Awecrown Hand Forged Damascus Steel Arming Sword | 36 Inch Overall Length | Brass Hilt with Helm of Awe Engraved Guard and Acorn Pommel | Norse Gift | RK-2156

The Awecrown is a Damascus arming sword dressed in brass. The blade is broad and only lightly tapered, ground with a flat centre and a bevel to each edge, and etched so the pattern welded figure runs in long vertical bands the whole way down. The crossguard is a solid brass bar with ball terminals and a chamfered underside, and cut into the centre of it is a Helm of Awe, eight armed and darkened so it stands out against the polished metal. Above the guard the grip is deep burgundy leather, and it finishes in a tall brass pommel shaped like an acorn or a teardrop rather than the usual disc or wheel.

That pommel shape is worth a look. A tall pommel puts its mass further from the guard than a flat disc of the same weight does, so it counterbalances a heavy blade more efficiently, and it gives the heel of your hand a rounded surface to sit against instead of an edge. Medieval typology calls this family the pear and the fig, and it turns up on knightly swords across the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This sword is hand made in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the etch, the hilt tightness and the scabbard fit on arrival, and ships it from the Chicago warehouse.

A single handed sword of this class is the usual first purchase, and how to buy a first sword covers what matters. The helm of awe belongs to the same late Icelandic tradition as the vegvisir, and the guide to Norse symbols puts it in order. The medieval helmets are the obvious thing to hang beside it.

Specifications

The Helm of Awe and where it comes from

Aegishjalmur, the Helm of Awe, has two separate lives and they are often run together. The name is old. It appears in the Poetic Edda, where the dragon Fafnir says that he wore the aegishjalmr among men and that none dared approach him while he had it. In that context it is not a drawn symbol at all. It is something closer to a quality, a terror worn like a helmet, and the poem gives no indication of what it might have looked like.

The eight armed stave that everyone now recognises comes much later, from Icelandic magical manuscripts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries such as the Galdrabok, where it is drawn as a set of identical arms radiating from a centre point with trident tips and repeating cross bars. That is what is cut into the brass guard on this sword. The test that separates it from the Vegvisir is uniformity. Every arm of a Helm of Awe is the same as every other arm, while every arm of a Vegvisir is different. Count them and compare and you will never mix the two up again.

The steel and the brass

The blade is 1095 and 15N20 forge welded and drawn out, then acid etched, run to 58 to 60 HRC. The nickel bearing 15N20 resists the acid and stays bright while the plain carbon 1095 darkens, and that contrast is the entire pattern. It is the internal structure of the bar rather than a surface treatment, so it continues round the bevels and the point instead of stopping at them. Simple carbon steel like this holds a keen edge and has no meaningful corrosion resistance, so oil is not optional.

The whole hilt is brass. Brass is soft enough to hold a fine engraved line, which is why the Helm of Awe on the guard reads so crisply, and heavy enough to do real counterweighting work in a pommel this size. It will darken to a warm honey brown wherever it is not handled and stay bright where fingers pass over it, which is the way most collectors prefer to see it. The burgundy grip leather is a deliberate contrast to the brass and to the cool grey of the etched Damascus.

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 the Awecrown the Helm of Awe already occupies the centre of the guard, so a new design there takes its place, and brass is the best surface on this sword for a fine cut. The scabbard leather is the other good option. See the engraving page for what will fit in each spot.

Handling and balance

Set the acorn pommel into the heel of your palm rather than gripping the middle of the leather, and the sword settles immediately. That tall brass mass sitting behind your hand is what makes a broad, lightly tapered blade feel manageable in one hand. The blade carries its weight fairly evenly along the length because there is not much profile taper, so this sword swings with authority rather than speed. It is a solid sword rather than a nimble one, and that is a fair reflection of what a broad single hand blade of this period actually felt like.

This is a display and collection sword. The edges are ground with a bevel and the point is a real point, so handle it with the care you would give any full size blade and keep it away from anything you might be tempted to cut. It has not been built or tested for contact against another sword, a shield or a target.

Care

Etched Damascus wants oil more regularly than plain polished steel, because the etch leaves microscopic texture that traps moisture at the surface. Wipe the blade with a lightly oiled cloth after every handling and every few weeks on display. Store the sword out of its scabbard for the long term, since leather holds damp against steel. Rust spots come off with fine steel wool and oil, and a light re etch will restore contrast if the pattern ever dulls. The brass needs nothing unless you prefer it bright, in which case a metal polish works, though keep it off the leather. Feed the grip and the scabbard with balm two or three times 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

The Awecrown is made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. It is not drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Every sword is unpacked in Chicago, checked for etch quality, blade straightness, hilt tightness and scabbard fit, then repacked and shipped free within the United States. Processing runs one to two weeks because that inspection is genuine work. Returns stay open for seven days, and there is 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 rather than machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The Damascus figure belongs to the billet that particular blade came from and cannot be repeated, so the banding down the flats will differ from the sword shown. Brass sits at a slightly different tone from batch to batch, the burgundy of the grip leather shifts between wine and a browner red with the hide and the dye lot, the engraved Helm of Awe is cut individually, and the scabbard will be a shade lighter or darker. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the Helm of Awe or the Vegvisir

The Helm of Awe. The giveaway is that all eight arms are identical, each with the same trident tip and the same cross bars. A Vegvisir has eight arms that are all different from one another.

Is the Damascus real

Yes. The blade is forge welded from alternating layers of 1095 and 15N20 and then acid etched, and the pattern runs round the bevels and the point because it is the structure of the steel rather than a print.

Can I use this for cutting practice

No. It is a display and collection sword and has not been tested for contact of any kind. Use a purpose built cutting or training sword for that.

Why is the pommel that shape

A tall acorn or pear pommel puts its mass further from the guard than a flat disc of the same weight, so it counterbalances more efficiently, and it gives the heel of your hand a rounded surface to rest against.

Will the brass tarnish

Yes, to a warm honey brown where it is not handled. Most owners like it because the engraved stave stands out more as the brass around it darkens. A metal polish takes it back whenever you want.

How long does shipping take

One to two weeks of processing while the sword is checked and any engraving is cut, then free shipping inside the United States.

What is in the box

• Awecrown Damascus arming sword with brass hilt
• Fitted leather scabbard
• Care card for etched Damascus, brass and leather
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse

Explore the range

See the rest of the Damascus swords, the arming swords, the full swords range and everything under engraved and personalised, or read the guides.

Near neighbours in the shop

Worth putting side by side with this is the Fanghowl arming sword, pattern welded Damascus. In the same category sits the Serpentgleam arming sword, 36 inches overall. A near match for this one is the Awehelm arming sword, 35 inches overall.

For a different piece from the same family, look at the Foehammer sword. You can have this made your way instead on the custom Viking sword page.