Wolfcrown Hand Forged 1095 Steel Longsword | Hand and a Half Grip | Cast Wolf Head Pommel with Etched Knotwork Ricasso and Leather Scabbard | Norse Gift | RK-1883

The Wolfcrown is a hand and a half longsword finished bright throughout. The blade is mirror polished 1095 high carbon steel, wide at the shoulder and tapering steadily to a strong point, with a panel of etched knotwork sitting on the flat just above the guard. The crossguard is a long straight bar of polished steel, the grip is black leather over a wooden core and long enough for two hands, and the pommel is a cast wolf head in bright steel with the ears back and the muzzle forward. A brown leather scabbard is included.

Wolves and sword blades have a long documented relationship in Europe, and it is not just decoration. From the fourteenth century onward, blades from Passau in Bavaria were stamped with a crude running wolf, inlaid in brass or copper wire. Passau blades had a reputation for quality, and the mark picked up a second life as a talisman: soldiers believed a wolf marked blade made its owner invulnerable, and the phrase Passauer Kunst, the Passau art, came to mean battlefield magic in general. The mark was copied so widely by Solingen smiths that by the seventeenth century a running wolf on a blade told you almost nothing about where it came from and a great deal about what the buyer wanted to believe. This sword is forged and finished in the Czech Republic.

Specifications

Why the grip is longer than one hand needs

The single feature that separates a longsword from an arming sword is that grip. It is too long for one hand and short enough that one hand can still manage it, which is where the name hand and a half comes from. The extra length is not there to fit a bigger fist. It is there to give you leverage.

Put two hands on a sword with a gap between them and you have a lever with a long moment arm. The rear hand pulls while the front hand pushes, so the blade can be turned, stopped and redirected with a fraction of the effort a single hand needs, and the sword can be levered against an opponent’s blade in the bind. The whole German school that grew out of Johannes Liechtenauer’s verse teaching in the late fourteenth century, and the Italian tradition set down by Fiore dei Liberi around 1409, is built on that leverage. The four principal guards of the German system, vom Tag, Ochs, Pflug and Alber, only make sense on a sword you can hold with two hands and still fence one handed when the reach is needed.

The steel and the finish

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel hardened to 54 to 58 HRC. On a blade this long that range is the right compromise. Toughness is worth more than the last few points of hardness, because a forty five inch sword takes leverage and impact that a knife never sees, and a blade in this range bends and returns rather than chipping or snapping.

Everything is finished bright: the blade polished through successive grits to a mirror, the guard and the cast wolf head pommel polished to match. That consistency is deliberate and it is harder to do than an antiqued finish, because polish shows every flaw underneath it. The etched knotwork panel above the guard sits below the polished surface, so it will not wear away with handling.

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 longsword the etched knotwork panel above the guard is the place most people want their runes or a motto, so your text takes its place. There is also plenty of room further down the flat, and the scabbard leather takes tooled lettering well. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Take it in two hands with the right hand under the guard and the left hand at the pommel, and the sword comes alive. The cast wolf head is a substantial counterweight, so the balance sits close enough to the guard that the point moves quickly, and the long grip means small movements of the rear hand produce large ones at the tip.

One handed, this is a heavy sword and it will let you know. That is normal and correct: hand and a half means the second hand is available, not optional in every situation. This is a sharp collector and display sword. It is not a blunt trainer, it is not built for contact sparring or reenactment combat, and it should not be used for either.

Care

A mirror polished carbon steel blade of this size is a large surface waiting to take a fingerprint. Wipe it with a clean dry cloth after any handling, keep a thin film of light oil on it, and pick it up with a cloth when you can. The same goes for the polished guard and pommel. Avoid abrasive metal polish anywhere near the etched panel, because it will soften the crispness of the lines over time. Feed the grip and scabbard leather with a leather balm once or twice a year and dry them naturally, never near heat. Do not store the sword in the scabbard for long periods. Our steel care page has the full routine.

Made in the Czech Republic

Every piece we sell is made by hand in the Czech Republic. The smiths there work the way the trade has been worked for a long time, heating and hammering the steel, taking the bevels down by eye, and fitting the handle and the leather one at a time. There is no automated line anywhere in it, so small differences from one piece to the next are normal and expected.

Ransack Viking is a United States company based in Memphis, Tennessee. We bring the pieces in ourselves, inspect them on arrival and ship them from our own warehouse. If you add engraving, that is carried out here in the United States before your order goes out.

A note on handmade variation

This is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Every cast wolf head is finished and polished by hand, so the exact play of light across the muzzle and the ears differs from sword to sword. The etched panel sits a fraction differently on each blade. Leather is a natural material, so the tone and grain of the grip and scabbard vary. Polish is never mechanically identical. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Can this be used one handed

It can, and that is what hand and a half means, but it is a heavy sword and one handed use is for reach rather than comfort. Two hands is how it was meant to be held.

Does it arrive sharp

Yes, sharpened on both edges. If you want it blunt for display or for a house with children, say so in the order notes and we will do it at no extra cost.

Is this suitable for HEMA training

No. HEMA clubs use blunt, flexible, purpose built trainers with rolled edges and specified flex ratings. This is a sharp collector sword and it is not certified for any contact use.

Is the wolf head solid

Yes, it is a solid cast piece fitted to the tang. It has to be, because it is the counterweight that makes the sword balance properly.

Can I put a motto on the blade instead of the knotwork

Yes, that is the most common request on this sword. Your text replaces the etched panel rather than sitting beside it. Use the rune converter for Elder Futhark or send us your own lettering.

How long does it take to arrive

One to two weeks of processing while it is made, then free shipping within the US. It ships in a long box. Tell us in the order notes if you have a deadline.

What is in the box

• Wolfcrown 1095 steel hand and a half longsword with cast wolf head pommel
• Brown leather scabbard over a wooden core
• Care card for polished carbon steel and leather
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more in longswords, arming swords and swords, or read the guides on hand and a half swords and blade care.