Jadeholt Hand Forged Damascus Viking Sword | 35 Inch Overall with 27 Inch Blade | Rune Engraved Guard and Domed Pommel | Norse Collector Gift | RK-1302

The Viking sword is the straight double edged sword of the Norse world, a broad fullered blade with a short guard and a heavy pommel that pulls the balance back toward the hand. It is a cutting sword first, built to work over the rim of a shield, and the shape held steady for three centuries because it did that job well. Both edges have to be ground true, the blade has to stay stiff enough to thrust while staying light enough to change direction quickly, and the balance has to sit close to the hand. This one carries a rune line on the guard and a domed steel pommel. What Damascus needs from you after it arrives is set out in Damascus steel care.

This one is built from forge welded Damascus. The billet is 1095 and 15N20 stacked, welded, drawn and folded, then forged into a straight double edged blade with a broad shallow fuller and hardened to 58 to 60 HRC. Everything is made by hand in the Czech Republic. The hilt is a black grip with steel collars between a rune engraved steel guard and a domed steel pommel, and the sword ships in a black scabbard with steel fittings. Shipping inside the United States is free.

Specifications

Why a double edged blade carries a fuller

A single edged blade can be thick along the spine because only one side has to come to an edge. That thickness carries the stiffness. A double edged blade has no spine to hide weight in, so it has to find its rigidity from the shape of its cross section instead, which is why almost every Viking sword has a fuller running down the middle. The fuller on this blade does the same job as the one on a later arming sword. It removes steel from the neutral axis where it contributes almost nothing to stiffness, so the blade gets lighter without getting floppy.

The other consequence of two edges is that the sword has no fixed orientation. You can cut with either side without turning your wrist. On a Viking sword the short guard and the heavy domed pommel do most of the work of telling your hand where the edges sit, and the pommel also pulls the balance back toward the grip so a 27 inch blade still moves quickly.

Why Damascus and not stainless

Two steels are used at this forge. Plain blades are 1095 high carbon steel at 54 to 58 HRC. Damascus blades like this one are 1095 and 15N20 forge welded and taken to 58 to 60 HRC. Nothing else is used, and there are no proprietary mystery alloys.

1095 and 15N20 are paired because they weld to each other cleanly and react differently to acid. In the etch the 1095 goes dark and the nickel bearing 15N20 stays bright, which is what makes the layers visible. The nickel also toughens the billet, letting us run a Damascus blade harder than a plain one. Stainless steel is impossible here on every count. Its chromium blocks a sound forge weld, it will not take a contrasting etch, and in a long thin double edged blade its carbides make fracture a real possibility. The honest cost of carbon steel is rust, and a wipe of oil handles it. See Damascus versus stainless.

The grip and the hilt

The grip is a wooden core with a black covering over it, eight inches long, close to round in section and slightly waisted so the hand finds the same place every time. A short steel guard closes it at the front, engraved with a line of Elder Futhark runes, and a domed steel pommel closes it at the back. The heavy pommel is the Viking answer to balance. It adds weight behind the hand so the point of balance sits close to the guard, which is what lets a broad blade feel lively.

The collars at each end of the grip and the pommel are steel, so give them the same wipe of oil as the blade.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the handle. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us whether it goes on the blade or the handle. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On this sword the flat beside the fuller is the natural place for a cut line, and the fresh cut reads bright against the etched pattern. See the engraving page.

Care and sharpening

Keep a light film of oil on the blade at all times and wipe it after handling, paying attention to the fuller where dust collects. Do not use abrasive polish, wire wool or a rust eraser on the flats, because they will lift the etch and flatten the pattern for good. Our steel care page explains the safe way to deal with spotting.

Two edges means twice the sharpening, and the important thing is symmetry. Work one edge in sections on a medium stone, counting your passes, then do exactly the same on the other, refine both on a fine stone and strop the burr off. Slow down at the point where the edges meet, because that is where a tip gets rounded. Method and grits are on sharpening with a whetstone.

Made in the Czech Republic

This is a handmade piece from the Czech Republic, made in a workshop that still forges, grinds and finishes by hand instead of stamping parts out. The smiths there have kept the older way of working, and the wood, horn and leather are shaped and fitted by hand as well. Two pieces of the same design will never be identical, and that is part of what you are buying.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We handle the import ourselves, look over every piece when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Engraving is done in the United States after the piece arrives, so your design goes on before we send it out.

A note on handmade variation

This sword is hand forged. It is not machine made and it is not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. No two Damascus billets fold identically, so the banding and swirl on your blade are yours alone, and the wrap tension, the tone of the fittings and the exact taper of the point will vary as well because everything is worked by hand. The dimensions, the steel, the layer count and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Damascus pattern forge welded or applied?

Forge welded. The billet is 1095 and 15N20 welded and folded, so the pattern runs through the whole thickness of the blade rather than sitting on the surface.

Is the sword sharp on both edges?

Yes. Both edges arrive sharp, as a Viking sword should be. Ask in the order notes if you want it supplied blunt for display or stage use.

Can I use it for cutting practice?

Yes, within reason. It is full tang and hardened through, so mats and bottles are fine. A Viking sword is a cutting sword rather than a chopper, so avoid heavy timber, and avoid steel to steel contact.

Can I have runes or a pattern engraved on it?

Yes. Use the rune converter above for Elder Futhark or choose your own design in the engraving option. Cut lines show clearly against the etched Damascus.

What makes this a Viking sword?

The straight double edged blade with a broad fuller, the short guard and the heavy pommel. Those three things together are the Viking pattern, and the rune line on the guard follows the Norse habit of marking the hilt.

How long does it take to arrive?

Shipping is free inside the United States and stock pieces arrive five to seven business days after dispatch. Damascus takes four to five weeks in the shop first.

What is in the box

• One hand forged 1095 and 15N20 Damascus Viking sword, 35 inches overall
• One black scabbard with steel throat and chape
• Care card written specifically for etched Damascus
• Your Elder Futhark rune line or chosen pattern, if engraving was ordered
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See the other Viking swords, the Damascus swords, the full sword range and the messers, or read the guides.

Worth a look beside this

If this one is not quite right, there is the Thornbite flamberge sword, 40 inches overall. Also in this group is the Stormvine Viking sword, pattern welded Damascus. Sitting beside it in the catalogue is the Runeflame Viking sword, 37 inches overall.

From the same corner of the shop, there is the Gildcage Damascus sword. Or start from a blank sheet on the design your own page.