Quill facts for kids
A quill is a writing tool made from a feather of a large bird. People used quills for writing with ink for a very long time. They were used before the invention of the dip pen, pens with metal nibs, the fountain pen, and the ballpoint pen.
Like older reed pens, a quill does not hold a lot of ink inside. This means you need to dip it into an inkwell often while writing. Today, people rarely use goose quills for Western calligraphy. This is because many papers are now made from wood pulp. This kind of paper can quickly wear down a quill. However, some writers still prefer quills. They say quills make very sharp lines and are more flexible than steel pens.
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What is a Quill?
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The long, hollow part of a bird's feather is perfect for making a pen. To make a quill, you first harden the feather's shaft. Then, you shape its tip into a nib. This is done using a small cutting tool, like a pen knife.
A quill pen is like a hollow tube. One end is closed. The other end is open, and part of the tube forms a sharp point. This point has a thin cut, called a slit, leading to it.
The hollow shaft of the feather, called the calamus, holds the ink. The ink flows to the tip through the slit. This happens because of something called capillary action.
If a quill is made well, the slit will not get wider when it gets wet with ink and then dries. It will keep its shape. This means you only need to sharpen it sometimes. A good quill can be used many times until it becomes too short.
How Quills Were Used
Quill pens were used to write most of the old books from the Middle Ages. Important documents like the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence were also written with quills. U.S. President Thomas Jefferson even raised geese at Monticello. He did this just to get enough feathers for his quills.
Today, quill pens are still used. They are mainly used by professional writers and artists who do calligraphy.
Quills are also used as picks for some string instruments. A good example is the harpsichord.
From the 1600s to the 1800s, the hollow part of the quill was used for something else. It was filled with gunpowder and used to light cannons.
History of Quill Pens
Quills were the main writing tool in the Western world for a very long time. They were used from the 500s to the 1800s. The best quills usually came from goose, swan, and later, turkey feathers. Quills became less popular after the metal pen was invented. Metal pens started to be made in large numbers in Great Britain around 1822. In the Middle East and many Islamic countries, people did not use quills for writing. They only used reed pens.
Quill pens were the best choice during the medieval era. This was because they worked well with parchment and vellum, which are writing surfaces made from animal skin. Before quills, people used reed pens. But quills made a finer, more detailed writing on animal skin. Besides writing, quills were also used to draw pictures and decorations in old books. However, many artists preferred fine brushes for their detailed work.
In the 1600s, writing became more popular. Many books taught people how to write in styles like copperplate script. Because of this, quills became more pointed and flexible.
The best quills come from specific feathers on a bird's wing. Expert writers prefer the first, second, or third feathers from the wing. Other feathers are not usually considered good enough by professional writers.
Quills as Symbols
Since the 1800s, quills have been used as a symbol. They represent people who work as clerks or who are highly educated, like intellectuals. For example, some political parties use the quill in their symbols. These include the Radical Civic Union and the Czech National Social Party.
Quills also appear on the official seals of some government offices. These include the United States Census Bureau and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. They are also on the symbols of some US Army units that handle office work.
You can also see quills on the symbols of towns like Bargfeld-Stegen in Germany and La Canonja in Spain.
Three books and a quill pen are the symbols of Saint Hilary of Poitiers.
Quill and Pen Knives
A quill knife was the main tool used to cut and sharpen quills. This process was called "dressing" the quill.
After quills became less common around the 1820s, knives were still made. But they were then called desk knives or stationery knives. Later, they became known as "pen" knives.
There is a small but important difference between a pen knife and a quill knife. A quill knife has a blade that is flat on one side and curved on the other. This shape helps make the round cuts needed to shape a quill.
A "pen" knife, however, has two flat sides. Today, many people do not know this difference. They might call any small knife with a fixed or folding blade a "pen knife."
Quills Today
Quills are not often used for writing anymore. However, they are still made as special items. Most of these are for people who enjoy hobbies like calligraphy. These modern quills sometimes have metal nibs. Some even have a ballpoint pen inside. This means you do not need a separate ink source.
At the U.S. Supreme Court, 20 goose-quill pens are placed on the tables each day the Court meets. Most lawyers only appear before the Court once. They often take the quills home as souvenirs. This tradition has been going on since the Court first started.
In the Jewish tradition, quill pens are called kulmus. Scribes use them to write holy texts. These include Torah Scrolls, Mezuzot, and Tefillin.
Quills in Music
Picks for instruments like psalteries and lutes can be cut like writing pens. The part of the feather stem between the soft barbs was preferred for harpsichords. This came from the primary wing feathers of birds like crows. In modern instruments, plastic picks are more common. But they are often still called "quills." The lesiba is an instrument that uses a quill attached to a string to make sound.
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See also
In Spanish: Pluma de ave (escritura) para niños
