Hirschfänger (German) - deer knife, 30-40 cm in length. The first hirschfangers appeared in Germany in the 16th century for the self-defense of a hunter and finishing off a wounded animal.
It is now the hunter′s ceremonial weapon. Evolved from a hunting sword, but shorter than the first. Originally used exclusively for hunting, later it was used only for performance and as part of a uniform. The differences between daggers of the German form with a handle and the French one are somewhat shorter, without a bracket. The blade is sharpened on both sides, later only at the point. During hunting, swords and sabers were used mainly on horses. Daggers - only on foot. Beginning in the Baroque period, armourers increasingly replaced iron parts with shiny brass or silver pieces, some of which were gilded. The Hirschhorn sometimes uses ivory as a handle material. In the Rococo style, a skillfully crafted dagger was often a piece of clothing.
Due to the length of the blade, the Hirshhorn was used on large animals. By striking the heart from the front, the hunter killed the animal that was shot or wounded. Thus, the danger to the dog of others was excluded. The knife is carried on the left side of the body. There is a small hunting knife on the outside of the leather sheath. Hirschhorn is rarely used today. The dagger is rejected in its classic form and criticized for being too narrow a blade that has too little potential for injury to the chest, heart, lungs and large blood vessels. The modern knife has a wide blade more than twenty centimeters long and is symmetrically ground with two cutting edges.