Ravenhaft Hand Forged 1095 Steel Raven Axe | 15 Inch Ash Haft | Etched Raven Head with Leather Wrapped Grip and Snap Closure Sheath | Norse Gift | RK-1918

The Ravenhaft is a single hand bearded axe with a deeply etched Norse raven filling the cheek of the head, hung on a pale ash haft with a brown leather wrap and a polished steel end cap at the grip. A brown leather sheath with a stud closure is included. The head is satin polished plain steel and the raven is cut deep enough to read from across a room.

Ravens in Norse material are specific birds, not general atmosphere. Huginn and Muninn, thought and memory, sit on Odin and fly out over the world each day to bring him news, and in the Grimnismal Odin admits he fears more for Muninn than for Huginn. That is a startling line once you notice it. The god of wisdom is more afraid of losing memory than of losing thought, and the raven is the animal chosen to carry that idea. The etched bird on this head is drawn in the interlaced Urnes manner, with the wing feathers and the tail resolving into linework rather than being drawn naturalistically. Forged, ground, heat treated, etched and hung in the Czech Republic.

Specifications

Etched, not printed, and why the difference shows

The raven on this head is acid etched, which means the steel that is not protected by resist is eaten away and the design ends up standing in relief with a visible depth to it. A printed or laser marked motif sits on the surface and disappears the first time the cheek gets scuffed. An etch has thickness. Run a fingernail across the raven and you can feel the step.

It also means the design cannot be applied after hardening without care, because the acid attacks hardened and soft steel at different rates and will leave a blotchy edge if the two meet inside the artwork. On the Ravenhaft the etch is confined to the soft cheek, well away from the hardened bit, so the lines stay clean and the edge geometry is untouched. Deep etching does leave the recessed steel more open to corrosion than the polished surface around it, which is the one real reason to keep the head oiled.

The steel, the ash and the leather

The head is 1095 high carbon steel with only the last inch of bit taken up to full hardness and tempered back to 54 to 58 HRC. The body stays softer so the head absorbs shock rather than transmitting it into a crack. This selective approach is why a good axe survives being used badly.

Ash is chosen for the haft because its long straight fibre gives high stiffness for very little weight and it fails with warning rather than suddenly. It is left pale and oil finished so the grain is visible along its whole length, which is the only reliable way to check a haft is straight grained. The lower third is wrapped in brown leather laid in a tight spiral and finished with a polished steel cap that protects the end grain, which is where a haft normally takes the first knock.

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 axe that means the raven comes off and your design takes its place, so if you want to keep the bird, ask us to put runes on the haft or the sheath instead. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Fifteen inches is a hatchet length, meant to be swung one handed from the elbow with the forearm doing most of the work. The balance sits right at the head, which trades power for control. That is the correct trade at this size: a short axe that is too head heavy is tiring and inaccurate.

The leather wrap does two things. It gives a warmer and more positive hold than bare wood in cold weather, and it marks the correct hand position so you are not tempted to choke up under the head. The edge is sharp on arrival and the beard is a hook, so keep your other hand away from the inside curve when you are working close.

Care

Oil the head after every use and especially after the sheath has been on it in humid weather. Pay attention to the etched recesses, because they hold moisture more readily than the polished surface. Sharpen with a puck or a fine file working from the cheek out towards the edge, and keep the original bevel angle rather than trying to make it thinner. Re-oil the ash once or twice a year with boiled linseed and feed the leather wrap and the sheath with a neutral balm. More detail is on steel care.

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

Each Ravenhaft is hand made rather than machine made or bulk produced, so yours will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Ash is a natural material and every haft carries its own grain, figure and tone. Etch depth varies a little from batch to batch, so one raven reads slightly darker than another. Leather takes dye unevenly by nature, so the wrap and the sheath will not be an exact colour match to the photograph. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Will the raven wear off with use?

No. It is etched into the steel with real depth, not printed on top, so scuffing the polish around it does not touch the design.

Is this sharp enough to actually use?

Yes. It arrives shaving sharp and it will carve, limb and split kindling. It is a working hatchet that happens to be decorated.

Can I throw this axe?

We would rather you did not. A leather wrapped haft with a steel cap is not built for repeated misses landing on wood and steel.

Does the sheath cover the beard fully?

Yes. It wraps the whole cutting edge including the hook of the beard and closes with a stud, so it is safe to carry in a pack.

Can I keep the raven and still get runes?

Yes. Ask for runes on the haft or stamped into the leather sheath and the raven stays exactly as it is.

How quickly does it ship?

One to two weeks to forge, etch and hang, then free shipping inside the United States.

What is in the box

• One Ravenhaft raven axe with a deep etched head
• Ash haft with a brown leather wrapped grip and a polished steel end cap
• Brown leather sheath with a stud closure
• Care card covering edge maintenance and haft oiling
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more in Viking axes, bearded axes and engraved and personalised pieces, or read the guides.