Greeks bearing gifts- its a good thing, really!

[Grant Lamontagne]

As some of you may remember, I recently visited Athens, and, in addition to many of the wonders there, I also managed to meet up with our own Konstantinos- an absolute high pint in a vacation absolutely full of high points.

I've always said this forum is only great because of the exceptional members, and it is always an absolute joy to meet people face to face.  I only wish we'd had more time, but as I plan to (eventually) return to Athens, I hope we have an opportunity to sit down and share a meal together.

I have to admit, Konstantinos caught me a bit unaware, and brought me some gifts, all of which I will eventually talk about- and I was a bit embarrassed as I had nothing to reciprocate with, but, Konstantinos, if you are reading this, I will send you some quintessentially Canadian things as a thank you.  As soon as I figure out how to ship a poutine! 

This knife is one of the many gifts I got from Konstantinos, and I have never actually handled one like this before.  At first glance it is sort of similar to an Opinel, a knife that I very much love- but the closer you look, the more you will see that this is far beyond an Opinel. 

The blade is highly polished, there is a liner lock, there is etching on both the blade and handle and the wood is sealed and varnished to ensure a long life.  That's just the things you see at first glance. 

Konstantinos told me a lot about this knife, and I am ashamed to admit that I retained very little of what he told me, so hopefully he will be along sooner or later to fill in the (many) gaps.

What I do recall is that this is a traditional Greek style from Crete, and that the handle is fashioned to resemble the lower half of a femur, which explains the defining notch at the opposite end from the blade pivot.

As I mentioned, there are etchings on the blade and handle.  Foremost on the handle is the island of Crete, showing where the knife came from.  There is also a small goat and some dolphins- as I understand it, this shows the traditional Greek ways of life, from seafaring to animal herding.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

The etching n the blade really puts this one over the top though.  I don't read Greek so I used Google Translate, which as you will see from below, 

When it works properly, i says something about always remembering where the blade came from and that much I can guarantee I will honor and remember. 

This is a beautiful knife, it fits my hand very well, and it was given to me by a forum member- while I may not recall the details of it's actual pedigree, I can guarantee I will remember that much.

I owe a HUGE public thank you to Konstantinos for taking the time out of his day to meet up with me, and for the fantastic things he brought me.  I would have been very happy just to meet him, and the gifts are just very excellent icing on the cake.

Def

[SteveC]

Great gift and cool knife !   

[Barry Rowland]

  That's à beautiful Knife!

[dks]

  

[Poncho65]

Very cool KK has always been a great member here

[Farmer X]

  A very cool gift from a great MTo member!

[Sos24]

Very cool.

[pfrsantos]

Cool knife and story!

 


The first pic doesn't really look like a femur, more like a... well, a... nevermind, it's probably just me...

 

[ReamerPunch]

I picked up these when I went to Crete in 2017.
Grant's says
A gift I give you from the heart, this here knife, to look at and remember him who gave it to you.

Mine says
I have it as a custom since forever, a knife to gift, to people whom I appreciate and consider special.

[ReamerPunch]

I also got a small fixed version, with the same verse as on Grant's.
Here's a better angle of the notch in the back of the handle. Olive wood, coated to a high polish. They all cut like razors.