Coilwyrm Hand Forged 1095 Steel Arming Sword | Serpent Etched Fuller | Knotwork Engraved Guard and Brown Leather Scabbard | Norse Display Gift | RK-1874

The Coilwyrm is a single hand arming sword finished bright rather than dark. The blade is mirror polished 1095 high carbon steel with a wide central fuller, and running down that fuller is an etched serpent: a single ribbon bodied beast that loops back through itself in long figure of eight curves from the guard almost to the point. The crossguard is a straight bar carved on every face with tight plaitwork, the grip is black leather over a wooden core with a raised riser, and the pommel is a domed steel disc. A brown leather scabbard is included.

That looping ribbon beast is not a generic swirl. It is the Urnes style, the last of the great Scandinavian animal art styles, named after the carved north wall of the stave church at Urnes in Sogn in western Norway. It runs roughly from the middle of the eleventh century into the early twelfth, and its signature is exactly what you see here: an elegant, thin, almost weightless creature with an eye, a jaw and a single trailing tendril, tied into loops so smooth that the head is often the only way to tell where the animal starts. Norse smiths cut it into brooches, runestones and sword furniture alike. This sword is forged and finished in the Czech Republic.

The best Norse blades of all carried a maker name in the fuller, which the Ulfberht blades covers. The serpent is Jormungandr, who circles the world and bites his own tail, which the children of Loki covers. A board from the round shields is what usually stands beside one.

Specifications

Reading the serpent on the blade

Serpents on Norse blades carry a specific weight. Jormungandr, the Midgard serpent, was thrown into the sea by Odin and grew until it circled the world and bit its own tail, and its final meeting with Thor at Ragnarok is one of the fixed points of the mythology. But the coiled beast was also simply what a smith used to fill a long narrow space beautifully. A fuller is a long, narrow, slightly concave channel, and a ribbon animal that loops back through itself fits it the way a river fits a valley.

Historically this kind of decoration was inlaid rather than etched. A smith would cut shallow grooves in the hot blade, hammer twisted wires of contrasting iron or silver into them and grind the surface back flat, which is how the famous Ulfberht inscriptions were made. On this sword the design is acid etched into the polished surface instead, which gives a crisp, permanent line without interrupting the steel of the blade. It sits below the polish rather than on top of it, so it cannot be rubbed away.

The steel and the finish

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, hardened to 54 to 58 HRC. That is a slightly softer range than we use on short Damascus blades, and it is deliberate: on a sword length blade, toughness matters more than the last point of edge retention, and steel at this hardness bends and returns rather than chipping when it takes a knock. 1095 is a simple, well understood steel with about one percent carbon and no chromium, which is why it takes a mirror polish and why it needs oiling.

The knotwork on the guard is cut rather than cast, so the lines have crisp shoulders and hold a shadow. The mirror finish on the blade takes several stages of progressively finer abrasive followed by hand polishing, and it is the reason the etched serpent reads so clearly: a matte blade would swallow the design, while a polished one throws it into contrast.

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 this sword that matters more than usual: the serpent occupies the fuller, so a rune line ordered for the blade takes the serpent’s place rather than joining it. If you want both, ask for the runes on the scabbard. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

The fuller runs most of the blade length here, which takes a surprising amount of weight out of the middle of the sword and moves the balance back toward the hand. Combined with the domed disc pommel, the result is a sword that feels alert rather than nose heavy. The grip is sized for one hand with the pommel seated against the heel of the palm.

This is a sharpened display and collector sword. It is not a blunt reenactment trainer and it is not built for contact sparring of any kind. Treat the edge as live, and if it is going somewhere with visitors or children, ask us to send it blunt.

Care

A mirror polished carbon steel blade is the least forgiving surface we make. Fingerprints will etch into it within days if they are left, and the marks are visible from across a room. Wipe the blade with a clean dry cloth after any handling and leave a thin film of light oil on it. Handle it with a cloth when you can. If a spot of rust does appear, deal with it early with oil and a non abrasive pad rather than letting it pit. Do not store the sword in the scabbard for long stretches. Full detail is on our steel care page.

If it is going on a wall, hanging swords and axes safely covers mounts, fixings and what not to do.

Made in the Czech Republic

This piece is made by hand in the Czech Republic, in a workshop that still works the old way. The steel is forged, ground, heat treated and finished by smiths who learned the trade from the people before them, and the wood, horn and leather are cut and fitted by hand rather than pressed out on a line. That is also why no two pieces come out exactly the same.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import these pieces ourselves, check every one when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives, so your runes or your own design go on before it leaves for you.

A note on handmade variation

This is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The serpent is etched by hand from the same artwork every time, so its line is consistent, but its exact placement along the fuller shifts by a fraction. The plaitwork on the guard is cut by hand, so depth and spacing vary slightly. Leather tone and grain on the grip and scabbard differ because leather is a natural material, and polish always carries a little of the hand that did it. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the serpent painted or engraved

Etched. It is cut into the surface of the steel with acid after polishing, so it sits below the surface and cannot rub, flake or wash off. There is no paint or coating anywhere on this sword.

Is this display only or a usable sword

It is a real hand forged sharp sword made from properly heat treated 1095, not a wall hanger with a soft blade. That said, we sell it as a collector and display piece, and we do not certify it for sparring, reenactment or contact use of any kind.

Will it arrive sharp

Yes, sharpened on both edges. Say the word in the order notes and we will send it blunt instead, at no extra cost.

Will the mirror polish stay perfect

Only if you look after it. A polished carbon steel blade marks easily from skin contact and moisture. Wiped down and lightly oiled after handling it will stay bright indefinitely.

Can I get runes as well as the serpent

Not on the same face of the blade, because the fuller is where both would sit. Runes on the scabbard leather alongside the serpent on the blade is the usual solution and it looks good.

How long does shipping take

One to two weeks of processing, then free shipping in the US. If there is a date you need it by, put it in the order notes before ordering and we will tell you honestly whether we can hit it.

What is in the box

• Coilwyrm 1095 steel arming sword with etched Urnes style serpent
• Brown leather scabbard over a wooden core
• Care card for polished carbon steel and leather
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more in arming swords, Viking swords and engraved and personalised pieces, or read the guides on Norse animal art styles and blade care.

Other pieces in this group

For a straight comparison, see the Wyrmfall Viking sword, 37 inches overall. Worth putting side by side with this is the Stavelight Viking sword, 35 inches overall. In the same category sits the Valkbraid Viking sword, pattern welded Damascus.

From the same corner of the shop, there is the Stavemark arming sword. Nothing here exactly right, build one to your own spec on the custom Viking sword page.