Serpentweld Hand Forged Viking Sword | 36 Inch Overall Length | Pattern Welded Chevron Fuller and Trilobate Valknut Pommel | Norse Collector Gift | RK-1684

The Serpentweld is a Viking sword built the way the originals were built. A pattern welded core runs the length of the blade in a herringbone chevron, and bright hard steel edges are welded on either side of it. The hilt is a Petersen style trilobate pommel with a Valknut cut into the centre lobe, over a brown leather grip and a straight lower guard, and it ships in a brown leather scabbard with a steel throat and chape.

Pattern welding was not decoration to the smiths who invented it. Before the blast furnace, the iron available in northern Europe came out of a bloomery as a spongy mass of wildly varying carbon content. No single billet was uniform enough to make a four foot blade that would neither bend nor snap. The answer was to take many thin rods, twist them in alternating directions, weld them into a core and then weld hard steel edges onto that core. The chevron you see here is the end grain of that twisting showing through after the blade is ground and etched. This one is forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee.

Specifications

How the chevron gets into the blade

Take a stack of alternating layers, weld it solid, draw it into a square rod and then twist that rod hot along its length. The flat layers inside become a spiral. Now grind a flat down the side of that twisted rod and you cut across the spiral, and what appears on the surface is a row of chevrons. Weld two such rods side by side, twisting one clockwise and one anticlockwise, and the chevrons mirror each other into the herringbone you see on this blade.

That is why a pattern welded core has to sit in the fuller and not at the edge. The twisted structure is beautiful and tough but it is not the part that should be taking a cutting edge, because the carbon is not evenly distributed through it. So a separate strip of high carbon steel is welded down each side of the core to carry the edge. Look at the blade and you can see the arrangement plainly. Bright plain steel at the edges, patterned core down the middle.

Archaeologists find exactly this construction when they section Viking Age blades, and they can read the number of rods and the direction of each twist from the surface pattern. It is the closest thing early medieval metalwork has to a signature. The Norse called good blades things like leg biter and gold hilt and they clearly valued the pattern, but the pattern is a side effect of solving a real materials problem.

The steel and the fittings

We use 1095 and 15N20 for the core. 1095 is a plain high carbon steel that etches dark and 15N20 carries nickel and stays bright, so the twisted structure shows clearly once the finished blade goes into acid. The edges are high carbon steel welded to the core and heat treated to 58 to 60 HRC, which is where an edge wants to be while the softer core keeps the blade from being brittle. That differential is the whole point of the construction and it is why these swords survived being used.

None of this is stainless. A pattern welded blade will spot if it is handled and put away, and the etched surface holds a fingerprint more readily than a plain polish does. Keep a cloth and a little oil with the sword.

The pommel is the Petersen trilobate form, three lobes rising off a bar, which is one of the most recognisable Viking hilt types and is common on tenth century Scandinavian finds. Ours has a Valknut cut into the centre lobe. The tang is peened over the pommel bar so the hilt is mechanically locked. The grip is leather over timber with a fine cord wrap underneath, and the scabbard is leather over a fitted core with a steel throat and chape.

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, so your runes take the place of the Valknut on the pommel. A rune line can also run along the flat beside the fuller. Full details are on the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Viking swords are quicker in the hand than most people expect. The wide fuller takes a lot of weight out of the middle of the blade and the heavy trilobate pommel puts it back behind the hand, so the balance point sits close to the guard and the sword turns easily. It is a one handed weapon that assumes a round shield in the other hand, and the short grip between guard and pommel is a deliberate part of that. It locks the hand in one place rather than letting it slide.

Hold it with the heel of the hand against the underside of the pommel. The rounded point is the tell. This is a cutting sword. The Norse fought with the edge from behind a shield, and the profile follows from that rather than from any interest in punching through mail.

It arrives sharp and it is a display, collecting and light cutting sword. It is not built for edge to edge contact with another weapon and we do not sell it for sparring or full contact reenactment.

Care

Wipe the blade after handling and lay a thin film of oil over the steel before it goes back into the scabbard. The etched core holds oil in its texture, which is helpful, but it also holds skin salts, so do not put the sword away with a print on it. A soft cloth is better than paper for this.

If a rust spot appears, work it off with oil and a fine synthetic pad along the length of the blade rather than across it, then re oil. Do not use a wire wheel or a coarse abrasive on a pattern welded surface, because you will cut through the etch and lose the contrast. Feed the leather grip and scabbard with a balm once or twice a year, keep them out of long direct sun and never store the sword sheathed in a damp room. Our steel care notes cover this in full.

Forged in Memphis

The rods are drawn and twisted, the core is welded, the edges are welded on, the blade is ground, heat treated and etched, and the hilt is cut and peened, all in our shop in Memphis, Tennessee. A pattern welded blade is the slowest thing we make, and it is not a stock blade bought in from an importer catalogue with a badge on it. Allow one to two weeks of processing before yours ships, and a little more if you have ordered engraving. Shipping inside the United States is free, returns run for seven days, and the sword carries our lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings, with no end date and no receipt needed.

A note on handmade variation

This sword is hand made rather than machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. No two twisted rods behave the same way, so the chevrons on your blade will be tighter or looser and will sit at their own angle. The etch depth, the hammer texture, the tone of the leather on the grip and the exact set of the three lobes on the pommel all vary. The dimensions, the construction, the steels and the hardness are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the chevron pattern etched on or forged in

Forged in. It is the end grain of a twisted pattern welded core, revealed by acid. Grind into the fuller and the same structure continues through the steel.

Why is the pattern only in the middle of the blade

Because that is how Viking swords were built. The twisted core sits in the fuller and separate high carbon edges are welded on either side to carry the cutting edge.

Is it sharp out of the box

Yes. Both edges arrive sharpened and the sword should be stored and handled accordingly.

Can I use it for reenactment combat

No. It is sharp and it is not built for edge to edge contact. It is a display, collecting and light cutting sword.

What is the symbol on the pommel

A Valknut, three interlocked triangles found on Gotland picture stones and in the Oseberg burial. It can be replaced with your own runes or design.

How long does it take to make

One to two weeks of processing before it ships, then free shipping inside the United States. Pattern welding is the slowest work we do.

What is in the box

• Serpentweld pattern welded Viking sword, hard edges at 58 to 60 HRC
• Herringbone chevron core running the length of the fuller
• Trilobate pommel with a Valknut cut into the centre lobe
• Fitted brown leather scabbard with steel throat and chape
• Care card for pattern welded steel and vegetable tanned leather
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See more in viking swords, damascus swords, swords and viking weapons, or read the guides.