11th century Viking Medieval Sword,
The National Museum of Finland, Helsinki

Viking medieval swords, like the Vikings themselves, have reputations for being brutal and utilitarian devices, simplistic hacking weapons with little in the way of grace or beauty. This view has been perpetuated pop culture. For those who study Viking history and culture, though, they know that is simply not the case. Many Viking weapons that have remained for us to examine were not only functional but beautifully decorated. One such example is this battle ready sword, based on a find in Finland that dates back to the 11th
Century.

This 11th c. Viking sword has a type AE pommel and guard according to Petersen's viking sword typology. This very unique style is accented by the knotwork commonly seen in Viking art from the same period. Visible in the scrolling design on the hilt are two dragons, which resemble the dragon-prowed ships the vikings would sail off on raids. The pommel also shows the image of the dragon in the intertwining loops.The long blade has a deep, wide fuller common among battle ready swords of this type, and which is an attractive offset to the intricate hilt design.

The viking medieval sword is made with a type IV Geibig blade, fitted with a richlay detailed guard and pommel, based on the original found at a Finnish excavation site. The blade with its strong profile taper and wide fuller is typical amond Viking battle ready swords of this period. While working on the guard and pommel, considerable attention was given to the detailed knot work associated with the sword. Darksword Armory's initial step in making this piece was to study original photographs of the medieval sword. We then magnified the photographs allowing our staff to recreate this beautiful piece.

Photograph of the original sword:
11th century Viking Sword, The National Museum of Finland, Helsinki