Basque Cross knife

The Basque cross is the emblem of the Basque Country. 

He who receives a knife bearing the Basque cross must understand he has been given a priceless gift. In the giver's view, he is giving you good-luck and showing his attachment to the Basque culture.

The Basque cross or Lauburu (meaning "four heads") is a four branched helix cross, each branch an identical comma shape.

It is a solar symbol found since the neolithic in Indo-European civilisations.

This type of symbol, found worldwide, is called a svastika, which can be translated as

"which brings good fortune, giver of good-luck".

This pre-Indo-European mythological symbol can represent the four elements of creation: fire, water, wind and air, the fight of light against darkness or the energy making up the universe.

Used as far back as 2000BC, it has been found throughout all continents since antiquity. In the Basque Country, its oldest representation dates to 1690 on a cross in the cemetery of Bidarray, in the Pyrénées Atlantiques department.

The Basque Cross on the Actiforge knife is obtained by cold forging. A concave die is engraved and used to hammer the Lauburu into the cold metal. The Lauburu is then de-burred, polished and inserted into the knife handle.

The multiple representations of the "Lauburu" throughout the Basque Country help us understand the extent to which this symbol has become the emblem of the Basque Country and shows its determination to cultivate its identity.

It is a symbol both universal and fundamental but also an invitation to share the message of an old Basque people attached to their roots.

The world is a tree, all cultures planet-wide must nurture it in order for its fruit to develop, fruit named knowledge, tolerance, justice and peace.

Borne by the "Basque Spirit", these values help us to fathom the strength of this symbol for the Basque people.