Prowcrown Hand Forged Damascus Steel Longsword | 44 Inch Overall Length | Barbed Guard with Longship Engraving and Crown Pommel | Fantasy Collector Gift | RK-2159

The Prowcrown is a hand and a half longsword in pattern welded steel, and it is the most dramatic hilt in this run. The crossguard is a steel bar with arms that sweep down towards the blade, carrying a ribbed steel collar on each side, and below it two long barbs curve out from the base of the blade itself. The grip is deep burgundy leather divided by steel rings, and the pommel is a fluted crown in polished steel, a ribbed pear shape capped with a button. Set into the centre of the guard is a small etched longship, hull and mast and a curved prow, which is where the name comes from.

The ship on the guard is worth a second look, because Norse ships were built the opposite way round from most others. The hull planks went on first, each one overlapping the one below and riveted to it, and the internal frames were fitted afterwards into a shell that already held its shape. That clinker method gave a hull that flexed with the sea instead of resisting it, and it is why the Gokstad ship could cross open water on a draught shallow enough to run up a beach. This sword is hand made in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the etch, the barbs, the hilt assembly and the scabbard fit, and ships it from the Chicago warehouse.

Two hands on the grip changes everything about how a sword moves, and how to buy a first sword covers what to weigh. Ships turn up on stone and metal all over the Norse world, and the symbols guide covers the motifs that recur. For a grip that takes one hand or two, look at the bastard swords.

Specifications

Why a longsword has a long grip

The single most important measurement on a longsword is not the blade, it is the grip. A hand and a half grip is long enough for a second hand to join the first without crowding it, and short enough to use in one hand when you need to. That one design decision changes everything about how the sword works.

With both hands on the grip you get leverage that a single hand sword cannot approach, because your two hands are working against each other at opposite ends of a lever. The forward hand guides and the rear hand, often resting on or below the pommel, pulls and pushes. That is why a longsword can change line so fast for its size. The manuals of the fifteenth century, Fiore and Talhoffer and the German tradition, are full of techniques that only exist because of it, including half swording, where the left hand grips the blade itself to turn the sword into a short, precise lever. The pommel becomes a working part rather than just a counterweight in the same way, and the fluted crown on the Prowcrown gives the heel of a hand something to lock against.

The steel, the barbs and the rings

The blade is 1095 and 15N20 forge welded and acid etched, run to 58 to 60 HRC, with a raised centre and a fuller running to each side of it. The Damascus figure here is fine and tight rather than boldly swirled, which suits a long blade because a big pattern gets lost over that much length while a fine one reads as a continuous feathered grain the whole way down. The nickel in the 15N20 stays bright under the acid and the 1095 darkens, and the pattern goes right through the steel rather than sitting on it.

The two barbs at the base of the blade are forged as part of the blade rather than added to it. Historically that region of a longsword was often left unsharpened as a ricasso so a hand could be placed there, and hooks or lugs at that point appear on real pieces from the same period. On this sword they are shaped for presence rather than function. The ribbed collars on the guard arms are a design flourish. The fluted crown pommel is polished bright against the burgundy of the grip.

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 Prowcrown the longship occupies the centre panel of the guard, so a new design goes there in its place. The guard is the crispest surface on the sword for a cut line, and the leather scabbard takes a stamped name well. See the engraving page for what will fit.

Handling and balance

A longsword is a two handed instrument that can be used in one hand, not the other way round. Put your leading hand just under the guard and your rear hand on the lower part of the grip or over the pommel, and the sword comes alive. Used one handed it feels long and tiring, which is exactly what it should feel like.

The barbs and the guard arms stand out from the line of the sword, so give them room when you handle it and when you put it away, because they are the first thing that will catch on a doorframe or a bag. This is a display and collection sword. The edges are ground with a bevel and the point is real, so treat it like any full size blade, and do not use it for contact against another sword, a shield or a target. It has not been built or tested for that.

Care

Etched Damascus holds moisture in its surface texture, so oil it more often than you would a plain polished blade. Wipe the whole length with a lightly oiled cloth after handling and every few weeks while it is on display, paying attention to the barbs and the ribbed guard collars where a cloth is easy to skip. Store the sword out of its scabbard for the long term. Fine steel wool and oil lift rust spots, and a light re etch restores contrast afterwards. Keep abrasive polish away from the etched blade, though the bright crown pommel takes it fine. Feed the grip and the scabbard with leather balm two or three times a year. Our steel care guide covers etched surfaces.

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 Prowcrown is made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Every sword is unpacked in Chicago, checked for etch quality, blade straightness, barb alignment, collar seating, hilt tightness and scabbard fit, then repacked and shipped free within the United States. Processing is one to two weeks because a hilt with this many separate elements takes proper checking. 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 one billet and cannot be repeated, so the grain running down your blade will be its own. The two barbs are forged individually and their sweep can sit at a marginally different angle from the pair shown, the flutes of the crown pommel vary slightly in depth, the burgundy of the grip leather shifts with the hide and the dye lot, 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 a two handed sword

It is a hand and a half longsword, which means the grip is long enough for two hands and short enough to use in one. Most people find it far more comfortable with both hands on it.

Are the barbs welded on

No. They are forged as part of the blade at the base rather than attached afterwards, which is why the Damascus pattern runs continuously from the blade out into each barb.

Is it sharp

Treat it as a display and collection sword. The edges carry a ground bevel and the point is real, so handle it with care and keep it away from targets and contact of any kind.

Can I hang it on the wall

Yes, and it deserves the space. At around 44 inches it needs a wide mount, and a two point horizontal bracket that supports the blade near the guard and near the point works best. Keep it away from steady humidity.

Will a wall mount catch on the barbs

It can, so position the brackets clear of the barbs and the guard arms rather than resting the sword on them.

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. A sword this size ships in an oversized carton.

What is in the box

• Prowcrown Damascus longsword with barbed guard and crown pommel
• Fitted leather scabbard
• Care card for etched Damascus, polished steel and leather
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse

Explore the range

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

Close to this one

In the same category sits the Crownflute longsword, pattern welded Damascus. A near match for this one is the Beakcrown longsword, 44 inches overall. Closest to this in the range is the Nightwhorl longsword, 44 inches overall.

Fitting out further, the Lionclaw sword belongs with it. Nothing here exactly right, build one to your own spec on the custom Viking sword page.

If sparring is on your mind, the Ravnstad feder trainer is made for that job, and our feder range is a useful next stop.