knife superstitions!!!a new one on me...

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3nails

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Mar 7, 2002
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Last night a newfound family member gave me a knife for my birthday. Someone mentioned that it was bad luck to give someone a knife as a gift. Something about that it would cut your friendship. I have never heard af that before. Someone else yeld out "give him a penny" but I thought they were joking. I've always heard not to open a knife and give it to someone or if someone opens a knife make them close it before they hand it back. I thought it was mostly a leason in safety. I've never been a superstitious person but i feel like I may need to give him a penny the next time I see him... What other knife superstitions are out there? I give knives as gifts all the time. Maybe I need to start collecting so I can buy me a new one...:)
 
Originally posted by shane45-1911
...and it's a penny per blade, should the gift have more than one blade.
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nah.. it's really a gesture. you don't have to give a coin for every blade... the money is symbolic of a transaction... so you in fact "buy" the blade... get it?

there are some other superstitions as well... not sure if they are only from this part of the world... but:

it's been said that every knife has a "spirit" and that spirit has to have it's thirst quenched (and we're not talking about coke) so any new knife has to be washed in blood. Chicken blood is supposedly sufficient... and after this the blade will supposedly stay sharp longer and stay free of rust. Basicall be a lot easier to maintain and you won't get cut by it as often... BUT I have never done that to any of my blades...

another one has to do with khukris. It's said that a khukri needs to be blooded before resheathing. This was related to me by more than one source, varous people who claim to have had experience dealing with one or more of the gurkha contingents posted here.
 
That's a somewhat common superstition. There are some other threads here that have some interesting discussion of the history of it, including something about challenging someone to a duel by giving them a knife (or sword, pistol, etc.) to fight with.

I've never been superstitious and I think that one is particularly silly because it implies that a knife is not a good gift item. I personally think a pocket knife is a great gift in many circumstances, so I totally disagree with the basis of the superstition.

I don't perpetuate it, but If someone makes an issue out of it, I'll gladly recieve or give a penny to calm anyone's fears.

I also don't have a problem with black cats or Fridays on the 13th or spilled salt. Just don't give someone a knife and then slap them across the face with your glove.
 
I always thought that a knife wasn't truly yours until its bit you. I used to practice Celtic magic (Druidism) and I was surprised to find that was widely believed among Celtic warriors.
 
Concerning the knife opening/closing one...
There's a couple of times where my friends who opened the knife but couldn't figure out how to close is, so I closed it myself... doesn't seem to get hurt yet or lose the knives yet.
 
Originally posted by solid_soldier
I always thought that a knife wasn't truly yours until its bit you.
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You're right - I've heard this one too.

PS - all my knives definitely belong to me. Some of them belong to me several times! ;)
 
heck if you believe in superstition then stepping on a crack will break your mothers back. If you like knives you'll WANT to be knives for presents right? :P
 
Originally posted by Manji
heck if you believe in superstition then stepping on a crack will break your mothers back. If you like knives you'll WANT to be knives for presents right? :P
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heck, I'd love to receive a knife or two as a present... but I'll give a buck back to the giver... I'm not superstitious... but I find that it's more a customary issue so I don't really mind doing it.
 
Originally posted by solid_soldier
I always thought that a knife wasn't truly yours until its bit you. I used to practice Celtic magic (Druidism) and I was surprised to find that was widely believed among Celtic warriors.
Click to expand...
Strange enough I let my knifes taste my blood. My father is diabetic, so he has those sterile lancelet around, so I took a fresh one, prick my finger and let the edge taste my blood. So far it haven't bit me yet. :P
Others might think I'm crazy, but the lancelet is like a small needle, like what happens when you go donate blood or something.
 
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