Silverhilt Hand Forged 1095 Carbon Steel Viking Short Sword | 26 Inch Overall | Engraved Knotwork Hilt and Black Leather Scabbard | Norse Collector Gift | RK-2032

Silverhilt is a Viking short sword, the broad bladed side arm that sat between the long sword of a wealthy man and the single edged seax that everybody carried. The blade is wide, double edged and leaf shaped, running out to a rounded shoulder before it draws in to the point, with a shallow fuller down each face and a long panel of etched interlace running from the ricasso towards the tip. Above it the hilt is the whole point of this piece. A five lobed pommel sits on a knotwork banded base, the guard flares out into scrolled beast head terminals with a band of interlace across the middle, and between them a black leather grip is bound with two rings of twisted wire.

Decoration like this was not unusual on a good Viking hilt, it was expected. The technique the originals used was wire inlay, sometimes called false damascening. A smith cut a dense grid of shallow hatching into the iron of the guard and pommel with a chisel, then hammered soft silver, copper or brass wire down into that hatching so the barbs gripped it, then burnished the surface flat. What you got was a silver pattern locked into iron with no solder and no rivets anywhere. The best surviving hilts from Norway and Sweden are covered in it, and the pattern itself follows the art styles of the day, from the gripping beasts of the Borre style to the long ribbon animals of Urnes. The scrolled terminals on this guard are a nod to exactly that tradition. This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the fit of the fittings and the seat of the blade in the scabbard, and ships it from our warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. It ships with the black leather scabbard shown, which carries an engraved silver tone throat with a triquetra knot and a matching chape at the tip.

Screen Norse kit gets the sword wrong more often than it gets it right, and the screen arms rated for accuracy rates the ones you have seen. Interlace of this kind was the standard decorative language of the period, and the symbols guide covers the patterns that keep coming back. A board from the round shields is what usually stands beside one.

Specifications

Dimensions are nominal and each piece is finished by hand, so figures shift a little between one and the next. The fittings are polished silver tone metal rather than sterling silver, and we would rather say so than let you assume otherwise.

What the triquetra on the scabbard actually is

The knot cut into the throat of this scabbard is a triquetra, three interlocking arcs drawn as a single unbroken line that passes over and under itself and comes back to where it started. It turns up on Gotland picture stones, on Norse coinage, on the Book of Kells and on Irish and Anglo Saxon metalwork, which is exactly why it is a bad idea to read it as a religious badge for one side or the other. It was a decorative motif that both pagan and Christian craftsmen used because it was satisfying to draw and because unbroken interlace was fashionable across northern Europe for several hundred years. Later writers attached it to Odin, to the Trinity and to a dozen other three part ideas, and none of those readings can be traced back to a Viking age source. What can be said honestly is that the knot means continuity, because there is no end to find in it, and that is why people still put it on rings, on scabbards and on gravestones.

Steel, fittings and finish

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel taken to 54 to 58 HRC, polished bright rather than left satin, with the interlace panel etched into that polish so it reads dark against the mirror. Carbon steel is not stainless. A mirror polish shows fingerprints and shows early rust faster than a satin one does, which is a fair trade for how the etched panel looks. The pommel, the guard, the scabbard throat and the chape are cast in a silver tone metal and then polished, with the recesses of the interlace left darker so the pattern stands out. That is a plated and shaded finish, not solid silver, and it should be cleaned with a soft cloth rather than with an abrasive metal polish that would cut through the shading. The grip is black leather over a wooden core with two rings of twisted wire that both decorate it and give the hand something to index on.

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 last point matters on this sword more than most, because the blade already carries a long etched interlace panel. If you want runes on the blade, we cut them in place of that panel rather than crowding them in next to it, and we will show you a proof of the layout first. The plain leather of the scabbard body is the other good option and leaves the existing blade work alone. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives. See the engraving page for how the conversion handles modern letters.

Handling and balance

A short sword handles nothing like a long one. There is far less blade out in front of the hand, so the balance sits close to the guard and the piece turns almost as fast as a large knife while still carrying enough mass through a cut to matter. That is why this length stayed in use for so long alongside the full sword. The heavy lobed pommel here sits right against the heel of the hand and adds to that back weighted feel.

Be clear about what it is, though. This is a display and collector piece with decorative cast fittings. We do not describe it as battle ready and we do not suggest full contact sparring with it. Cast fittings are for looking at, not for taking impact.

Care

Keep the blade dry and oiled. Wipe the polish down after handling, because a mirror finish on carbon steel picks up every fingerprint and salt is what starts rust. A cloth with a light film of mineral oil or camellia oil once a month is enough indoors. If a spot of rust appears, lift it with a metal polish wadding rather than steel wool, which would scratch a mirror finish. Clean the silver tone fittings with a dry soft cloth only. Do not use silver dip or an abrasive polish on them, because the darkened recesses that make the interlace readable would come away and the pattern would go flat. Store the sword out of the scabbard for the long term, feed the leather with a neutral cream once or twice a year, and keep it away from heat. Rust, patina and oiling are covered in more depth on steel care.

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 short sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic. It is not drop shipped out of an importer catalogue and it is not stock we have never had in our hands. Ransack Viking imports the pieces, inspects each one, and keeps them in the Memphis warehouse until they sell. Processing is one to two weeks, honestly stated rather than padded, and an engraved order sits at the longer end because we proof the artwork with you first. Shipping inside the United States is free, returns run 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 piece is hand made, not machine made and not bulk produced, so it will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Cast fittings are finished by hand after they come out of the mould, so the depth of the shading in the interlace varies and the high points on the lobes take polish differently from one to the next. The etched panel on the blade will sit a little higher or lower along the fuller. The wire rings on the grip are wound by hand and their spacing moves. Leather is a natural material and black dye takes differently on different hides. Dimensions, material and build stay the same every time. The character does not, which is what you get for buying something a person made rather than a machine.

Frequently asked questions

Are the fittings real silver

No. They are cast metal with a polished silver tone finish and darkened recesses that make the interlace readable. We would rather tell you that plainly than let the photographs imply sterling.

Is this a seax

No. A seax is single edged with a straight back, sometimes broken partway along. This blade is double edged with a leaf profile and a fuller down both faces, which makes it a short sword rather than a seax.

Can I have runes cut on the blade instead of the knotwork

Yes, and that is how we would do it. Your chosen engraving replaces the existing etched panel rather than sitting beside it, and we send a proof of the layout before anything is cut.

Does the scabbard hold the sword securely

It is a friction fit at the throat, which is how a Viking scabbard worked. It holds the blade upright and it will not fall out in normal handling, but it is not a locking fitting and it is not meant to be inverted and shaken.

Is the blade sharp

It comes with a finished edge that is not honed to a shaving edge. It is a display and collector piece rather than a cutting tool, and we do not call it battle ready.

Will mine look like the photographs

Very close, but the hand finishing on the cast fittings and the tone of the black leather move a little between pieces, so expect small differences in shading and polish.

What is in the box

• One Silverhilt Viking short sword with a five lobed pommel and an engraved guard
• One black leather scabbard with an engraved triquetra throat and a matching chape
• A protective film of oil on the polished blade for transit
• Wrapping and a carton sized for the piece
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

Explore the range

Have a look at the short swords, the Viking swords, the Viking seaxes and the guides if you are still deciding.