> > Presumably bone needles would work, too--and since bone is
> > less ductile than metal, I expect it's easier to make a bone
> > needle very sharp. (Much weaker and more brittle, but it
> > doesn't have to be very strong to pierce skin.)
>
>I use both bone and metal needles for sewing. Bone isn't all that sharp,
>but is surprisingly tough. It's much harder to make a *fine* bone needle
>than a metal one, though.
>
>I've never tried (deliberate) skin piercing with needles, but going by
>how often I've done it accidentally I'd say metal has a distinct
>advantage over bone. Wood might also be worth considering, though you'd
>have to treat the "needles" as disposable. I think we alll know that
>splinters can pierce skin :(
>
>Never encountered porcupine quills myself, not being on a continent that
>has such. I can tell you that boar bristles are used as needles for
>leatherwork, but that's for drawing a thread through a ready-prepared
>hole. I doubt if they'd have the strength to pierce skin.
>
>On the whole, I like the wood idea myself, with the choice of tree
>having its own significance to the magical effect.
Some quick websearching reveals a few other interesting options.
Fish spines or Bird beaks/claws, used by Polynesians
Pigs Teeth & Human Bones, Samoa
Bronze Needles, Thai
Also,
Antler
Maybe the Praxians use cactus spines, something grown to pierce.
I also see no problem with hardening bronze and sharpening it.
Cat/Alynx Teeth would be nice and ceremonial (been nipped by a kitten before?)
just my 2c
Stuart
Stuart Laird: bugbear_at_... I /\
Rosanna, Victoria, Australia I /<>\
I / \
"the issue is not whether you're paranoid I / \
it's whether you are paranoid enough"I ^^^^^^^^^^
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