Wayfarrow Hand Forged Long Handled Viking Axe with Bearded Head & Etched Vegvisir | About 35 Inch Haft | Leather Grip Wrap and Fitted Leather Blade Cover | Norse Gift | RK-2204

The Wayfarrow is a long hafted bearded axe, the two handed reach version of the pattern that gave the Norse their reputation. The head is the interesting part. Instead of a compact wedge it drops a deep hook below the line of the haft, which is what the word bearded refers to. That beard buys you a long cutting edge without the weight a solid head of the same depth would carry, and it puts most of the mass out at the toe where it does the cutting rather than back at the eye where it just makes the axe tiring.

The head here is polished plain steel with a cut Vegvisir on the cheek. The haft is a long straight grained hardwood shaft with a brown leather wrap at the upper grip, and a fitted leather cover snaps over the edge for storage and transport. Every one is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports them, checks the head seating on the haft, the edge and the cover fit at our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse, and ships from there.

Head weight and haft length decide how an axe behaves in the hand, and how to choose a Viking axe works through both. The vegvisir is Icelandic and centuries later than the Viking age, which where the vegvisir comes from sets out plainly. Lighter heads meant for a target sit in the throwing axes.

Specifications

What the beard is for

Look at the head side on. The cutting edge sweeps down well below the point where the haft passes through the eye, leaving an open crescent behind it. Three useful things come out of that shape. First, edge length. A bearded head gives you six inches of cutting edge for the weight of a head half that deep, because the beard is thin steel rather than a solid block. Second, grip. The open crescent lets you slide your leading hand right up under the head and choke up on the axe for carving, shaping and fine splitting, using it almost like a large knife. Woodworkers still buy bearded axes for exactly this reason. Third, the hook itself. A curved lower horn will catch and pull an edge, whether that is the rim of a shield in a reenactment display or simply a branch you are dragging clear.

The long haft changes the character again. A short bearded axe is a one handed tool. Put thirty five inches of shaft on the same head and you gain reach and a great deal of leverage, and the axe starts to swing from the shoulders rather than the wrists. It also makes it a far more imposing thing to hang on a wall, which is honestly why most of these get bought.

The Vegvisir, and the truth about it

The eight spoked symbol cut into the cheek is the Vegvisir, which translates roughly as signpost or wayfinder. Each of the eight staves is drawn differently, radiating from a common centre, and the manuscript that describes it says that a man carrying this sign will not lose his way in storms or bad weather even when the way is unknown. That is a lovely thing to put on an axe, and it deserves to be told accurately rather than dressed up.

The Vegvisir is not a Viking Age symbol. It appears in the Huld manuscript, compiled in Iceland in 1860, and in a couple of related nineteenth century Icelandic collections of staves. There is no archaeological find of it, no runestone carving, and nothing in the sagas. What it is, genuinely, is Icelandic folk magic from a tradition that ran unbroken for centuries after the Norse settlement and drew on older material, written down late. Calling it Icelandic rather than Viking costs nothing and is simply correct. It remains one of the most striking pieces of northern European graphic design ever put on paper.

Steel, haft and the leather cover

The head is 1095 high carbon steel, hardened and drawn back to 54 to 58 HRC. On an axe that range is deliberate. Too hard and the edge chips against a knot or a hidden nail. Too soft and it deforms. The polished finish shows the grind cleanly and, like any carbon steel, will need a wipe of oil to stay bright.

The haft is a straight grained hardwood, chosen for the same reason every axe handle has been for three centuries, which is that long straight grain running parallel to the swing is what stops a haft snapping under shock. Look at the end grain when it arrives and you will see the lines running the length of the shaft rather than across it. The leather wrap at the upper grip does two jobs, giving the leading hand a warmer and grippier surface, and protecting the wood at the point just under the head where an overstrike lands. The fitted leather cover is a simple friction fit over the edge and is there to protect the edge and to protect everything else from the edge.

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 this axe the cheek of the head is the obvious place, and a rune line replaces the Vegvisir rather than sharing the space with it. The haft and the leather cover can also be marked. Full detail is on the engraving page.

Mounting and display

Hung on a wall this needs a horizontal run of about a metre to look right, with the head to the left if it is going above a doorway so the eye reads it the same way it reads a line of text. Two brackets, one under the head and one two thirds down the haft, will hold it without loading the eye. Do not hang it by the head alone on a single nail, because the whole weight then sits on the wood at its thinnest point.

If you do take it outside, remember that the leading hand goes under the beard for controlled work and back down the haft for a full swing. Keep the cover on when it is being carried or stored. A long axe leaning in a corner with a bare edge is how people lose toes.

Care

Wipe the head dry and give it a thin film of oil after use or handling, because polished carbon steel picks up fingerprints and will spot in a damp room. Check the head for tightness on the haft once a season, especially if the axe has moved between a humid summer and a dry heated winter, since wood shrinks and swells and any wedged head can loosen over years. Oil the haft once a year with boiled linseed and let it dry properly. Feed the leather grip wrap and the cover with a neutral cream two or three times a year. Sharpen with a file and a stone, following the existing bevel around the curve. There is more on edges and oiling in our knife care guide.

Keep the head dry and the edge oiled, and the axe care guide covers sharpening and haft upkeep.

Made in the Czech Republic

Made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. Nothing goes from an importer catalogue straight to a customer. Every axe comes to our Memphis warehouse first, is unpacked, has the head checked on the haft and the edge checked by hand, and only then is listed as in stock. That is why processing takes one to two weeks. 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 is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Every haft is cut from a different piece of timber, so grain, figure and colour vary and no two are alike. Forged heads carry their own hammer texture and the sweep of the beard moves by a few millimetres between them. The cut Vegvisir varies slightly in depth and line weight because it is engraved rather than pressed. Leather takes dye unevenly by nature. The dimensions, the steel and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this axe sharp

It arrives with a working edge suited to a display and general use axe. If you intend to actually cut with it, take it to a file and a stone first and put your own edge on it, as you would with any axe.

Is it a Viking symbol on the head

It is the Vegvisir, an Icelandic stave recorded in the nineteenth century Huld manuscript rather than an excavated Viking Age design. It is Icelandic folk magic and we would rather say so than overclaim.

Can I throw this axe

No. It is far too long and too heavy for throwing, and throwing axes are a different tool entirely. Use a purpose built throwing axe on a purpose built target.

Will the head come loose

It is fitted and wedged properly, but any wooden hafted axe can move over years as wood responds to humidity. Check it seasonally and, if it ever feels loose, stop using it and have the wedge attended to.

Can I get my own design on it instead

Yes. Choose the engraving option and tell us what you want on the cheek. Your design replaces the Vegvisir rather than sitting next to it.

How long does delivery take

Processing runs one to two weeks while the axe is checked at the Memphis warehouse, then standard United States shipping. Engraving adds a few days.

What is in the box

• Wayfarrow long hafted bearded axe
• Fitted leather blade cover
• Care and warranty card
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

Explore the range

See more in bearded axes, Viking axes, Norse arms and engraved and personalised pieces, or read the guides.