Thornreaver Hand Forged Barbed Fantasy Sword | 42 Inch Overall with 32 Inch Blade | Spiked Crossguard, Cord Wrapped Grip and Black Scabbard | Collector Display Gift | RK-1978

The Thornreaver is a fantasy sword built around a single idea, which is that everything on it points backwards. The crossguard is not a bar but a pair of swept wings, each cut into a row of teeth along its upper edge and drawn out to a spike at the tip. Above the guard the blade flares into two rear facing barbs before it narrows into a long double edged blade with a raised central rib. The grip is tightly wound cord over a tapering core and the pommel is a faceted pentagon of polished steel carrying an engraved triquetra knot. A plain black scabbard is included.

This is our own design and it is not connected to, licensed by or endorsed by any film, game or franchise. It is worth saying plainly, because a shape like this is a piece of visual storytelling rather than a reconstruction of anything that was dug out of a river. What it borrows from real weapons is the language of the parting hook and the boar spear lug, features that exist to stop a blade travelling further than the wielder wants. What it does with them is turn them into silhouette. Thornreaver is forged, ground, heat treated and assembled in our shop in Memphis, Tennessee.

Specifications

Barbs, lugs and why real weapons mostly avoid them

The barb is one of the oldest ideas in weapon making and it turns up on harpoons and arrowheads thousands of years before it turns up on anything else. The logic is simple. A plain point goes in and comes out. A barbed point goes in and stays, because the rearward facing spur catches on the way back. For a harpoon that is the entire purpose, since you want the thing you hit to remain attached to your line.

For a hand weapon it is a much worse trade, and that is why swords in the real world almost never carry them. A blade you cannot withdraw is a blade you have lost, and a sword fight is not a fishing trip. Where you do see rearward projections on serious weapons they are doing the opposite job. The lugs on a boar spear and the wings on a Frankish winged spear are stops, placed to prevent the head sinking so far that a wounded animal can run up the shaft at you. The parrying hooks on a Renaissance great sword catch an opponent’s blade rather than an opponent. All of them are about controlling depth, not about causing damage on the way out. Thornreaver takes that vocabulary and uses it for shape rather than for function, which is exactly what a fantasy piece is allowed to do as long as nobody pretends otherwise.

The steel

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel with roughly one percent carbon, hardened and tempered back to 54 to 58 HRC. That is the same band we use on our working swords, because even a piece bought for display gets picked up, and a sword that is too hard is a sword that can crack rather than bend if it is ever dropped point first. The blade is distal tapered so it is thicker at the guard than at the point, which keeps a long wide blade from feeling dead in the hand, and the raised central rib does the same job a fuller does on a flatter blade, adding stiffness along the centre line without adding much mass.

The guard is cut from plate, filed to shape and dressed by hand, which is why the teeth along the upper edge are not perfectly uniform. The pommel is turned and faceted, then engraved and peened over the tang so that the whole hilt is held together by a hammered button of steel rather than by adhesive. The cord grip is wound under tension over a tapered core and can be rewrapped if it ever wears.

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 the pommel already carries the triquetra, so a design ordered for the pommel takes its place. The wide flat of the blade above the barbs is the most legible surface for a rune line and is our usual recommendation here. See the engraving page.

Handling, display and honest limits

The balance point is roughly five inches ahead of the guard and the long grip gives room for a second hand, so it handles like a hand and a half sword. It is heavier in the forward third than a historical blade of the same length because the barbs and the wide base put steel where a real sword would not have it, and that is a design choice rather than a fault.

Be clear about what this piece is for. It is a collector and display sword. It is not battle ready, it is not a sparring weapon, and the barbs and toothed guard make it unsuitable for cutting practice, because anything that catches on a target under load turns a controlled cut into an uncontrolled one. Hang it, stand it, photograph it, hand it round at a table. Do not swing it at anything and do not put it in contact with another blade. It is supplied with a working edge for the look of the thing rather than because it is meant to be used, and we are happy to ship it blunt if you would rather.

Care

Wipe the steel down after handling and keep a thin film of light oil on it. The teeth on the guard and the inside faces of the barbs are the places rust starts, because they are awkward to reach and they trap the moisture from a hand. Use a cotton bud or a rag over a stick to oil into those corners every few weeks rather than relying on a wipe over the flats.

The engraved panel on the pommel wants the same treatment and a soft brush to keep dust out of the lines. The cord grip should be brushed dry rather than oiled. Feed the leather scabbard with a neutral cream twice a year. If the sword is going on a wall, mount it so the blade is not resting edge down on a bracket. Our steel care page covers rust removal in detail.

Forged in Memphis

Every part of this sword is made in our shop in Memphis, Tennessee. The blade is forged and ground here, the guard is cut and filed here, the pommel is turned, engraved and peened here and the scabbard is formed here. It is not drop shipped from an importer catalogue and it is not a mass cast display piece with a sharpened edge. Because it is made to order the honest lead time is one to two weeks before it ships, and shipping inside the US is free. Every piece carries a 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, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The teeth on the guard are filed individually and their spacing and depth will differ slightly from the one shown. The sweep of the barbs is worked by eye. Hammer texture shows under raking light on the flats, the depth of the engraved knot varies, and the leather of the scabbard takes dye differently across a hide. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this from a film or a game

No. It is our own design. It is not an official, licensed or endorsed product of any franchise and we make no claim of any connection to one.

Is it battle ready

No. It is a display and collector sword. It is a real forged blade, not a cast wall hanger, but the barbed geometry makes it unsuitable for cutting practice and it must never be used for sparring or contact of any kind.

Does it arrive sharp

It ships with a working edge unless you ask otherwise. Given what it is, plenty of buyers prefer it blunt. Say so in the order notes and we will ship it that way at no extra charge.

Will it fit a standard sword stand

Yes, on a horizontal two or three tier stand. On a vertical stand check the cradle depth first, because the swept guard is wider than a plain crossguard.

Can I have the triquetra changed

Yes. Pick the engraving option and tell us what you want on the pommel. Your design replaces the knot rather than sitting beside it. Runes are usually better placed on the blade flat.

How soon does it ship

One to two weeks of processing because it is made to order, then free tracked shipping inside the US.

What is in the box

• Thornreaver barbed fantasy sword
• Fitted black scabbard
• Care card and lifetime warranty note
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See more in fantasy swords, longswords, sword stands and displays and swords, or read the guides.