Grindaknívur ( fo, whaling knife), is along with the ''mønustingari'' (spinal cord cutter) the
Faroese pilot whale
Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus ''Globicephala''. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale (''G. melas'') and the short-finned pilot whale (''G. macrorhynchus''). The two are not readily distinguishable at sea, ...
hunt's most distinguished equipment. The
haft and
sheath are usually made of high quality
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
and have inlay of
brass
Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...
and
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
.
There are no specific formal requirements to the whaling knife. In most cases the length of the blade is between 16 and 19 cm. The whaling knife is considered one of the foremost Faroese contributions to
Nordic artistic
craftsmanship Workmanship is a human attribute relating to knowledge and skill at performing a task. Workmanship is also a quality imparted to a product. The type of work may include the creation of handcrafts, art, writing, machinery and other products.
Workman ...
. The knife was earlier used for the traditional method of killing pilot whales; to sever the
spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...
with a cut across the back of the neck of the animal between the head and the neck, but since 2011 a new invention called ''mønustingari'' (spinal cord cutter) has been legal to use for this purpose. The grindaknívur is now used after the whale has been killed with the mønustingari to cut the whales neck open, so that the blood can leave the whale's body.
See also
*
Grindadráp
References
External links
Whaling.fo - Website from the Faroese Government(English)
(in favour of whaling)
The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grindaknivur
Whaling implements
Whaling in the Faroe Islands
Knives
Faroese culture