Marlin Spike Views
Marlinspike (pronounced /ˈmɑrlɨnspaɪk/, sometimes marlin spike, marlinespike, or the archaic marlingspike/marling-spike) is a tool used in ropework for tasks such as unlaying rope for splicing, untying knots, forming a toggle (for releasing ropes joined under tension such as with a belaying pin splice), or forming a makeshift handle.
A marlinspike is a polished cone tapered to a rounded or flattened point, usually 6r toc 12r inches long, although sometimes 26 inches or longer, depending on what ply and size of rope they are intended for. The marlinspike is a tool made from metal, usually iron or steel, differentiating it from the fid which is similar in shape and function but made from wood or bone. The marlinspike may be a separate tool or one item on a pocket knife.
The hall is modeled after the central section of the Château de Cheverny. The French name is derived from Sart-Moulin, a village near Braine-l'Alleud in Walloon Brabant, Belgium; in an allusion to the Haddock family's maritime history, the hall's English name refers to the Marlinspike, a tool used in seamanship to splice ropes.
Marlinspike Hall first appears in The Secret of the Unicorn as the home of the story's villains, the Bird Brothers. At the end of Red Rackham's Treasure, the manor (found to have been built by an illustrious ancestor of Haddock's) is purchased by Professor Calculus on behalf of the Captain; the fabled treasure itself is found hidden in the manor's old chapel, in the cellars. In the following years, Marlinspike provides a home base for Tintin and Haddock in between their various adventures. In The Castafiore Emerald, virtually all of the action takes place in the hall, its grounds, or the surrounding countryside.
Marlin Spike Images
