Introduction The hanshee khukurī or simply hanshee is an early type of khukurī characterized by a long hilt and a rather long and relatively narrow blade. The word hanshee, now in common use in the English-speaking collector world, derives from the Nepali word hamsiyā (हँसिया), meaning "sickle". Other than most types of khukurī, which double as fighting and utility knives, the hanshee appears to be purely an offensive weapon. The type was mostly popular around the late 18th to early decades of the 19th century and, by now, is one of the rarest and most sought-after forms of khukurī. For more information on the type, see my glossary article: hanshee khukurī. This example A very good example that has been in my own collection until now. Typical hanshee blade, thick but slender and deeply curved. The notch is very shallow, with a small protrusion, typical for very early khukurī. Its wooden hilt is long and slender, without the extreme widening at the pommel end that became a staple for later khukurī design. Hilts like this are seen on the earliest known khukurī, such as those depicted in the famous Fraser Album.