Runechain Hand Forged 1095 Steel Rune Etched Chain Knife Pair | Two Blades Two Chains and Two Leather Sheaths | Ring Pommels and Leather Grips | Norse Collector Gift | RK-1793

A matched pair of long chain knives, each one hand forged from 1095 high carbon steel with a curved clip point blade, a black leather wrapped grip and a solid steel ring at the butt carrying a length of bright steel chain. Both blades are etched down the flat with a line of Elder Futhark runes taken from the futhark row itself, the runic alphabet in its traditional order. Each knife comes with its own black leather sheath, so the pair ships as two knives, two chains and two sheaths.

The ring pommel on a knife is much older than any modern chain knife fashion. Ring pommels appear on Iron Age and early medieval blades across Northern Europe and Asia, and the reason is straightforward. A ring gives you a hard stop that the hand cannot slide off, it gives you somewhere to tie a wrist thong so the blade is not lost in a scuffle, and it puts weight behind the hand so the blade does not feel like it is running away from you. Attaching a chain rather than a cord is a later idea and it turns the ring into an anchor point. These are forged, ground, etched and fitted by hand in the Czech Republic.

Specifications

What the runes on the blade actually say

The line etched into these blades is drawn from the Elder Futhark, the oldest of the runic alphabets, in use across Germanic Europe from roughly the second century to the eighth. It has twenty four characters and it takes its name from the sound values of its first six, fehu, uruz, thurisaz, ansuz, raido and kaunan, which spell out f u th a r k. Alphabets named after their opening letters are not unusual, the word alphabet does the same thing with alpha and beta, but the futhark is unusual in that the order was fixed and meaningful enough that people carved the whole row onto objects as a charm in its own right.

That is worth knowing before you order an engraving. A rune row carved onto a blade was not a sentence. It was closer to writing the full alphabet on something, an act that was understood to carry weight because the runes themselves were held to carry it. If you want an actual name or phrase instead, the rune converter on this page will transliterate it properly rather than swapping letters one for one, which is what most online rune generators get wrong.

1095 high carbon steel and the mirror polish

Both blades are forged from 1095, a plain high carbon steel with about one percent carbon and no alloying elements to complicate the heat treat. We take them to 54 to 58 HRC, which gives a keen edge that holds up and a spine that flexes rather than snaps. The mirror polish on these two is worked up through progressively finer abrasives by hand, which is also what makes the etched rune line read so clearly. An etch bites into the surface and leaves a matte grey figure, and it only reads well against a bright background. On a satin blade the same runes would half disappear.

The chains are welded link steel rather than cast or split link, so they will not pull open under weight. The rings are closed rather than open ended for the same reason.

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. That applies directly here, since these blades already carry a rune line. If you order custom runes, your line replaces the futhark row rather than appearing next to it. See the engraving page for what fits.

Handling and balance

These are heavy knives with the balance sitting just forward of the collar, so the tip carries authority and the ring pulls the weight back into the hand once the chain is looped up. The chains are display and carry hardware. They are not sold for swinging and we do not recommend spinning them. A weighted blade on a chain is genuinely dangerous to the person holding it and to everything within a wide radius.

As a pair on a wall or in a case they work well because the chains can be coiled or draped, which gives you a lot of freedom in how they are set out. Mounted crossed with the chains hanging is the arrangement most people go for.

Care

Mirror polished 1095 is the least forgiving surface we make. It shows every fingerprint and it will etch a permanent grey mark if a print is left on it in a humid room. Wipe both blades down after handling and keep a thin film of mineral oil on the steel. The chains want the same treatment, and the easiest way to oil a chain is to run it through an oiled cloth held closed in your fist. Do not store the knives in the leather sheaths long term. Vegetable tanned leather is slightly acidic and traps moisture. Feed the sheaths and the grip wraps with a leather conditioner once or twice a year. Full detail is under steel care.

Made in the Czech Republic

The work behind this piece happens in a Czech Republic workshop that has kept to the old methods. Steel is forged and heat treated by hand, the grind is taken down by eye rather than by machine, and the handle, fittings and sheath are cut and finished one at a time. Because of that, every piece carries small marks of the hand that made it.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import direct, check each piece when it reaches us, and ship from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse. Engraving is added here in the United States after arrival, so the piece you receive is finished to your order.

A note on handmade variation

These are hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The two blades in your pair will be closely matched but not identical, because they are ground by eye. The rune etch will vary a fraction in depth and tone. The leather wrap tension and the exact stitch spacing on the sheaths differ hide to hide, and the chain links will show their own weld marks. The steel, the heat treat, the dimensions and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Are both knives sharp when they arrive

Yes. Both come with a hand put working edge. They are not blunted props. Unpack them carefully and sheath them when you are not handling them.

Can I swing these on the chain

We strongly advise against it. The chain is display and carry hardware. A sharp weighted blade swung on a chain is a serious hazard to the person holding it and everyone nearby.

Does this listing include both knives

Yes. The price is for the matched pair, which is two knives, two chains and two leather sheaths.

Can I have my own runes instead of the futhark row

Yes. Use the rune converter on this page. Your chosen line replaces the existing rune row rather than sitting alongside it.

Will the mirror polish stay bright

With a wipe down and a thin film of oil, yes. Left with fingerprints on it in a humid room it will grey over within a couple of weeks, and that etching is permanent.

Are the chains removable

The chains attach to closed steel rings, so they are not designed to be taken off and put back on repeatedly. Treat them as part of the piece.

What is in the box

• Two hand forged 1095 high carbon steel chain knives with mirror polished blades
• Two Elder Futhark rune lines etched into the blade flats
• Two welded link steel chains on closed ring pommels
• Two black leather sheaths, hand stitched and edge finished
• Care card covering oiling, chain care and leather feeding
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See the rest of the Viking knives, the daggers, the wider Norse arms range and the guides.