Thornbite Hand Forged Damascus Fantasy Sword with Barbed Guard | 40 Inch Overall and 32 Inch Blade | Wave Blade and Blackened Fittings and Faceted Pommel | Collector Gift | RK-2132

The Thornbite is an original fantasy design in forge welded Damascus, and the whole sword is built around one idea, which is a barb. The crossguard sweeps forward and down and finishes in clawed points at each end. Below it, a second pair of barbs projects out from the sides of the blade itself, standing clear of the edges like a set of thorns. Past those the blade takes up an undulating wave profile and runs to a long point, with the pattern welded grain rolling through every curve. The grip is black over a wooden core, the pommel is a blackened faceted block set with a cut rosette on its face, and a brass ferrule sits at the top of the grip. It ships in a brown leather scabbard.

The odd thing about a sword like this is that its most obviously invented feature is the one with the strongest historical basis. Barbs standing out from a blade above the ricasso are a real thing, they have a German name, and they were on some of the largest swords ever carried. This piece is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the barb welds, the blade and the peen, and ships it from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse. It is an original design and is not connected to, endorsed by or licensed from any film, game or franchise.

If this is your first sword, how to buy a first sword covers what actually matters. For how a patterned blade compares with a plain one in use, Damascus against high carbon puts the two together. Thrusting blades with the same kind of hilt sit in the rapiers.

Specifications

Barbs above the ricasso are a real thing

On a German two handed sword of the sixteenth century you will often find a pair of small steel lugs standing out from the flats a foot or so above the guard. They are called Parierhaken, which translates roughly as parrying hooks, and they were there for a very specific reason.

Those swords were long enough that the section of blade nearest the hand was useless for cutting, so it was left unsharpened and wrapped in leather, and the swordsman would grip it directly with his second hand to shorten the sword for close work. That technique is called half swording. The hooks acted as a second guard, protecting the hand that was now holding the blade, and they also caught an opposing blade sliding down toward it. On the Thornbite the barbs are further forward and considerably more aggressive than any historical example, because this is a fantasy design rather than a reproduction, but they are descended from a real fitting that solved a real problem.

The clawed quillons on the guard follow the same logic taken further. A forward swept quillon is a genuine late medieval feature, meant to trap a blade sliding down toward the hand. Curling the tips into points is the fantasy part.

The steel and the blackening

The blade is forge welded from 1095 high carbon steel and 15N20 nickel steel, folded and drawn to a fine layer count, forged to the wave profile, then hardened and tempered to 58 to 60 HRC. The barbs and the waves are both forged rather than cut, which is why the pattern bends round them instead of running straight past. That is worth looking for on any pattern welded blade with a shaped profile, because it is the tell that separates real forging from a ground silhouette.

The guard, the pommel and the blade barbs are blackened, which is a controlled oxide finish grown in the surface of the steel rather than a paint or a powder coat. It will not chip or peel. It will soften at the high points where hands touch it, warming gradually into a dark grey, and that is the finish improving rather than wearing out.

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 chosen mark on the pommel would take the place of the cut rosette. The flats of the blade below the barbs and the scabbard face are the best open surfaces on this sword. See the engraving page for depth and character counts.

Handling and balance

At forty inches this is a long sword and it is meant to be handled with both hands, one on the grip and one able to come up behind the pommel. The faceted pommel block is heavy and it does the same job as a wheel pommel does on a plainer sword, pulling the balance back so the blade does not lead. Keep your fingers clear of the barbs when you draw and sheathe it, because they stand proud of the edges and they are exactly where a careless hand goes.

This is a hand finished collector and display piece. It is not sold as sparring equipment and no full contact cutting claim is made for it. On a stand or a wall bracket it is one of the most striking pieces in the range, because the barbs throw shadows that a plain blade never will.

Care

Wipe the Damascus blade after handling and leave a thin film of mineral oil on it, working the cloth into the hollows of the wave and around the base of each barb. Those junctions are shadowed, they are hard to reach and they are exactly where moisture sits. The blackened fittings need nothing beyond a dry cloth, and you should keep abrasive polish away from them because it will cut straight through the oxide layer. Do not store the sword sealed in its scabbard in a damp room. Feed the leather with balm once or twice a year. Our steel care guide has the full routine.

Damascus wants oil more than plain steel does, because the etch that shows the pattern also opens the surface, and caring for a Damascus pattern covers what to use.

Made in the Czech Republic

This sword is made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. Nothing is drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Every piece is opened, checked and photographed before it is listed, then shipped from our warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. Processing runs one to two weeks, which is honest for a pattern welded blade with forged barbs and a wave profile. US shipping is free, returns are accepted within 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 sword is made by hand, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The Damascus grain belongs to the billet the blade came from and will not repeat. The barbs are forged and filed by eye, so their reach and their angle shift a fraction from sword to sword. The blackening will sit at its own depth and the leather will take its own tone. The length, the steel, the heat treat and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a replica of a sword from a film or game

No. It is an original fantasy design. It is not licensed by, endorsed by or connected to any franchise, and we do not claim otherwise.

Are the barbs sharp

They are shaped to points but they are not ground to a cutting edge. They are still steel spikes standing out from a blade, so keep your hands clear when drawing and sheathing.

Is the Damascus genuine

Yes. Forge welded 1095 and 15N20, with the pattern running through the full thickness of the blade. Sharpening will not remove it.

Is it one handed or two handed

The grip takes one hand comfortably and the length suits two. Most owners handle it with both hands and display it on a stand.

Will the black finish wear off

It softens at the high points with handling, which looks better with age. It is an oxide finish in the surface of the metal rather than a coating, so it does not chip or peel.

How long is the wait

One to two weeks of processing, then free US shipping. Tracking is sent the day it leaves Memphis.

What is in the box

• One Thornbite Damascus fantasy sword with barbed guard
• Fitted brown leather scabbard
• Protective oil film on the blade for transit
• Care sheet for Damascus steel, blackened fittings and leather
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

Explore the range

See more in fantasy swords, Damascus swords and swords, or read the guides on how to display swords on a wall.