Keelbrand Hand Forged High Carbon Hand and a Half Sword with Longship Etched Blade | Brass Ball Pommel and Trefoil Guard | Leather Grip and Scabbard | Norse Collector Gift | RK-2172

A hand and a half sword with a brass ball pommel, a curved brass crossguard finished in trefoil lobes at each tip, and a long tan leather grip with room for two hands and a swelling in the middle so the lead hand finds its place without looking. The blade is 1095 high carbon, mirror polished, tapering to an acute point, and it carries an etched Norse longship under sail near the ricasso with the round shields hung along the gunwale.

That ship is the reason the sword type exists at all in this shape. The knightly arming sword of the tenth to twelfth centuries grew directly out of the Viking sword, which travelled wherever those hulls did. The change was mostly at the hilt. The Norse lobed pommel gave way to a ball or a wheel, the guard grew longer and curved forward, and the blade tapered a little more toward the point. This one sits in that transition, with a grip lengthened for a second hand. Made by hand in the Czech Republic, imported and checked by Ransack Viking, shipped from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse with a fitted tan leather scabbard.

The best Norse blades of all carried a maker name in the fuller, which the Ulfberht blades covers. Ships turn up on stone and metal all over the Norse world, and the symbols guide covers the motifs that recur. A board from the round shields is what usually stands beside one.

Specifications

What the pommel is actually for

People assume the pommel is a decorative cap or something to hit with. Its real job is arithmetic. A sword blade is a lever with most of its mass out front, and without a counterweight at the back it would hang like a length of pipe and be exhausting to hold in guard. The brass ball on this sword pulls the balance point back toward the hand, which is what lets the sword be held out in one hand at arm’s length and moved with the wrist rather than the shoulder, with the second hand free to join on the grip for a heavier cut.

The second job is structural. The tang runs the full length of the grip and out through a hole in the pommel, where the end is peened over into a button. That peening is what holds the whole hilt in compression, guard against grip against pommel. It is why a properly built sword hilt does not rattle, and it is the first thing to check on any sword you are offered second hand.

The steel and the polish

1095 is a plain high carbon steel, hardened here to 54 to 58 HRC, which is the sensible range for a long blade. A sword hardened much beyond that gains edge retention it does not need and loses the ability to bend and return, which matters far more when the blade is this long. The result is a blade that flexes under load and comes back straight rather than taking a set or snapping.

The mirror polish is done by hand through progressively finer abrasives. It looks better than a satin finish and it is slightly more rust resistant, because there are fewer scratches for moisture to sit in, but it shows fingerprints immediately. The brass fittings are cast and then filed and polished. Brass was chosen over steel on this pattern for the colour contrast and because it takes a crisp trefoil edge without the fittings becoming heavy.

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 sword the usual choice is a rune line running down the fuller below the longship, or a short inscription across the flat of the guard. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives. See the engraving page for what fits.

Handling and balance

Hold it in a relaxed hammer grip with the flat of the guard across the base of your fingers, and bring the second hand onto the lower grip or the ball pommel when you want more power behind a cut. The swell in the grip stops the hand creeping forward under a cut. Because the balance point sits close to the guard, the sword turns quickly and holds a guard position without fatigue, which is what a hand and a half sword is for.

This is a collector and display piece rather than a sparring sword. It is not built or tested for full contact work against another blade, and it should not be used for cutting practice against hard targets. Hung on a wall, carried at a reenactment or drawn for photographs it is exactly right.

Care

Wipe the blade down after handling. Skin acid is the main enemy of a mirror polish and a fingerprint left overnight will etch itself into the surface. Use a soft cloth and a light film of mineral oil or a purpose made blade oil over the whole flat. Brass will dull to a warm gold, which suits the piece, and a brass polish on a cloth restores the shine if you prefer it bright. Keep polish off the leather. Feed the grip and the scabbard with a neutral leather cream twice a year, and store the sword out of the scabbard if the room is damp, because leather holds moisture against steel. There is more in steel care.

If it is going on a wall, hanging swords and axes safely covers mounts, fixings and what not to do.

Made in the Czech Republic

This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic. The blade is forged and ground, the fittings cast and finished, the grip wrapped and the scabbard cut and stitched by the people who make it. Nothing here comes from an importer catalogue. Ransack Viking buys them, brings them into the United States, checks the hilt for tightness, the blade for straightness and the scabbard for fit, and holds stock in the Chicago, Illinois warehouse so orders leave from a shelf. Processing runs one to two weeks, longer at the top of that range when an engraving is ordered. Shipping in the United States is free, returns run seven days, and the lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings carries no end date and needs no receipt.

A note on handmade variation

Hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Leather is the biggest variable. The grip and the scabbard are cut from natural hide, and colour, grain and the way the dye sits will differ from one to the next. The longship etch is applied individually so its contrast varies slightly. Brass castings are hand filed, so a trefoil lobe may be a fraction fuller on one than another. The steel, the geometry, the hardness and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the blade sharp

It arrives with a finished cutting edge and an acute point, so it is not a blunt reenactment blade. Handle it accordingly and keep it out of reach of children.

Can I spar with it

No. This is not built or tested for full contact sparring against another blade, and we make no battle ready claim for it. Use a purpose built blunt trainer for contact work.

Is the scabbard included

Yes. A fitted tan leather scabbard comes with the sword, cut to this blade rather than supplied as a generic sleeve.

Will the brass tarnish

It will, slowly, to a warm darker gold. That is normal for solid brass and many owners prefer it. A brass polish brings it back whenever you want.

Can the longship be replaced with my own runes

Yes. Order the engraving option and send your text. Your engraving replaces the ship rather than sitting beside it, so say if you would rather keep the ship and have runes cut lower down the blade.

Does it come with a wall mount

No, the sword and scabbard ship on their own. Sword stands and wall mounts are listed separately in the display section of the shop.

What is in the box

• One 1095 high carbon hand and a half sword with brass fittings and a leather grip
• One fitted tan leather scabbard
• Your Elder Futhark rune line or chosen Viking design, if ordered
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse

Explore the range

More in hand and a half swords, Viking swords, swords and engraved and personalised pieces, plus the guides.

Other pieces in this group

For a straight comparison, see the Hammerlight Viking sword, 36 inches overall. Worth putting side by side with this is the Redoath Viking sword, 36 inches overall. In the same category sits the Runewhet Viking sword, 35 inches overall.

From the same corner of the shop, there is the Brinehook cutlass. Nothing here exactly right, build one to your own spec on the custom Viking sword page.