James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
United Cutlery Fantasy Blade Weapon | Kit Rae Molotoch Slayer Sword Of The Ancients KR0013
1 min read
The sword named Molotoch the Slayer, released again by United Cutlery and Kit Rae in 2009, has been one of the more popular swords in Rae’s fantasy weapons series, Swords of the Ancients. Inspired by the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, who wrote of an ancient race long ago vanquished by human warriors, Molotoch the Slayer represents Rae’s conception of what the most powerful of those ancient blades could have been.
This blade could qualify as a two-handed sword with an overall length of 45-1/4 inches and a 420 high carbon stainless steel double-edged blade 33-3/4 inches long. The ornamentation of blade guard and pommel allow for only a one-handed grip one the false black ivory handle, so expect some practice before you’ll be able to comfortably wield this heavy weapon. The blade itself is a full 3/16 inches thick, with a hollow ground false edge but no blood groove.
The cast metal blade guard shows several death’s heads and representations of Vanthar, the desert spider. These symbolize the special powers of the mythical Molotoch sword, which granted the wielder victory through boundless skill, blade speed, and the channeling of the combatant’s fierce rage. The decorations on Molotoch’s pommel represent vultures consuming the dead.
Kit Rae’s weapons are based on his own visualizations of ancient history and are not intended to be practical. That artistic freedom created many very unusual pieces, and Molotoch is actually less fanciful than many in the Swords of the Ancients line. Along with a certificate of authenticity, Kit Rae includes an art print with Molotoch depicting a battle between Vaelen and Naegulus. Each Molotoch sword is also branded with Kit Rae’s trademark.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
The sword named Molotoch the Slayer, released again by United Cutlery and Kit Rae in 2009, has been one of the more popular swords in Rae’s fantasy weapons series, Swords of the Ancients. Inspired by the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, who wrote of an ancient race long ago vanquished by human warriors, Molotoch the Slayer represents Rae’s conception of what the most powerful of those ancient blades could have been.
