Valkhewn Hand Forged 1095 Steel Longsword | 43 Inch Overall | Black Leather Grip and Hooked Twin Guards with Etched Valknut and Black Leather Scabbard | Norse Collector Gift | RK-2113

The Valkhewn is a hand and a half longsword in mirror polished 1095, with a Valknut etched into the flat just above the ricasso. The hilt is unusual and worth a close look. There are two guards rather than one, both with flared hooked terminals, the upper set partway along the grip and the lower one where the leather meets the steel, with a long black leather grip running between and behind them and a smooth teardrop pommel closing the whole thing off.

Snorri Sturluson describes a stone heart with three corners in the Prose Edda, belonging to the giant Hrungnir, and a great many people have connected that passage to the three interlocked triangles found carved on the Gotland picture stones. It is a good story and it may even be true, though nobody can prove it. What is certain is that the symbol appears next to funerals, sacrifices and a rider who is probably Odin, wherever it appears at all. This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic, imported and checked by Ransack Viking, and shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse with the black scabbard shown.

Long blades carry more legend than the rest, and the legend and what collectors buy separates the story from what people actually own. The valknut is the three interlocked triangles, and what we actually know about the valknut is a shorter list than the internet suggests. For a grip that takes one hand or two, look at the bastard swords.

Specifications

Distal taper, and why a long sword is not front heavy

Ask most people how a smith stops a forty three inch sword from feeling like a crowbar and they will say the pommel. The pommel helps, but the real answer is distal taper, which is the thinning of the blade through its thickness as it runs from hilt to point. A well made blade of this length might start around six millimetres thick at the ricasso and finish at two or less near the tip. That removal happens where the leverage is worst, so the effect on how the sword feels in the hand is out of all proportion to the weight saved.

The fuller running down the centre works on the same principle in the other axis. It takes material out of the middle of the flat, where it contributes least to stiffness, and leaves the edges and the spine intact. Put distal taper and a fuller together and you get a blade that is stiff enough to thrust, light enough to change direction, and much thinner at the point than a photograph ever suggests. It is also why you should never judge a sword by weight alone. Two swords of identical mass can handle completely differently depending on where the steel is.

The steel and the polish

1095 high carbon at 54 to 58 HRC is the standard choice for a long cutting blade, and it is chosen deliberately below knife hardness. A sword blade has to survive being flexed and shocked, so a temper that lets it bend and return is far more valuable than the extra edge retention you would get by going harder. Anything much above this range in a plain carbon steel starts behaving like glass at length.

The finish here is a mirror polish rather than a satin one. It shows the geometry of the blade honestly, which is the point, because on a polished blade you can see the fuller edges and the change of bevel as clear reflections. The price of that is fingerprints. Skin oil is mildly acidic and it will etch a visible print into a mirror surface within days if it is left, so this is a sword to wipe down after every handling.

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 a rune line ordered for the flat above the ricasso takes the place of the Valknut. A mirror polished blade shows engraving with more contrast than any other finish we offer, so this is a good sword for a long inscription. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Two hands behind the lower guard gives you the full reach and the leverage a longsword is built for. Move your leading hand up between the guards and the sword shortens dramatically, which is what the hooked terminals on both guards are there to support, since they stop your hand travelling onto the edge. That shortened grip is how longswords were used in armoured fighting, where thrusts into gaps mattered more than cuts.

The balance sits two to three inches ahead of the lower guard. Small movements of the rear hand steer the tip, so keep the rear hand light and the leading hand firm. This is a hand forged sword with a real edge, made for display, collecting and controlled cutting practice on soft targets. It is not sold as a full contact sparring sword and should not be crossed with other steel.

Care

Wipe the blade down after every session and keep a thin film of mineral or camellia oil on it, because a mirror finish on carbon steel is the least forgiving surface there is. Handle it with a cloth if you can. Do not store the sword in the scabbard for months, since leather holds humidity against steel. Feed the scabbard and the grip wrap with leather balm two or three times a year and keep both out of direct heat. Light rust lifts with oil and a very fine abrasive worked along the blade rather than across it. Our steel care notes go through it properly.

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

The Valkhewn is made by hand in the Czech Republic. It is not an importer catalogue line drop shipped by a business that has never opened the crate. Ransack Viking buys these outright, brings them into the United States, unpacks and inspects each sword for hilt tightness, blade straightness and polish quality, and holds stock in our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse. Bringing a blade of this length to a true mirror polish by hand takes time, so allow one to two weeks of processing before your order ships. Shipping inside the United States is free, 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

Hand made is not machine made or bulk produced, so the sword that arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Hand polishing leaves faint directional marks that catch the light differently on every blade, the flare on the guard terminals is bent and filed by eye so no two match exactly, the etched Valknut sits a fraction differently, and the leather takes dye unevenly the way real hide does. The dimensions, the steel, the heat treat and the build stay the same every time. The character does not, and on a polished blade the differences are easier to see than on any other finish.

Frequently asked questions

Why does this sword have two guards

The lower guard is the main crossguard. The upper one gives the leading hand something to work against when you choke up on the grip, which is how longswords were handled at close range. The hooks on both keep your hand off the edge.

Is it too long to use one handed

You can hold it in one hand but it is not comfortable there for long. Hand and a half means the second hand is optional for a cut, not that the sword is a one hander.

Does it arrive sharpened

Yes, with a cutting edge. Ask in your order notes and we will blunt it before shipping for display or reenactment use.

Will the mirror polish stay bright

With oil and regular wiping, yes for years. Left with fingerprints on it, a mirror surface will show etched marks within a week, so this is a sword that rewards a little attention.

What does the Valknut stand for

In the surviving carvings it sits alongside death, burial and a figure usually identified as Odin. The modern name means knot of the slain and the Viking age name for it is unknown.

How long will I wait for it

Processing runs one to two weeks, then free shipping inside the United States. Returns are accepted within seven days of delivery.

What is in the box

• Valkhewn longsword in mirror polished 1095 high carbon steel
• Twin steel guards with flared hooked terminals and a teardrop pommel
• Black leather grip over a wooden core
• Etched Valknut above the ricasso
• Black leather scabbard
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

Explore the range

Browse the other longswords, everything under swords and the wider Norse arms range. Symbol and steel reading is in the guides.