Goldplume Hand Forged 1095 Steel Rune Engraved Dagger | 18 Inch Overall | Brass Winged Guard with Red Cabochon and Red Scabbard | Norse Gift | RK-1864

The Goldplume is a broad bladed dagger built around a solid brass guard with feathered wings curving forward toward the blade and a domed red cabochon set in a bezel at the centre. A line of Elder Futhark runes is cut along the flat of the blade. The grip is deep red leather over a shaped wooden core, the pommel is a round brass cap peened over the tang, and a matching red scabbard is included.

Brass and red is not a modern colour scheme. Gilded and gilt bronze fittings against red dyed leather turn up repeatedly in high status Migration period and Viking age finds, because madder red was one of the few genuinely colourfast dyes available and gold coloured metal was the plainest way to signal that a piece had cost somebody something. This dagger is our own design rather than a reconstruction of any particular find, and it is not an official or licensed piece from any film, book or game. It is forged, ground, hardened, cut and assembled in the Czech Republic. It sits in the fantasy and film swords, a step across from the Damascus swords.

Specifications

Why runes are made of straight lines

There is not a single curve in the Elder Futhark. Every one of the twenty four characters is built from straight strokes meeting at angles, and there is a good practical reason for it. Runes were cut, not written. The first surface anybody cut them into was wood, usually a stave or a flat riven board, and wood has grain. A curve cut across grain wanders, splinters and closes up. A straight stroke cut at an angle across the grain stays clean and stays readable.

Look further and the rule tightens. Almost no rune has a horizontal stroke either, because a horizontal line cut along the grain disappears into it. The strokes are vertical or diagonal, which is why the whole alphabet has that leaning, spiky look. The characters were shaped by the tool and the material long before anybody thought about how they looked.

All of which makes runes unusually well suited to steel. A graver cuts a straight stroke in one clean pass, and an angular character holds a hard shadow that a rounded letter never does. The line on this blade sits along the flat where the steel is widest, which is where a Norse smith would have put an inscription for exactly the same reason.

Brass, red dyed leather and the blade

The wings and pommel are solid brass, cut and finished rather than plated, so a scratch shows brass underneath instead of grey. Brass tarnishes to a deeper gold over years and comes back with a polish whenever you want it to. The stone in the bezel is a domed red cabochon and it is a polished synthetic, not a ruby and not a natural gem. The bezel is closed behind it so nothing can work loose.

The leather is vegetable tanned hide dyed red through the thickness rather than sprayed. That is why the colour deepens in the creases and why the grain still reads through it. Dyed leather does lighten in strong sun over a long time. The blade is 1095 at 54 to 58 HRC, run slightly softer than a small knife because a wide double edged blade wants toughness more than extreme hardness, and finished satin so the cut runes read as shadow.

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 leather. 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 rune line along the blade is that design, so your own inscription is cut in its place. The flat takes roughly a short name and a date comfortably. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Brass is heavy, and with a brass guard and a brass pommel at both ends of a short grip the balance sits right at the hand, within an inch of the guard. That makes the dagger feel neutral and quick rather than blade heavy despite the width of the blade. The grip is short and waisted for one hand. Held point down it hangs level, which is why it sits well on a stand or a plaque.

This is a hand finished collector, display and costume piece. It is not sold as sparring or stage combat equipment. 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

Wipe the blade dry and keep a thin film of mineral oil on it, since 1095 is not stainless and a satin finish will spot. Get oil into the cut runes with a soft brush so nothing sits in the strokes. Keep polish off the blade when you polish the brass, because metal polish dulls a satin finish. Keep the red leather out of direct sunlight and feed it with a neutral balm once or twice a year, since a coloured balm will blotch red dye. Do not store the dagger sheathed for months. Our steel care page has more.

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 Chicago, Illinois 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 is hand made rather than machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Red dye takes differently on every hide, so the depth of colour on your grip and scabbard will be its own. The feathering on the brass wings is finished by hand, the spacing of the cut runes varies, and even the red of the cabochon shifts a little between stones. The dimensions, the steel and the build are the same every time. The character is not. Anyone new to this should read the types of daggers first, then how to hang a blade on a wall.

Frequently asked questions

Can I have my own name cut into the blade?

Yes. Use the rune converter on this page and your inscription replaces the standard line.

Is the guard solid brass or plated?

Solid brass, cut and finished. A scratch shows brass rather than a grey base metal.

Is the red stone a real gem?

No. It is a polished synthetic cabochon in a closed bezel, and we would rather say so than let you assume.

Does it come sharp?

It arrives with a clean edge on both sides. Tell us in your notes if you want it blunt for display or event carry.

Is this licensed from a film or game?

No. It is our own design and it is not licensed by or endorsed by any franchise.

How long before it ships?

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

What is in the box

• One Goldplume rune engraved dagger in 1095 high carbon steel
• One red dyed 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 rune and care notes in the guides.

Compare it with these

Another in the same line is the Twinfork dagger knife, 19 inches overall. Next along the rack is the Brasslatch dagger knife, pattern welded Damascus. For a straight comparison, see the Steelpommel dagger knife, pattern welded Damascus.

The Hornsmith chef knife covers the other half of the same kit. Pick the steel, the length and the fittings yourself on the custom hunting knife page.