Trinelobe Hand Forged Damascus Viking Short Sword | 28 Inch Overall Length | Triquetra Lobed Pommel with Brown Leather Grip and Fitted Scabbard | Norse Gift | RK-1921

The Trinelobe is a compact Viking sword on a Damascus blade, with a five lobed steel pommel carrying a cut triquetra, a brown leather grip and a short lower guard. It comes with a brown leather scabbard fitted with a polished steel throat and chape. At twenty eight inches overall it is a short sword rather than a full length war sword, which makes it far easier to live with and to display.

About the triquetra on the pommel. The three cornered interlaced knot is genuinely old and genuinely northern, appearing on the Funbo runestones in Sweden and on Norse and Insular metalwork, but it is worth being straight about what it meant. Nobody knows. It has been read as the three Norns, as the realms of earth, sea and sky, and much later as a Christian trinity symbol, which is certainly how it was used once Insular manuscript workshops adopted it. What the tenth century Norse smith who cut one into a pommel had in mind is not recorded anywhere. It is a beautiful shape with a long northern history, and that is a truthful claim. Forged, ground, heat treated and hilted in the Czech Republic.

Specifications

Why five lobes and not three

Lobe count on Norse pommels is not random, and it is one of the more useful things to know if you look at these swords seriously. Jan Petersen sorted the surviving Norwegian material into types largely on hilt form, and lobe count is a major sorting criterion within that scheme. Three lobed pommels are broadly earlier and are strongly associated with certain Norwegian groups. Five lobed pommels, where a taller central lobe is flanked by two smaller ones on each side, belong to a later and wider distribution and turn up across Scandinavia, the British Isles and the Rus trade routes.

On original pieces the lobes were often separate pieces of iron brazed onto a plain pommel bar, which is why so many survive with lobes missing. The Trinelobe pommel is cut from solid, which is stronger and means the triquetra can be engraved across the central lobe without crossing a joint.

The steel and the pattern

The blade is pattern welded from 1095 high carbon steel and 15N20, which contains nickel. Layers are welded, drawn, cut, stacked and welded again until the count is high enough to give a fine pattern on a blade this size. When the finished blade is etched, the 1095 darkens and the nickel bearing 15N20 stays bright, so the flowing lines you see are a real physical relief rather than a printed image.

The blade is hardened and tempered to 58 to 60 HRC. On a twenty two inch blade this is comfortably within safe territory, because a shorter blade sees far less bending stress than a long one, and the extra hardness buys real edge retention.

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. That applies to the triquetra on this pommel, so if you want to keep it, ask us to put your runes on the blade or the scabbard instead. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

A short Viking sword handles very differently from a full length one. Balance sits about three inches ahead of the guard, and the whole sword weighs under two pounds, so it moves with almost no inertia. That makes it a natural fit for anyone who wants a Viking sword they can actually pick up and swing indoors without redecorating the ceiling.

The grip is short, around three and a half inches, which is period correct and means the hand sits tight between guard and pommel. Do not try to choke up. Let the pommel sit against the heel of the palm. Both edges are sharp on arrival and this is not intended for edge on edge contact or full contact sparring.

Care

Oil the blade after handling. Etched Damascus holds fingerprints more readily than a polished surface, and 1095 will begin to spot within a day in humid air. Use a thin film of light machine or blade oil and wipe from guard to point. Feed the leather grip and the scabbard with a neutral balm once or twice a year, and take the sword out of the scabbard for storage. Polish the steel throat and chape with the same cloth. There is more on steel care on the site.

Made in the Czech Republic

This is a handmade piece from the Czech Republic, made in a workshop that still forges, grinds and finishes by hand instead of stamping parts out. The smiths there have kept the older way of working, and the wood, horn and leather are shaped and fitted by hand as well. Two pieces of the same design will never be identical, and that is part of what you are buying.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We handle the import ourselves, look over every piece when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. Engraving is done in the United States after the piece arrives, so your design goes on before we send it out.

A note on handmade variation

Every Trinelobe is hand made rather than machine made or bulk produced, so yours will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The Damascus pattern is unique to each blade. The five lobes are filed and finished by hand, so the exact profile of each shoulder differs by a fraction. Vegetable tanned leather changes colour at its own pace, so the grip and scabbard will find their own shade. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a real sword or a wall hanger?

A real sword. Hardened Damascus blade, peened hilt, sharp edges. It is short, which was a common length in the period, not a sign that it is decorative.

Does the triquetra have a specific meaning?

Not one we can honestly claim. It is an old northern interlace with several later interpretations attached to it. We would rather tell you that than invent a meaning.

Is it sharp out of the box?

Yes, on both edges. Ask in the order notes for a blunt finish if it is going straight onto a wall.

Would this suit a smaller person or a teenager?

The size and weight are manageable, but it is sharp and we sell it as an adult collector piece. Age restrictions apply at checkout.

Can the scabbard take a belt loop?

Yes. Ask before ordering and we will build in a loop or a two point suspension.

How long does it take to arrive?

One to two weeks to forge and finish, then free shipping within the United States.

What is in the box

• One Trinelobe Damascus Viking short sword, 28 inches overall
• Brown leather scabbard with a polished steel throat and chape
• Care card with oiling instructions for etched Damascus
• 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 swords, short swords and Damascus swords, or read the guides.