A double headed axe carries a bit on each side of the eye. Historically that was a woodsman’s tool, not a Norse battlefield piece, because two bits meant one edge kept for clean felling and one left rough for grubby work near the ground. The symmetry also balances beautifully in the hand, which is why the shape ended up in every fantasy illustration ever drawn. People search for it wanting either a real double bit that swings true or a display piece with a bit of theatre to it.
The twin bit heads here
There are several genuine double bits on this page and they cover the range. The shortest sits at 19 inches on an ash haft with a fitted leather blade cover, and a matching oak hafted version carries an etched vegvisir on the head. A 28 inch piece runs twin 4.5 inch edges on a light wood haft with a dark leather wrapped grip. The longest is a 34 inch haft with twin crescent bits and an etched beast motif. One has twin crescent bits with an engraved knotwork collar, steel inlays down a dark hardwood haft and a leather edge sheath. Heads are plain 1095 high carbon at 54 to 58 HRC or forge welded 1095 and 15N20 Damascus at 58 to 60 HRC. The rest of the archive is single bit Viking bearded axes at 18 to 22 inches and a handful of seax and camp knives that share the same steel. Prices across the page run from 149 dollars to 560 dollars.
Living with two edges
Two bits means twice the sharpening and twice the chance of catching a shin, so a double bit wants a proper sheath and a proper stance. Keep one edge keener than the other if you actually use it. Our notes on sharpening an axe cover the file and stone work, and the guide to choosing an axe deals with haft length, head weight and what balance really means once the thing is in your hand. To browse the shape on its own, look at double headed axes, and for the broad single bit heads try battle axes.
Ransack Viking is a US company based in Chicago, Illinois. These pieces are handmade in the Czech Republic, then imported, inspected and shipped from Chicago. Engraving is done in the US after arrival: text 19 dollars, symbol 39 dollars, family crest 49 dollars.
Free US shipping
On most pieces. Heavier and oversized ones carry a flat charge.
Hand Forged
Heated, hammered and ground by hand.
Engraving available
Names, dates or Norse runes on most pieces.
