Dagger

A Dagger is a small bladed weapon less than 30 centimeters long. For sake of simplicity, this will also cover various knives which serve the same role.

Daggers in Warfare

Most daggers are effectively scaled down swords, sacrificing reach for light weight and ease of carry and storage. As such, while they can slash, they are mostly used for stabbing. Like swords, both straight and curved as well as double edged and single edged daggers existed.

For the most part, the main use of daggers was as a fallback weapon for soldiers in case they lost their heavier sword, maces, spears or whatever and as a concealed weapon for defensive (if you are fearing a mugging or an assassin) or offensive (you are a mugger or an assassin) purposes. As a nice bonus, they were also small enough to be used as a regular knives.

Types of Daggers

• Stone Daggers: Unlike swords, you could make a serviceable dagger out of stones which could take an edge like flint, which could be chipped away into that shape. These are commonly found in neolithic burial sites.
  • Obsidian Dagger: Made of volcanic glass, these daggers were extra sharp but extra brittle as well.
• Pugio: A leaf shaped dagger used by Roman Legionaries.
• Stiletto: Much like the shoe that got its name from it, the stiletto has a needle-esque blade designed for stabbing with as little resistance as possible. The blade is typically thin yet hard, which allows it to puncture flesh with ease. Its small size and killing power made it a popular choice for assassins back then and today. Its drawback, however, is that it is designed exclusively for stabbing. The blade's design did not allow it to effectively cut opponents with slashes, restricting the user to stabs, and the blade's thin and hard characteristic made it very likely to shatter when struck with a hard object.
• Bayonet: A bayonet is a type of knife meant to be mounted onto the muzzle of a firearm, typically a rifle or carbine, so that a soldier can use their firearm as a makeshift spear in close combat.
• Machete: A large, cleaver-like knife around 30-40cm. It was first employed by the Spaniards, who used it for cutting undergrowth and heathen swine during their expeditions into jungles. It is still used for these purposes in Latin America and parts of Africa, and has also been repurposed as a weapon by various militias and guerrilla forces.
• Kukri: A kukri knife is a Nepalese large knife, similar to the machete in size and use. The difference, however, is that it possesses a heavy, curved blade that removes the need to angle one's wrist when performing a chopping motion and was designed with usage as a weapon in mind.
• Misericorde: A long, thin dagger built specifically for use against plate armored soldiers, its name comes from the Latin word misericordia, meaning an act of mercy, and that's what it was used for. In the Medevile age if you suffered a mortal wound you were likely gonna take a while to die, a knight with this weapon would jam this blade through openings in the plate, such as the armpit or visor, or groin to finish them off. Of course you could also use it on a still "kicking" knight and use it to encourage them to yield or beg for mercy.
• Katar: An unusual form of dagger from India with an H-shaped hilt that cause the blade to sit above the user's knuckles, allowing its user to put his whole weight into the thrust (or punch, as the motion for a thrust with this weapon is identical to punching). Its light weight and small size made it easy to wield in pairs, but it can't block very well, forcing the wielder to rely on their agility to avoid being struck in the first place. Closely related to it is the push dagger, which is smaller and posses a T-shaped hilt so the blade protrudes from between the user's fingers when correctly grasped.
• Parrying dagger: This type of dagger (also known as the main gauche) was meant to be used alongside a rapier or other dueling sword, and as such had wider guards to protect the user's hand while allowing him to parry strikes with his off-hand more effectively. Some variations known as "sword breakers" had slots along their sides that allowed them to catch a rival's sword or even break it in some cases, while the so-called "trident daggers" had spring-loaded mechanisms that would split the blade into three parts when activated to catch an opponent's blade between them.
• Dirk: A long thrusting dagger commonly used by naval officers in hand-to-hand combat during the Age of Sail, the name "dirk" is also used to refer to the Sgian-dubh, a single-edged knife that was formerly used by the Scots in the 17th and 18th centuries and continues to be part of traditional highland dress today.
• Kris: A dagger with a distinctive wavy shape used through much of Southeast Asia, and is particularly prominent in Indonesia. They are often made to be spiritual objects and works of art as well as weapons, and as a result the crafting of the kris was designated a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In layman's terms, this means that the kris' importance to Indonesian culture is equivalent to that of the Viennese coffee houses to Austria or the flamenco to Spain.

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