This is the haft of a knive I got from my parents about two years ago. They visited the workshop of the cutler who fabricates these knives. The haft is made of stag’s horn and the blade is as sharp as a razor blade.
Saint Hubertus
The picture of a stag with a cross between the antlers refers to Saint Hubertus (bishop Hubert von Maastricht-Tongern-Lüttich) who lived from 655 to 727 in France and Belgium. He is the patron saint of hunters and riflemen.
Apostle of the Ardennes
The legend states that Hubertus lost his wife at the birth of his first child. He tried to forget his grief and sorrow by spending time in the woods and by hunting. One day he saw a stag with a cross between the antlers. He decided to devote his life to God because of this incident. Shortly after he was ordained priest. The rest of his life was devoted to the Christianization of the people in the Ardennes. That’s why he was also called “Apostle of the Ardennes”.
