Do you ever look at a clipping from your big toenail and think to yourself, "That would make a good scimitar blade for a small enough person."
a very clever old man once did
Quote from: The Shepherd's Crown, Terry Pratchett'An' C is for claymore . . . and crivens, I'll gi'e ye sich a guid kickin' if'n you stick that sword intae me one muir time,' shouted the third, turning and hurling himself at one of his brothers.
A yellowing crescent-shaped object fell to the ground as the brawl spun off into the brambles, and Rob snatched it up and tried to hide it behind his back.
Tiffany narrowed her eyes. That had looked suspiciously like . . . yes, a bit of old toenail!
'Weel,' said Rob, shuffling his feet, 'ye is always cuttin' these little chunks off'n them old gentl'men you goes to visit most days. They fly out o' the winders, jus' waitin' for a body to pick 'em up. An' they is hard as nails, ye ken.'
'Yes, that's because they are nails—' Tiffany began, then stopped. After all, maybe someone like old Mr Nimlet would like to know that parts of his body were still ready for a scrap. Even if he himself couldn't get out of a chair without help these days.
QuoteJeannie nodded over at a happy bundle of young Feegles, who were tumbling out of the mound, waving their crescent-shaped clubs in the air.
'Aye, it will be good practice for them,' Rob said, looking at them proudly. And then ducked as one of the Feegles let loose his club and it shot through the air and nearly smacked him on the ear.
To his amazement, the weapon swung round in the air and shot back to the young Feegle who had hurled it, giving him a bang on the head, saving Rob the trouble.
'Ach, boys,' Rob shouted. 'It fights ye back! Now that's a weapon fit for any Feegle. Double the fun, ye ken.'
https://wiki.lspace.org/Book:The_Shepherd%27s_Crown/Annotations QuotePat O'Shea's fantasy novel Hounds of the Morrigan (Reading_Suggestions) where the Celtic Irish war goddess Morrigan returns to Ireland. She/they (the Morrigan is a triple Goddess) uses her fingernails as a sort of boomerang-like ninja throwing star. This is also in Irish mythology, apparently. Where fingernails are lethal projectile weapons.
THE SPEAR IN EARLY ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND: A SOCIAL-TECHNOLOGICAL HISTORY QuoteGrendel's fingernails / claws become blades. Later, Beowulf fights with a sword named nagling, his own iron fingernail / claw.
A READING OF BEOWULFQuotethe translation of naegling as "nail" or, perhaps, "son of nail"
[..]the portraits of Grendel's mother and of Modthryth, who represent the absolute and the temporal expressions of female aggression in a society for which such aggression was perhaps more feared than outmoded (see Chapter III). The fashion of the later Anglo-Saxon aristocratic ladies to wear their fingernails shaped like eagles' claws might have had its origins in practical necessity, but the mere fact that their hands remained in this condition of predatory perfection indicates that they were no lonqer used for pugilistic purposes. Whether fashionable or functional, however, the hand is perhaps the best symbol of the aggressive instinct of man (and woman), because, as the distinguishing mark of the highest forms of animal life, the hand seems to represent a major biological triumph over the natural environment in its power to manipulate and change the material world.
Beowulf's hands were an important aspect of his heroic presence; he was renowned for the strength of his mundgripe, "handgrip"
Writing Beyond Pen and Parchment - Inscribed Objects in Medieval European Literature QuoteObjects with names can even move from one narrative to another, as we see with Beowulf 's sword Nægling, which is strikingly similar to a sword called Naglringr in the Old Norse Þiðreks saga af Bern. Naglringr "was made by the dwarf Alfrikr (1. 34, 21; B Alpris), who, when captured by Þiðrekr, ransoms his life by stealing it from its owner, the giant Grímur, and giving it to Þiðrekr (see Alberich, p. 4, Eckesahs, p. 34, Grime, p. 53, and Nagelrinc, p. 96)" who later "gives it to Heimir, whose first sword was Blodgang"
A CATALOGUE OF PERSONS NAMED IN GERMAN HEROIC LITERATURE (700-1600) INCLUDING NAMED ANIMALS AND OBJECTS AND ETHNIC NAMES (
archived)
Quotewhich angers Viðga, who reveals that Heimir has left him to fight twelve robbers single-handed at Briktan (see Witege, p. 146); for this Þiðrekr banishes Heimir from Bern (Verona).6 He lives for a short time as a robber before being reconciled with Þiðrekr. On Þiðrekr's Bertangaland expedition he is defeated by I sungr's youngest son. Heimir and Viðga remonstrate with Erminrikr for forcing his nephew, Þiðrekr, into exile from Bern, and Heimir knocks out the teeth of Erminrikr's evil counsellor, Sifka (see Sibeche, p. 117); he then lives as an outlaw, pillaging Erminrikr's realm for thirty years. On Erminrikr's death Heimir enters the monastery of Wadincusan in Lombardy under the name of 'Lodvigur' (11. 376, 3). The monastery is threatened by the giant Asplian. 'Lodvigur' forces the abbot to return his weapons and his horse, Rispa, who is at first too weak from starvation to carry him;7 Heimir eventually kills the giant. Þiðrekr visits the monastery and recognizes the broad-shouldered monk with the long grey beard; he rejoins Þiðrekr in Romaborg (Rome), then returns to destroy the monastery by fire and to kill all the monks.8 Heimir is finally killed by an aged giant, who is subsequently slain by Þiðrekr.
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HEIME
Son of Madelgêr (B, of Adelgêr in A and AHb) and the companion of Witege; he has four elbows (AHb, Rg, Swedish Þs); his sword is named Nagelrinc
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in later reports he is said to have killed a hostile giant named Thürss as well as a dragon (ibid. 179, 490 ; Mone, 288 f.) ; baroque statues of Haymo and Thürss flank the door of the monastery church ; within the church is a large wooden effigy of the hero (c. 1500).In the OE poem Widsithf Wudga and Hama are named among Eormanrïc's followers (OE innweorud) (124); apparently they are exiles or adventurers (OE wraeccan) in control of people and wealth (125-30). In Beowulf Häma (1198) is thought to have fled from the wrath of Eormanrïc, after carrying off the necklace of the Brösingas (1197-1201 )lto the 'bright stronghold*;1 2 then he died.
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Nægling, a sword, 96, see NAGELRINC
Naglringr, a sword, 4, 29, 53, 65, 96, see NAGELRINC
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In the Danish ballads, a sword with the corrupt name 'Adelryng' is used by Miemerinng in Ravengaard og Mentering(DgF 1. 204 ff.) ; Sivard (MHG Sîfrit) is the owner in Sivard og Brynild (Version A) (ibid. 16 ff.); in Kong Diderik og Löven (Version A) (ibid. 132 f.), Dhyryk (MHG Dietrich) finds the dead Syfred's sword Adelryng in the dragon's lair and kills the dragon with it (see Wolfdietrich, p. 149, and Rose, p. 109).
that was interesting :D