Scottish Sgian Dubh Knives and Dirk at The Harp and Dragon

The sgian dubh is a Scottish knife that is worn on the calf of the leg (tucked into your sock) in highland wear; "sgian dubh" is Gaelic for "black knife" and is pronounced "skin doo." The commonest spelling is sgian dubh, but sgian dhu and other spelling variations are also allowable.
Although worn largely by the Scots, it's also worn by the Irish with their kilt outfits.

Our sgians dubh have a high-quality, stainless steel sharp blade (except for the child's model, which is dull, and the Damascas model, which does not have a stainless blade). The latest fad in Britain is sgians dubh with dull blades, apparently for "safety" reasons (!). One of our suppliers claims that all the other sellers were happy with the dull blades, and so we know that there are dull blades being sold out there somewhere. We suggest that you always check about the blade when buying a sgian dubh if sharpness matters to you.

However, we sell these sgians dubh solely as a traditional Scottish costume item to be worn in your sock. We offer no warranty on what they will cut, and we do not sell these as self-defense weapons.

Note to knife collectors: In Scottish circles, the edges of the handle and blade will often, but not always, match in a straight line, as many collectors of other knives expect. Horn-handled sgians dubh especially do not necessarily have this match. We do not exchange knives that do not have a handle/blade straight-line match.

SD1A. Dress sgian dubh. Polished pewter thistle-design mountings, molded hard sheath. Boxed. Made in Scotland. $39

SD1B. Dress sgian dubh. Polished pewter Celtic knot-design mountings, molded hard sheath. Boxed. Made in Scotland. $39.

SD2. Our finest dress sgian dubh. Polished pewter Celtic interlace decorates the hard molded sheath. The handle is made of a high-density resin that imitates a traditional carved blackwood design of the past. The faux topaz is encased by a crown of pewter on top of the handle. The blade is top-quality stainless steel, of course. 7 1/2" long. Made in Kilbride, Scotland. Presented in a very nice hard blue box lined in satin and velvet. $195.

SD3A. Real horn handle, black leather sheath with raised interlace Celtic design, pewter thistle on ebony wood mount on end of handle (the thistle is shown at immediate left). Made in Scotland. Boxed. $49

SD3B. Real horn handle, brown leather sheath with raised interlace Celtic design, pewter Celtic interlace circle on brown wood mount on end of handle (shown enlarged below). Made in Scotland. Boxed. $49.

SD4. This handsome sgian dubh has a very nice-looking imitation staghorn handle decorated with a pewter thistle with "Scotland" in small letters above it. (In the lower right-hand corner we show a view of the pewter thistle, looking down onto the top.) The mold for this sgian dubh was taken off an actual horn handle, which is why it looks so real. On the flattened back of the handle is the Robbie Burns poem, "My heart's in the highlands, my heart is not here; My heart's in the highlands, a chasing the deer." The molded sheath is covered with dark brown leather. Stainless steel blade. 7 1/2" overall. Presented on red satin in a nice dark green box. Made in Scotland. Sale! Regular $70, now $60.

SD5. Real carved blackwood handle with thistle-shaped top, sterling silver thistle on front of handle. Black leather sheath with Celtic knot design stamped on it. About 7 1/2" overall. Made in Scotland. Boxed. $36.

SD6 (left). Hunting sgian dubh has real half tri horn handle (horn is cut in half and back of handle is flat), with black Celtic embossed cowhide sheath. Because the handle is real horn, no two will be alike. The sgian dubh itself is about 7 1/2" long, and comes with a warning tag that the blade is sharp. Comes with leather sheath included in price. Made in Scotland. $36.

SD7A (far left). Hunting sgian dubh has real plain horn handle, with black Celtic embossed cowhide sheath. Because the handle is real horn, no two will be alike. The blade is silver-colored - it only looks black in the photo because of reflections from the surroundings. Sgian dubh is about 7 1/2" long and comes with a warning that the blade is sharp. Leather sheath is included in price. Made in Britain. $32.

SD7B (immediate left). Same as the SD7A above, but has thicker horn handle. $32.

SD8. Horn-handled sgain dubh has full round horn end, the most expensive part of the antlers. (This is the same knife as the SD11, except for the blade.) Celtic embossed cowhide sheath, stainless handle. $50

SD9 (shown at left). Leather sgian dubh sheath available separately. Please specify black or brown. (We can substitute a brown sheath for a black one on the SD7 or 8.) Size: 4 1/2" long overall; however, because of the stitching around the edge, it will only take a blade that is maximum 4 1/4". $6 Note: if this item is ordered alone, with no other goods, there will be a handling fee of $3 in addition to the postage fee of $5.

SD11. Horn-handled sgian dubh with Damascus steel blade. The distinctive characteristic of a Damascus blade is the swirly pattern, produced by the unique method of manufacture. Historically, Damascus is a hot-forged steel used in Middle Eastern swordmaking from about 1100-1700, although its origins may have been much earlier. The historic methods of making Damascus steel have been lost. However, according to Wikipedia, "Modern Damascus is a lamination of folded steels selected with cosmetic qualities, with grinding and polishing specifically to expose the layers. True Damascus patterns are formed when carbon trace elements form visible swirls in the steel mix. These elements change properties when the steel is work hardened (forged), creating the patterns." Clearly, this is a real knife collector's item. The horn has a full round end, the expensive part of the antlers. Made in Britain. $85

SD12. Boys' sgian dubh. Real horn handle with ebony piece on the top end of the handle. Black leather sheath. Blade is not sharp for safety reasons. 6 1/4" long overall. Made in Scotland. $24 We have one of these left.

SD12. This horn-tip sgian dubh is called the "quirky" style by the maker. And quirky they are. Every one is distinctly different, as you can see by the two photos. Most are quite speckled. They also vary in size, color, and number of tips. At left, we show some with three tips, and below are the ones with two. Length of horn handle (excluding the stainless steel blade) varies from about 5 1/4" to 8 1/2" long. These are a real addition to any knife collection! With leather sheath. Tell us whether you like the three-or two-pronged ones, longer or shorter, and we'll pick you out a nice one. Not boxed. $39

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The Harp and Dragon
25 Madison St, Cortland, NY 13045 USA
Tel 607-756-7372 Fax/Ans mach 607-756-0366