a mixture of water, ash and lime so that it will acquire a bright white colour, and then they grind it. More rarely hilts are made from the island's wild goats' horns, known as "kri–kri". Daggers with dark - coloured hilts are called "mavromanika".

Great detail and superb craftmanship.	The scabbard Great aesthetic value lies in the silver scabbards or "foukaria" of the silver-sheathed daggers. The distinct perfection of the Cretan silversmiths' art is concentrated in this part of the dagger.