Ironsong Hand Forged Damascus Viking Sword with Five Lobed Pommel | Fullered Blade at 58 to 60 HRC | Leather Wrapped Grip and Wood Core Scabbard | Norse Collector Gift | RK-1623

The Ironsong is a Viking arming sword built to the shape the archaeology actually shows. A broad double edged damascus blade with a wide shallow fuller running most of its length, a thick straight lower guard, a leather wrapped grip between brass collars, and a five lobed pommel with two ravens cut into the face of the central lobe. It comes with a wood core scabbard covered in leather and fitted in brass.

The lobed pommel is the detail that dates a sword. Jan Petersen catalogued Norwegian Viking sword finds in 1919 and sorted them by hilt shape, and his typology is still the backbone of the field. The multi lobed pommel belongs to the ninth and tenth centuries and appears across Scandinavia, the British Isles and the Rus trade routes, which tells you both that it was fashionable and that it worked. Structurally the lobes are what remains after a heavy pommel is lightened without losing the mass you need at the far end of the grip. A sword is a lever and the pommel is the counterweight at the wrong end of it, so every gram matters. Ours is forged, ground, hardened, etched and hilted in the Czech Republic. You will find it filed with the Damascus swords, along with the rest of the arming swords.

Specifications

What the fuller is and what it is not

The wide shallow channel running down the centre of the blade is a fuller. It is the single most misunderstood feature on any sword, so here is what it actually does.

A fuller is a stiffness to weight trick. In a flat bar loaded in bending, the material in the middle of the section contributes almost nothing to stiffness, while the material at the outer surfaces does nearly all the work. Take the middle out and you lose very little rigidity and a great deal of mass. That is the same principle as an I beam, and on a sword it means you can make a blade wide enough to cut well without it becoming a bar of iron that no one can swing twice.

The weight saving matters most out toward the tip, because mass far from the hand is what makes a sword slow to start and slow to stop. A fullered Viking blade recovers from a cut fast enough to make a second one, which in a shield wall is the entire argument.

It is not a blood groove. It does not break suction, it does not help a blade come out of a body, and the idea that it does was invented long after anyone was using these in earnest. On a Viking sword, forging the fuller in also spreads the pattern of a layered blade out across the flats, which is why pattern welded originals look the way they do.

The steel, the furniture and the scabbard

The blade is 1095 and 15N20 forge welded, folded, drawn out and ground, then etched so the nickel bearing 15N20 stands bright against the darkened 1095. That layered pattern is the structure of the steel itself rather than a surface treatment, which is why sharpening will never remove it. Hardened and tempered to 58 to 60 HRC, the blade holds an edge and stays tough enough for a long broad blade.

The guard and pommel are polished steel, filed and finished by hand, with two ravens cut into the central lobe. The grip is leather wrapped over a shaped core and capped with brass collars top and bottom, which is the historically correct arrangement and also the practical one, because leather over a shaped core is warm in the hand, grips when damp and does not slip the way a bare metal or a lacquered handle does.

The scabbard is built the period way, with a wood core covered in leather. A wood core is what keeps a scabbard from crushing and what stops the edge dragging on the mouth, and it is why an original scabbard fitted the blade closely enough to be carried horizontally without falling out. Brass throat and chape protect the two points that take all the wear.

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 this sword the obvious places are the pommel lobe that currently carries the ravens, the guard, or the leather of the scabbard, which will hold a long line comfortably. See the engraving page before ordering so we can advise on placement.

Handling and balance

Pick it up in one hand with your index finger against the guard and you will feel what the fuller and the pommel are for. The balance sits a short way in front of the guard, close enough that the blade turns over easily and far enough that the sword still hits with authority. That is the Viking sword compromise, and it is why the type stayed in use for two hundred years without significant change.

The five lobed pommel is not just decoration in the hand either. It sits in the heel of the palm and gives you something to lever against on the recovery, so the point comes back on line without the wrist doing the work.

Be honest about what this sword is. It is a sharp, functional forged blade, and it will cut a target properly. It is not for sparring. Do not use it in blade on blade contact, do not strike hard or hidden objects, and never test the edge against bone or metal. Hardened carbon steel chips, and a chipped edge on a swinging blade is dangerous.

Care

Damascus is high carbon steel and rust is the only real enemy. Wipe the blade after every handling session, because fingerprints will etch into the surface within a day in a humid room, and keep a light film of mineral oil or blade oil on the flats and in the fuller. Do not attack surface spotting with abrasive paper, which cuts through the etch and leaves a bright scar across the pattern. Detail is in steel care.

Do not store the sword in the scabbard for months at a time. Leather is slightly acidic and a wood core holds humidity, so long term storage should be oiled and out of the scabbard, on a rack. Feed the scabbard leather and the grip wrap with a leather conditioner once or twice a year. Brass collars can be polished or left to darken, both are fine.

Made in the Czech Republic

This piece is made by hand in the Czech Republic, in a workshop that still works the old way. The steel is forged, ground, heat treated and finished by smiths who learned the trade from the people before them, and the wood, horn and leather are cut and fitted by hand rather than pressed out on a line. That is also why no two pieces come out exactly the same.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import these pieces ourselves, check every one when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives, so your runes or your own design go on before it leaves for you.

A note on handmade variation

This is hand made, not machine made and not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Grain, tone, hammer texture and exact profile vary because each piece is worked by hand from natural materials. The damascus pattern is unique to the billet your blade came from, the leather on the grip and scabbard will run its own colour, and the filing on the lobes of the pommel is done by eye. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not. More on the Ulfberht blades elsewhere on the site, along with the gap between a display sword and a battle ready one.

Frequently asked questions

Is it sharp out of the box

Yes. Both edges are ground and sharpened by hand and the sword arrives keen. Treat it as a live blade from the moment the box opens.

Can I spar with it

No. This is a sharp functional sword and not for sparring. Blade on blade contact chips hardened carbon steel and is dangerous with any live blade. Use a blunt trainer for partner work.

Is the tang full length

The hilt is built around a tang running the length of the grip with the pommel seated on it, which is how a Viking hilt has to be assembled to hold together under a cut.

What does the fuller do

It removes weight from the middle of the blade section, where the steel contributes least to stiffness, so the sword stays broad and cuts well without becoming slow. It is not a blood groove.

Is the scabbard rigid

Yes. It is a wood core covered in leather, not a soft leather sleeve, so it holds the blade properly and protects the edge.

How long does shipping take

Processing is one to two weeks in the shop plus transit, at the longer end for engraved orders. Shipping within the United States is free.

What is in the box

• One Ironsong damascus Viking sword with a five lobed pommel and leather wrapped grip
• One wood core scabbard covered in leather with brass throat and chape
• Care card covering blade oiling, leather feeding and storage
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more in Viking swords, arming swords, damascus swords and sword stands and displays, or read the guides.

Other pieces in this group

In the same category sits the Wyrmweave Viking sword, 36 inches overall. A near match for this one is the Serpentweld Viking sword, 36 inches overall. Closest to this in the range is the Runeflame Viking sword, 37 inches overall.

Fitting out further, the Runeglint arming sword belongs with it. Nothing here exactly right, build one to your own spec on the custom Viking sword page.