Serpentgleam Hand Forged Damascus Steel Arming Sword | 36 Inch Overall Length | Brass Quatrefoil Guard with Serpent and Set Cabochon Pommel | Norse Gift | RK-2153

The Serpentgleam is a single hand arming sword in pattern welded steel, hung on a brass hilt with real character. The blade is broad at the shoulder and tapers steadily to the point, with a raised centre and a ground bevel running to each edge, so the Damascus figure sweeps down the flats and then turns and follows the bevels rather than stopping at them. The crossguard is brass, cut with four lobed quatrefoil terminals and carrying a coiled serpent engraved into the centre panel just above the blade. Above that sits a warm brown leather grip and a round brass pommel with a pale polished cabochon set into a bezel on its face.

The serpent is the right motif for a sword of this shape. Norse smiths of the Viking age were already making pattern welded blades, and the twisted rods they welded into the core produced a rippling figure down the fuller that the sagas describe with snake language. Blades are called serpent marked and wave marked in the verse, and archaeologists working on excavated examples still borrow the same vocabulary. This sword is hand made in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the etch, the hilt tightness and the scabbard fit on arrival, and ships it from the Memphis warehouse. It comes with the fitted leather scabbard shown in the photographs.

A single handed sword of this class is the usual first purchase, and how to buy a first sword covers what matters. The serpent is Jormungandr, who circles the world and bites his own tail, which the children of Loki covers. The medieval helmets are the obvious thing to hang beside it.

Specifications

Serpent marked blades and what the sagas were describing

When a saga poet calls a sword serpent marked he is not reaching for a metaphor. Viking age smiths built the core of a good blade from several rods of iron and steel, twisted them in opposite directions, forge welded them side by side and then welded hard edge bars on. When that core was ground flat and etched or simply weathered, the twisted rods showed as a running herringbone or a wriggling line down the middle of the blade, and it genuinely looks like snakeskin.

There was engineering behind it. Twisting distributed the harder and softer material through the section so a flaw in any one rod could not run the length of the blade, and the hard welded on edges took the actual cutting work. Once the technology arrived for making large homogeneous steel bars the pattern welded core became unnecessary, and by the eleventh century most good blades were plain. Modern Damascus like the steel in this blade is made for the same visual reasons the old smiths eventually kept it for, with the metallurgical necessity long gone.

The steel, the brass and the set stone

The blade is 1095 and 15N20 forge welded, drawn out and acid etched, run to 58 to 60 HRC. The 15N20 carries nickel, which resists the etchant and stays bright while the 1095 darkens, and the contrast between them is the whole pattern. Because the figure is the internal structure of the bar rather than a surface treatment, it runs round the bevels and the point rather than stopping at them, which is the easiest way to tell real pattern welding from a printed imitation.

The hilt is brass throughout. Brass is soft enough to take a crisp engraved line, which is why the serpent on the guard panel reads so clearly, and it will darken to a honey brown over the years wherever it is not handled. The stone in the pommel is a pale polished cabochon. It is glass or a synthetic stone rather than a natural gem, and we would rather say so than let you assume otherwise. It is set into a brass bezel with the rim rolled over it, which is a mechanical setting 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 the Serpentgleam the brass guard panel already carries the serpent, so a new design there takes its place. The brass is the best surface on the sword for a fine cut, and the leather scabbard is the other good position. See the engraving page for the space available.

Handling and balance

Hold this one with the pommel against the heel of your hand rather than gripping the middle of the leather. The round brass pommel is heavy and it is doing the counterweighting for a broad blade, so the sword only settles when that mass sits behind your grip. The taper in the blade helps too, since a profile that narrows towards the point carries less mass out at the end than a parallel sided blade of the same length.

This is a display and collection sword. The edges carry a ground bevel and the point is a real point, so it should be handled with the same care as any full size blade, and it should never be used for contact against another sword, a shield or any target. It has not been built or tested for that. Hang it, photograph it, wear it at an event, and keep it out of anything resembling sparring.

Care

Etched Damascus needs oil more often than plain steel does, because the etched surface has microscopic texture that holds moisture. Wipe the blade with a lightly oiled cloth after any handling and every few weeks if it is out on display. Store it out of the scabbard for the long term, since leather traps damp against steel. If a spot appears, fine steel wool and oil will lift it, and a light re etch will bring the contrast back if you ever take the pattern down. Leave the brass alone unless you want it bright, in which case use a metal polish and keep it off the leather and the set stone. Feed the grip and scabbard with balm two or three times a year. Our steel care guide has the detail.

Damascus wants oil more than plain steel does, because the etch that shows the pattern also opens the surface, and caring for a Damascus pattern covers what to use.

Made in the Czech Republic

The Serpentgleam is made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Every sword is opened in Memphis, checked for etch quality, blade straightness, hilt tightness, the seating of the pommel stone and scabbard fit, then repacked and shipped free within the United States. Processing runs one to two weeks because that inspection is real. Returns stay open for seven days, and there is a lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings, with no end date and no receipt needed.

A note on handmade variation

Each of these is hand made rather than machine made or bulk produced, so the sword that arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The Damascus figure is unique to the billet the blade came from and will not match the one shown. The brass will sit at a slightly different tone from piece to piece, the cabochon varies in how milky or clear it reads, the brown of the grip leather changes with the hide and the dye lot, and the engraved serpent is cut individually. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the stone in the pommel a real gem

No. It is a polished glass or synthetic cabochon, set into a brass bezel with the rim rolled over it. We describe it that way deliberately rather than calling it a gemstone.

Is the Damascus pattern real

Yes. The blade is forge welded from alternating layers of 1095 and 15N20 and then acid etched. The pattern runs round the bevels and the point because it is the structure of the steel rather than a finish applied to the surface.

Can I use this for sparring or cutting practice

No. It is built as a display and collection sword and has not been tested for contact of any kind. Use a purpose built training sword for that.

Will the brass tarnish

Yes, gradually and evenly, to a warm honey brown. Most owners like it because the engraved serpent stands out more as the surrounding metal darkens. Polish it back whenever you prefer.

Can I have runes cut into it

Yes. Brass takes the crispest line, so the guard is the usual choice, and the scabbard leather takes a stamped name well. We advise against cutting into the etched blade, because it interrupts the pattern.

How long does shipping take

One to two weeks of processing while the sword is checked and any engraving is cut, then free shipping inside the United States.

What is in the box

• Serpentgleam Damascus arming sword with brass hilt
• Fitted leather scabbard
• Care card for etched Damascus, brass and leather
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

Explore the range

Browse the rest of the Damascus swords, the arming swords, the full swords range and everything under engraved and personalised, or read the guides.