Wolfgleam Hand Forged Roman Pugio Dagger | 16 Inch Overall | Twin Fullered Waisted Blade with Solid Brass Guard and Ribbed Hardwood Grip | Legionary Collector Gift | RK-1657

The Wolfgleam is a hand forged roman pugio dagger, the short broad sidearm carried by the legions. The blade is the true pugio shape, wide at the shoulder, waisted in the middle and swelling again before it draws to a point, with twin fullers sunk either side of a raised central rib. A running wolf is etched at the shoulder of the blade. The guard and the ball pommel are solid brass, the grip is a ribbed hardwood section held between two brass collars, and it comes with a brown leather sheath with a brass throat plate, a brass chape and two brass suspension rings.

The pugio is one of the few Roman weapons whose exact political importance is recorded. It was the standard belt dagger of the legionary, worn on the left hip on the balteus while the gladius hung on the right, and it was pugiones and not swords that the conspirators carried into the Senate on the Ides of March, because a man could hide a dagger under a toga and could not hide a sword. Suetonius counts twenty three wounds. The shape you are looking at is the reason a pugio was chosen for that work, since the wide waisted blade opens a wound out of all proportion to how far it goes in. This one is forged, ground, hardened and fitted in Memphis, Tennessee.

Specifications

Why the blade is waisted and ribbed

Look at the profile from the side. The blade narrows in the middle and widens again towards the point, which looks like decoration and is not. That waist puts the widest part of the steel well forward, so the mass sits ahead of the hand and a short blade still lands with authority. It also means the widest cross section arrives after the point has already opened the way, which is the whole design logic of a stabbing dagger.

The raised rib down the centre is doing structural work. A wide blade this short would flex badly if it were flat ground, and flex is what breaks points. Leaving a thick rib along the spine line and sinking a fuller either side of it produces a section that is stiff in the direction it needs to be stiff and light everywhere else. Roman smiths arrived at that solution by the first century and the shape barely changed for two hundred years afterwards, which is usually a sign that a design is finished rather than fashionable.

The steel, the brass and the wood

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel hardened and tempered to 54 to 58 HRC, which suits a thrusting blade that has to stay tough at the point rather than hold a hair edge for weeks. Fullers are ground rather than forged in, so the rib is left standing at full thickness and the two channels are cut cleanly to an even depth on both faces.

The guard, the collars, the pommel and the sheath mounts are solid brass and not brass plated steel, which matters because a plated fitting eventually wears through at the corners and shows grey underneath. Solid brass wears to a warm colour and can be polished back at any point in its life. The grip is a close grained hardwood, turned and then ribbed so the fingers have something to register against under a thrust, and it is fitted over a full tang that runs to the pommel.

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 Wolfgleam the running wolf is the existing design, so custom work takes its place at the blade shoulder. The brass guard plate and the sheath throat also take engraving well. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

The balance point sits just in front of the brass guard, roughly an inch up the blade. That is a hand forward balance and it makes the dagger feel like an extension of the fist rather than something being swung. The ribbed grip and the ball pommel together mean the hand cannot slide backwards off the handle, which is the failure mode that matters on a thrusting weapon.

This is a sharp hand forged dagger sold for collecting, display and reenactment kit. It is not a sparring or contact weapon and it should not be thrown. Keep it sheathed when it is not in your hand and store it out of reach of children.

Care

The blade is plain high carbon steel and it will rust if it is left with fingerprints on it, particularly in the fullers where oil tends to be wiped out and moisture stays in. Wipe it down after handling and lay on a thin film of mineral oil. Do not store it long term in the leather sheath, since vegetable tanned hide holds moisture against steel. The brass will dull to a soft gold on its own, which most owners prefer, and a metal polish takes it back to bright whenever you want. Feed the sheath leather twice a year with neutral cream. There is more on steel care.

Forged in Memphis

The blade is forged, the fullers are ground, the heat treat is run, the brass is turned and the sheath is cut and stitched in our shop in Memphis, Tennessee. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Grinding two matched fullers either side of a standing rib is slow and unforgiving work, so allow one to two weeks of processing. Shipping inside the United States is free, returns are open for seven days, and the lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings has no end date and needs no receipt.

A note on handmade variation

This dagger is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The waist of the blade is ground by eye, so the curve will be a shade fuller or slimmer than the one shown. The hardwood grip comes from a natural board and its grain and colour change from piece to piece. Brass varies in tone as it is worked. The length, the steel, the section, the fittings and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a gladius

No. A gladius is a short sword of about two feet. A pugio is the belt dagger that was worn opposite it, and this is a pugio.

Is it sharp when it arrives

Yes, both edges and the point carry a hand put working edge. Handle it as a sharp weapon from the moment the box is open.

Are the brass parts solid or plated

Solid brass throughout, on the dagger and on the sheath. Nothing here is a plated steel fitting.

Can the wolf be replaced with my own design

Yes. Your runes or chosen Viking pattern go in that same place at the blade shoulder instead of the wolf.

Can it be thrown

No. The tang, the wood and the brass collars are not built to take repeated impact, and throwing will loosen the handle.

How soon does it ship

One to two weeks while the blade is forged, fullered and fitted, then free shipping inside the United States.

What is in the box

• Wolfgleam roman pugio dagger with a twin fullered waisted blade
• Solid brass guard plate, collars and turned ball pommel
• Brown leather sheath with brass throat, chape and two suspension rings
• Care card for plain high carbon steel and brass
• Lifetime warranty against defects, no receipt needed
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See the rest of the daggers, the gladius range, the wider swords, and the guides for how fullers are ground.