Holding a knife is like handling a serpent. Just about everyone has cut themselves accidentally with a knife at some point. Likening a knife to a snake is to express that at any point if we are not careful, the thing can turn in a way we don’t expect and bite us. There is something smooth, shining and dangerous about both the knife and the serpent. There is potential in both as well. If we can master that which is the most dangerous to us, then we can move forward with our plans in confidence. If you have ever seen a professional snake wrangler, you have seen someone who walks in the wilderness knowing that they can subdue the dangerous creatures that threaten them. Most of us avoid unnecessary danger but would it be best to master fear rather than be subject to it.
This is why learning the safe handling of a knife is important. It takes care and diligence to become proficient with a knife in the kitchen or field. Proper upkeep of the edge, handle and sheath are important because a dull knife is harder to control cutting and a loose handle or sheath will let the knife slip out of its expected place, becoming a snake in the grass.
Snakes appear in all sorts of history and myth. They are such a fundamental symbol and ancient enemy. The dragon is also called a serpent, that symbol of our greatest fears that also guards a treasure. Eve was tempted by a serpent, not with fruit but with wisdom, infinite potential, even mastery. The staff of Moses was thrown down before Pharaoh and turned into a serpent which consumed the serpents of the Pharaoh's magicians and then Moses was able to take it up again as his staff. Again mastery.
The Ouroboros is the Greek term for the image of a snake eating its tail, symbolizing cyclical renewal and eternity. This symbol appears in Egyptian hieroglyphics as well as appearing in Norse mythology as the world serpent Jörmungandr. Karl Jung the influential psychologist likened the Ouroboros to the integration of the shadow self, or assimilation of the opposite. This again speaks to the concept of mastering oneself. We see snakes in the Rod of Asclepius who was the Greek god of medicine whose symbol is still used as a symbol for medicine.
In looking at these few symbols and stories out of many others not mentioned from all world traditions, it is clear that the serpent is one of our most powerful symbols. The knife is also our most ancient and powerful tool. For most of human history, the blade was the ultimate technology for industry and defense. Bladecraft was advanced from stone to bronze to iron and into the modern era in the arms race for better edged weapons and more durable tools. In the same way the snake is a symbol of both danger and healing, the knife can be a weapon or a healing tool in the surgeon's hand. It is no wonder these concept are intertwined in our collective subconscious and investigating them may be at least a curiosity and at most a way to profoundly understand being.
The snake became a symbol of the American revolution well before it began. The first image was a woodcut made by Benjamin Franklin in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. This is the famous “Join, or Die” snake which is cut into eight pieces and labeled with the initials of the then current colonies. The message was of unification in the face of French colonial expansion and published during the outbreak of the French and Indian war. The motif was republished in various other publications through the latter 18th century as the meaning morphed from colonial unity to revolutionary fervor. Soon the snake that was broken was rejoined in symbol, with one design in the 1774 New York Journal introducing the Ouroboros as a border.
Once fighting began, the snake took on its more aggressive form in the rattlesnake which is a uniquely american species. As these venomous snakes began to appear on more and more insignias, the Gadsden flag was adopted for the American Navy in 1775 featuring a coiled rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me”. The rattlesnake was popular as an American symbol because of its status as a native species, its ability to defend itself and its tendency to give fair warning.
With all this in mind it is small wonder that I was attracted to both the serpent motif and the Join or Die phrase when branding my knives. I remember searching for a name for my fledgling knife making venture. I didn’t want to use my last name because I thought “Stubblefield Knives” just didn’t have much of a ring to it. I had used the symbol of the sparrow in my renovation business but that just did not feel right for a knife brand. One day in early 2014 I was sitting in All For One tattoo in Richmond waiting on an appointment when I saw the Join or Die woodcut depicted on a flag hanging from the ceiling. I thought “That sounds tough” and I realized it had some cultural cache as well. After some online digging I saw that it was not used much for branding purposes so after running it by a few trusted people for approval I settled on Join or Die Knives. My wife designed and made a woodcut based on one of my knife designs and we got the digital logo together.
Earlier I wrote a bit about my feelings about the importance of community and the Join or Die concept is a great way to bring in that subtext. Whether as a maker, a member of any community or a part of a revolution, we rely on others around us to flourish. True independence is a myth that we sometimes believe to avoid giving others credit for our successes. Just as the patriots had to put aside their regional and cultural differences to work together in unity for the goals of the revolution, we must do the same to accomplish our goals, whether for personal, business or political ends.
So there it is, I chose Join or Die because it sounds cool, has deep contextual roots and speaks to my core values. It is a great conversation starter for people who are shocked or intimidated by the name and a filter for people too stupid or intellectually incurious to find out more.
American historical source:
https://ageofrevolutions.com/2021/07/05/join-or-die-why-did-it-have-to-be-snakes/