A hand forged Viking sword is one drawn out from a bar of steel, ground, heat treated and hilted by a person, rather than laser cut from plate and bolted to a decorative pommel. The Norse blade shape is specific: a broad double edged blade with a wide shallow fuller, a short crossguard and a heavy pommel to balance it, usually lobed or wheel shaped. Get those proportions right and the sword handles; get them wrong and you have an expensive wall decoration.
Blades, pommels and marks
Overall lengths run 34 to 37 inches with blades between 29 and 31 inches, which is the historical range rather than a stretched one. Pommels cover the whole vocabulary: five lobed, trilobate, wheel, brass disc, brass dome and one described as a tea cosy, which is the honest name for that shape. Several carry Elder Futhark rows cut into the blade, one running the full length, and there are rune cut guards, a valknut engraved guard with blackened fittings, an etched raven mark and a knotwork blade. Steel is plain 1095 high carbon at 54 to 58 HRC or forge welded 1095 and 15N20 Damascus at 58 to 60 HRC, including two genuinely pattern welded pieces where the folded core runs down the blade. Grips are wrapped in tan, grey, blue, bone white and cord, and the scabbards are leather, brass fitted or timber. One ships with a scabbard and belt together. Prices run from 365 dollars to 699 dollars.
Picking one
Decide first whether the sword is going to be handled or hung, because that answers the sharpness question and changes what you should pay attention to. The difference between a display sword and a battle ready one covers it. If the steel is what you are weighing up, our page on steel and materials explains the two house heat treatments. For a shortlist by shape and period, our pick of Viking swords for collectors is the place to start, and the full range is in Viking swords.
Ransack Viking is a US company based in North Babylon, New York. These pieces are handmade in the Czech Republic, then imported, inspected and shipped from New York. 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.
