Antique Walking Cane

The lion was an icon of bravery, strength and royalty for thousands of years in Africa, Europe, and even in Asia. It appeared prominently in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt as a symbol of kings and in Eastern Asia (where people had never actually seen real lions!) they were worshiped as protectors of humans from evil spirits. No wonder cane-makers loved to make lion walking canes!

From medieval times, the lion was used in heraldry throughout Europe. Although there are many variations of heraldic lions, there are several major positions of the lion: rampant (standing on hind legs), passant (walking), statant (standing on four legs), secant (sitting), and couchant (lying down). For example, the royal coat of arms of Scotland has a rampant lion, and the coat of arms in England has passant lions. These postures influenced somewhat the shapes of lions on the walking canes.

A rampant lion, which is the most popular posture, is often found positioned at the top of the walking cane, just above the grip. Most often the lion holds a shield as many heraldic lions do. The scriptures are rather small and will not prevent you from gripping the scripture part while holding the cane. Many “real” antique lion walking canes you find are made of wood, but one modern reproduction is made with a beautiful pewter scripture.

Another heraldic posture you may find is couchant. This position creates a T-shaped or L-shaped handle over the cane shaft which can be used to support body weight – which is unlike other gentlemen’s fashion canes. In fact, some of these are made for women, probably for this purpose. Since they are made to grip, the decoration on the handles are minimal and the handle surfaces are smooth. Again you find them made of wood, ivory, and even scrimshaw.

Other heraldic positions are not often found as scripture, but as a painted form on button-shaped walking cane heads. In fact, most of these represent coats-of-arms of various countries.

You can find two other types of lion walking canes. One is a roundish lion head sitting on top of the cane. This lion often opens its mouth wide as if it were roaring. Some have glass eyes. (I personally prefer this type of lion walking cane. It is easy to carry and still quite fashionable.) Another type is a lion head at the end of a crooked walking cane. A silver or pewter scripted lion head is inserted at the end of the crooked handle. This is probably the most comfortable walking cane to carry. Since silver and pewter are fairly easy to manipulate, you will find this a very finely scripted lion-head walking cane.

You may also want to take note of African-made hand-carved walking canes with a lion theme. They are really beautiful and have the warmth of fine rare woods that grow on the lands where real lions actually live. Even though many have contemporary designs (based on older African walking canes), they are compatible in beauty to any of the antique lion walking canes made in Europe or the US, and worth owning as a gentleman’s fashion accessory.

Although the safety of the city was significantly improved during Victorian times, many gentlemen still carried some sort of weapon for protection. Carrying a sword was no longer in fashion so, although walking canes were not originally designed as a weapon but for fashion (such as the collectors’ antique walking canes seen today), they were the de facto choice of weapon for many gentlemen. Although most did not have any training in fighting, there were actually some schools teaching “cane-fighting”. Techniques taught in these schools were based on the traditional European system of stick-fighting, and other sword-fighting systems. There were quite a few manuals written in the 18th and 19th centuries, and you can even find some written in the early 20th century. One of most famous cane-fighting books of the early 20th century is A. C. Cunnigham’s . “The Cane As A Weapon” and original copies can still be found
occasionally in used-book stores.

Not surprisingly, some canes actually had a long blade installed. The sword cane became more popular as the the carrying of swords declined and firearms replaced them as the main weapons. The popularity of these sword canes peaked around the mid-18th century, but they were still used into Victorian times. The length of the blade changes significantly among different types of sword canes. Some sword canes are more like a knife cane. Some have a double blade, others have a single blade, and still others have a sharp point for thrusting, but not for cutting. Because it was simple to construct, the last type, a sharp-point sword, is currently most commonly found in antique sword walking canes from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Since the sword canes, like walking canes in general, were also a display of the owner’s taste, they were often extensively decorated. From ancient times, most deadly weapons have often been artistically decorated, as you can find in many museums. The same is true of the sword canes. Many cane handles were made from ornate silver, carved wood, the finest ivory, and even embellished with jewels and crystals. These ornamentation actually made the sword canes difficult to use as weapons, but many preferred appearance over practicality.

Sword canes, however impractical in modern times, still attract many men’s imaginations, and are often used in movies. Recent Victorian-era movies, such as “Sherlock Holmes” and “Wolfman”, displayed extremely attractive sword canes. In “Sherlock Holmes”, Jude Law, as Dr. Watson, carries around an ornate round-head bachelor cane with a slim blade. It is a very handsome thing for a young professional to carry. In “Wolfman”, Anthony Hopkins, father of the wolfman, has a heavily decorated wolf-head sword cane with a thicker blade – more like a saber. This cane was, again, very suitable for an established old gentleman.

You can still buy many models of sword canes, but the majority do not come with a sharp edge for good reason! These are more for decorative use, and often used in theater. Some sword canes come with a stainless steel blade that can be sharpened (if it is not already sharp). They are not “real” swords, but sharp enough to cut though many things.

You need to be careful, however, about buying and carrying sword canes. The sword cane is considered a concealed weapon and if your state has strict rules there are also heavy penalties for breaking those laws. Some states, such as Massachusetts and New York, prohibit sales of sword canes and you cannot buy them from here. You can buy sword canes out of state and may take them home, but you can’t carry them outside of the house (which actually makes it difficult to transport the sword from out of state to your home). Please pay attention to your state’s laws regarding the sword cane.

In any case, please enjoy the antique sword cane as an art form, not as a weapon. The most deadly thing can be a most beautiful art form – or the other way around – depending on its use. I hope that you enjoy the beauty in its creation, rather than its potential for destruction.

In both the East and West, dragons are a symbol of power. A wizard who can control a dragon or a warrior who can conquer this great creature will command the power of his world. It is sometimes the evil power, other times a protector’s. Hence it is a really popular theme for men’s canes. With an antique dragon walking cane, you can hold that power in your hand, and it is very suitable as a gentleman’s fashion accessory.

Although many dragon legends are found all over Europe, several of the most famous ones are from the British Isles, and some cane-makers created beautiful cane handles after these dragons. Here are some of the most famous “named” dragons that are currently available as canes:

St. George’s Dragon

One of the most popular dragons is St. George’s. It appears in many art forms, including the walking canes. There are several different versions of St. George’s dragon stories, but the most famous one is of the dragon attacking the city of Selene in Libya. This dragon demanded a child each day for its meal, and one day the king’s daughter was chosen for the sacrifice. Just as the dragon was about to eat her up, a European knight came to rescue her. After a long fierce fight, the knight finally killed the dragon, and freed the city. People were so grateful that they converted to Christianity under St. George.

In the old English legend of St. George, the dragon named Dadianus is an evil sorcerer who can change himself into a serpent. St. George trapped the evil spirit of Dadianus in the walking cane he carries for eternity to commemorate the victory of good over evil.

There are a few different artistic representations of St. George’s dragon, but the dragon wrapping around the cane is most popular.

Lambton Dragon

Another famous dragon in England is Lambton dragon from the legend of the Lambton Worm and Penshaw Hill. It was during the time of the Crusades that John Lambton caught a hideous, black, worm-like creature while fishing. He did not know what to do with it, so he threw it into an ancient well and forgot about it. The years passed, and he was gone on the Crusades for a long time. When he returned home, he found his village devastated by the worm, which had now grown into a monstrous dragon. With the help of a wise woman, he managed to kill the dragon, but his house was cursed and for nine generations no lord of Lambton would die in his bed.

Although a currently available reproduction cane with Lambton dragon looks like an Asian dragon, many older illustrations show that Lambton dragon is more like a sea serpent monster without legs or scales.

Henham Dragon

The Henham dragon was first sighted in 1668 in the British village of Henham, Essex. It was described as being nine feet long with small wings. The eyes were surrounded by strange feathers. Numerous sightings of the dragon were reported over the next year. Some just caught a glimpse of it in the distance, while others said it flew overhead. In 1669, a pamphlet called “The Flying Serpent or Strange News Out of Essex” was published and a copy of the pamphlet still exists at Saffron Walden library. This dragon was actually a hoax known as the “Henham Dragon Hoax of 1668.” Still, it stimulated the imaginations of many artists and craftsmen, who designed some very nice walking canes.

Brinsop Dragon

This dragon lived in a well in Duck’s Pool Meadow in Brinsop. It was killed by a local knight, but some insist that this knight was St. George. Yes, he was a busy guy! Most illustrations found for this dragon show large wings which is typical for modern-day images. The dragon sculpture on the current reproduction cane is actually quite nice looking, although probably hard to carry around.

Asian Dragon

Although they are not British, it is worth mentioning Asian dragons. Unlike in the Western equivalent, in Eastern-world legends dragons are usually in pairs, one good and one evil. If a good dragon wins, the village will prosper. If the evil one wins, the village will perish. They are a sort of symbol of the yin-yang relationship. One of most famous dragon tales from China is of a black and a white dragon. A famous wood carpenter was traveling with his son to a distant city. They passed one side of an ominous lake, with an island in the middle covered by a dark cloud. The son was thirsty and drank water from the lake when, suddenly, a black dragon appeared from the cloud, snatched the son, and disappeared. The father ran to the nearby village for help but no one could do anything. Half-crazed, he started carving a dragon from white wood laying around the side of the lake. He carved and carved without food, without sleep. When he removed the last chip from the dragon’s eye, suddenly the wooden dragon came alive, flew to the black cloud, and started fighting with the black dragon. After many hours of fighting, both dragons disappeared under water, the black cloud cleared from the island, and the carpenter found his son sitting on the island.

The Asian dragons have no wings, but always have four legs, a pair of long whiskers and often a beard. It is quite easy to distinguish one from the European dragons.

Dragon Claws

A dragon-claw cane is a more recent creation from fantasy novels and films. A dragon claw holding a crystal or silver ball is quite popular. According to stories, the hand of a dragon was a talisman for many wizards. The sphere held in the dragon’s claw represents the world, and he who owns this talisman will conquer the world. You can find several reproductions in this category. These canes are very popular among women interested in goth and/or vampire fashion than men and may not be as suitable as a gentleman’s fashion accessory.

Although many original dragon walking canes from the 19th century or earlier were made of wood, bone, and ivory, the currently available dragon canes are usually made of pewter, and often made in Italy. Some no-name cheaper dragon canes are made in China and India. (Don’t discount Indian craftsmanship, however. They make really nice canes at a reasonable price.) None of these canes are for orthopedic use. They are meant only as a gentleman’s fashion accessory, and cheaper ones are for home decorations.

Written by Kaoru Sanjo.