A powerful Sgian Dubh

[GrainReaper]

I'm in the middle of constructing a Sgian dubh for a good friend that has a very deep connection to myself, to a casual viewer the finished knife will be of top quality, with nice detail work, the story behind it is what is makes the blade...

Lightning struck wood is held amongst many beliefs as being very powerful and of possessing traits and qualities different than normal wood.

The handle is being carved from a tree that was struck by a bolt of forked lightning, the greater bolt struck the tree, the lesser bolt hit yours truely, throwing him 15-20 feet and earning him a trip to the emergency room. A bolt of lightning can reach temperatures of 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or about five times the temperature of the surface of the sun. This hardens and carbonizes the wood into a burl of great strength should the tree survive, and as I can state from experience singes the hair off your body and causes burns over the skin of your body. There is much symbolism going into this project, the blade is fire hardened and finished with a lightning pattern along the spine, the handle (outside of the wood being struck) is being adorned with the ancient symbol of Mjöllnir.. the hammer of Thor, the God of thunder and lightning... His hammer being a physical representation of lightning in viking lore. The sheath will be hammered copper wrapped in leather and finished with neetsfoot oil and darkened in the sun to bring out a natural hue that will pair well with the oiled and waxed wood of the handle.