Highland Dress Accessories | Sgian Dubh
Sgian Dubh is Gaelic for ‘black knife’. where "black" may refer to the usual colour of the handle of the knife. It is also suggested that "black" means secret, or hidden as its origins may have evolved from the sgian achlais, a dagger that could be concealed under the armpit. Used by the Scots of the 17th and 18th centuries, this knife was slightly larger than the average modern sgian dubh and was carried in the upper sleeve or lining of the body of the jacket.
Courtesy and etiquette would demand that when entering the home of a friend, any concealed weapons would be revealed. It follows that the sgian achlais would be removed from its hiding-place and displayed in the stocking top held securely by the garters.
The sgian dubh also resembles the small skinning knife that is part of the typical set of hunting knives. These sets contain a butchering knife with a 9-10 inch blade, and a skinner with a blade of about 4 inches. These knives usually had antler handles, as do many early sgian dubhs. The larger knife is likely the ancestor of the modern dirk.
Today the sgian dubh is purely ornamental and for most sgian dubhs, the total length is approximately 7” / 13 cms. The sheath is hidden from view in the kilt hose with about 2” / 5 cms showing and is worn on the outside of the right leg (or left leg for the left handed).
The handle is usually ornamented at the top either with a Celtic design, with stone or stones or sometimes a ball. The scabbard is made of leather or leather substitute. For semi formal and formal wear the scabbard is generally ornamented at the top and at the peak with ornamented Celtic design on silver or silver plate. Some are not even knives at all, but a handle and sheath cut as one piece.