Wingcrest Hand Forged 1095 Steel Fantasy Dagger | 17 Inch Overall | Winged Guard with Red Cabochon and Leather Grip | Cosplay Collector Gift | RK-1855

The Wingcrest is a broad leaf bladed dagger built around a swept winged guard, with a domed red cabochon set in a bezel where the wings meet and a panel of cut interlace running down the ricasso. The blade is hand forged 1095 high carbon steel, satin polished, double edged and wide enough through the middle that it reads more like a short sword than a knife. The grip is brown leather over a shaped wooden core and the pommel is a faceted steel cap peened over the tang.

This is a designed piece rather than a museum reconstruction, and we would rather say so plainly than pretend it came out of a grave find. It is not an official or licensed item from any film, book or game, and it is not a replica of one. What it borrows from the historical record is real enough. Broad leaf blades of this proportion turn up in bronze age Europe and again in Norse langsax finds, and the winged guard is a stylised version of the wing motifs that appear on Migration period fittings. It is forged, ground, hardened, cut and assembled in the Czech Republic.

Specifications

Why the blade is a broad leaf

A narrow dagger is a thrusting tool. It goes in easily and does very little on the way out. A leaf blade is the opposite bargain. Widening the blade through the middle third puts mass where the cut happens, so it can be swung and used as a small cutting blade, while the taper back to a point at the tip keeps it capable of a thrust. Bronze age smiths across Europe arrived at that shape independently, and it came back in the Norse langsax centuries later, because it is simply what a short blade wants to be when it has to do two jobs.

The central ridge is what makes the width work. Instead of a flat cross section, the blade rises to a spine down the middle and falls away to both edges. That gives it stiffness without thickness, so an eleven inch blade this wide does not feel like a paddle. Look at the light on the flats and you can see the ridge line running from the ricasso almost to the point.

The interlace panel sits at the base of the blade, where a smith would historically have put an inscription or a maker mark. It is cut in rather than printed, so it holds a shadow and picks up light at an angle.

The steel, the guard and the stone

The blade is 1095, plain high carbon steel taken to 54 to 58 HRC. That is deliberately a little softer than we run a small knife, because a wide double edged blade of this length wants toughness more than it wants extreme edge retention. It sharpens easily on a stone and takes a satin polish that hides handling better than a mirror finish would.

The guard is steel, shaped and finished to a bright grey, with the wings swept forward to frame the blade. The stone in the bezel is a domed red cabochon. It is a polished synthetic, not a ruby and not a natural gem, and the bezel is closed behind it so nothing sits loose. Saying that plainly matters more to us than the sale. The pommel is a faceted steel cap set over the tang and peened, which is a mechanical joint rather than a glued one.

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 dagger the interlace panel at the ricasso is that design, so a rune line cut there replaces the knotwork. There is more on placement and lettering on the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Balance sits within an inch of the guard, so the dagger feels quick and controlled rather than blade heavy, and the faceted pommel does most of that work. The grip is short and slightly waisted, which suits one hand and one hand only. Held point down it hangs level, which is why it photographs and displays well on a stand or a plaque.

This is a hand finished collector, display and costume piece. It is not sold as sparring or full contact equipment and should not be used against another blade. If you want it left blunt for convention or event carry, say so in your order notes and we will finish it without an edge at no extra cost.

Care

1095 is not stainless. Wipe the blade dry, keep a thin film of mineral oil on it, and do not leave the dagger sheathed for months, because leather traps moisture against steel. The stone and bezel need nothing beyond a dry cloth. Use a leather balm on the grip and scabbard once or twice a year to keep them supple. Avoid solvent cleaners near the leather and the bezel. Our steel care page covers oiling, spotting and how to lift early surface rust without damaging a satin finish.

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 Memphis, Tennessee. 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 rather than machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The sweep of the wings, the exact depth of the cut interlace, the tone of the leather and the hammer texture under the satin all vary because each is worked by hand. Even the red of the cabochon shifts a little between stones. The steel, the dimensions and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this an official or licensed replica?

No. It is our own design, inspired by historical leaf blades and Migration period wing motifs. It is not licensed by or endorsed by any franchise.

Does it arrive sharp?

It comes with a clean cutting edge on both sides. Ask in your order notes and we will finish it blunt for display or event carry instead.

Is the red stone a real ruby?

No. It is a polished synthetic cabochon set in a closed steel bezel. We would rather tell you that than let you assume otherwise.

Can I use it for stage combat?

No. This is a collector and costume piece and it is not sold as sparring or stage combat equipment.

Will it fit a standard sword stand?

A small horizontal stand or a wall plaque suits it best. It is too short to sit properly in a full length vertical sword stand.

How long before it ships?

One to two weeks of processing, then free shipping inside the United States.

What is in the box

• One Wingcrest fantasy dagger in 1095 high carbon steel
• One leather over wood scabbard
• A light protective oil film on the blade
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

More in daggers, fantasy swords and Norse arms, with display and care notes in the guides.