Runemarch Hand Forged Pattern Welded Viking Sword | 36 Inch Overall | Elder Futhark Cut Guard with Lobed Pommel and Black Leather Scabbard | Norse Collector Gift | RK-1652

The Runemarch is a hand forged viking sword in the Norse pattern, with a five lobed pommel, a short straight lower guard cut with a line of Elder Futhark, and a black leather wrapped grip between them. The blade is built the old way, with a pattern welded core panel running the full length and plain forged edge bevels welded on either side of it. Under an etch the core shows a tight chevron, row after row of it, from the guard almost to the point. It comes with a black leather scabbard with a polished steel chape.

The chevron is not decoration applied to a finished blade. It is what you see when a smith takes square rods of two different steels, twists them in alternating directions along their length, welds them side by side into a core bar and then grinds the surface back flat. Grinding cuts through the twist at a shallow angle and exposes the layers as nested arrowheads. Norse smiths did exactly this for several centuries because it let them build a long blade out of small, uneven bloomery iron and steel, and because it looked extraordinary. This one is forged, ground, hardened and assembled in the Czech Republic, and it ships in its scabbard with a care card.

Specifications

Why a viking sword has a grip that short

New owners often think the grip is undersized. It is not. A Norse sword grip is meant to be a tight fit for one hand, with the heel of the palm crowding the pommel and the index finger crowding the guard. That tightness is the point. The pommel is a counterweight, and holding the hand hard against it lets the wrist roll the sword from one line to another with very little effort. Museum originals from Norway and Denmark are routinely under four inches between the fittings, and many are barely three and a half.

The lobed pommel is not a stylistic flourish either. Casting or forging a heavy block and then cutting it into lobes removes weight from the outer edges while keeping mass close to the tang, which puts the counterweight where it does the most good without turning the sword into a club. The lower guard on this style is short and straight because the shield, not the guard, was the defensive tool. A Norse fighter parried with a linden board on his left arm and the guard only ever had to stop a hand sliding onto its own edge.

The steel and the weld

The core panel is 1095 high carbon steel welded with 15N20, a nickel bearing steel. Both are forge welded at a bright heat, twisted, drawn out and ground back, then the edge bevels are welded to either side and the whole blade is normalised, hardened and tempered to 58 to 60 HRC. The acid etch at the end darkens the 1095 and leaves the 15N20 bright, which is what makes the chevron readable. There is no printing, no laser and no stencil anywhere on this blade.

The runes on the guard are cut into the steel by hand rather than stamped, which is why the line is not perfectly even in depth. That unevenness is normal on cut work and it is how you tell hand cutting from a machine impression.

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, the leather or the wood. 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 where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On the Runemarch that means your rune line takes the place of the standard row on the guard. There is also room on the flat of the blade near the guard and on the leather of the scabbard throat. Details are on the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Balance sits about four and a half inches forward of the guard. That is close to the historical range and it gives the sword a lively feel in one hand, quick to change line and quick to recover, with just enough weight ahead of the hand to carry a cut through. Held properly the pommel rides against the base of the palm and the sword pivots around the index finger rather than around the wrist.

This is a sharpened hand forged sword. It is sold as a collector and display piece and for careful solo handling and cutting on soft targets. It is not sold for sparring and it should never be used in contact against another blade or against a person.

Care

High carbon steel rusts. Wipe the blade after handling, because skin salt will start pitting within days on a fingerprint left in a warm room, and put a thin film of mineral oil on the steel before it goes back into the leather. Do not store the sword in the scabbard for months at a time in a damp basement, since leather holds moisture. If the etch loses contrast, a light polish and a fresh oil will bring it back. Feed the scabbard leather twice a year with a neutral cream. There is more on steel care.

Made in the Czech Republic

The work behind this piece happens in a Czech Republic workshop that has kept to the old methods. Steel is forged and heat treated by hand, the grind is taken down by eye rather than by machine, and the handle, fittings and sheath are cut and finished one at a time. Because of that, every piece carries small marks of the hand that made it.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import direct, check each piece when it reaches us, and ship from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse. Engraving is added here in the United States after arrival, so the piece you receive is finished to your order.

A note on handmade variation

This sword is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The chevron will sit at a slightly different pitch, the rows will not line up in the same places, and the hammer texture under the polish will read differently in raking light. The leather will take the dye a shade lighter or darker. The length, the steel, the heat treat and the geometry are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the blade sharp when it arrives

Yes, it has a hand put working edge on both sides. Handle it as sharp from the moment the box opens.

What do the runes on the guard say

The standard row is a straight Elder Futhark sequence. If you want words instead, run them through the rune converter on this page and we will cut those in place of it.

Is the pattern painted or etched into the surface

Neither. The pattern is the steel. Two alloys are forge welded and twisted together, and the acid only reveals what is already there through the full thickness.

Can I hang it on a wall

Yes, and it looks best that way. Use a horn or bracket mount rated for at least three pounds and hang it out of reach of children.

Why is the handle so small

Because it is correct. Norse grips are a snug single hand fit so that the pommel sits against the palm and the wrist can steer the blade.

How long is the wait

One to two weeks of forging and finishing, then free shipping inside the United States.

What is in the box

• Runemarch pattern welded viking sword with rune cut guard and lobed pommel
• Black leather scabbard with wooden liner and polished steel chape
• Care card for high carbon and pattern welded steel
• Leather feed note for the scabbard
• Lifetime warranty against defects, no receipt needed
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

Browse the rest of the viking swords, the arming swords, everything filed under swords, and the guides for how pattern welding is done.