Queen Tylin Quintara Mitsobar wearing her marriage knife.
- For other uses of the word "knife," see Knife.
The marriage knife is a gift from an Ebou Dari husband to his wife on the occasion of their marriage. By custom, the knife is used to stab the husband if his heart should prove "untrue."[1]
Overview[]
The marriage knife is hung at the woman's bosom, and the hilt is decorated with a stone for each child she has. The color of the stone indicates whether the child is male (white) or female (red), and the color of the stone's setting indicates whether or not the child is still alive, and if not, the manner of his or her death, whether in a duel (red) or otherwise (black). If a child is of age for a duel and he or she refuses one, his or her stone is pried out by many women. Women's dresses in Ebou Dar are cut to clearly display a marriage knife, or the lack of one, which indicates that a woman is single.
Details[]
- Knife hangs from neck in to cleavage of bosom.
- Knife hangs hilt down.
- Pearls for boys, firedrops for girls, set into the handle.
- Poor version will often just have colored glass, instead of precious jewels.
- White setting for girls firedrops means dead.
- Red setting for boys pearls means dead.
- Black setting for either means died not in duel.
- No colored setting or same color as handle means child alive.
- Blue sheath- widow that will consider marriage.
- White sheath- widow not intend to marry again.
- Green sheath- Married with her husband living with her.
- Red sheath- Married but forbidden her husband the house.
