Stormvine Hand Forged Damascus Viking Sword with Mjolnir Pommel & Scrolled Blackened Guard | About 38 Inches Overall | Green Wrapped Grip and Leather Scabbard | Display Gift | RK-2208

The Stormvine is a Damascus sword dressed in Norse rather than medieval clothes. The blade is a broad double edged form with a long fuller, the crossguard is blackened steel with quillons that finish in scrolled leaf terminals, brass collars sit at either end of the grip, and the round black pommel carries a raised Mjolnir. The grip is wrapped in green over a shaped core, which is an unusual and very effective choice against all that dark steel and bright etch.

The blade is folded 1095 and 15N20 Damascus, etched so the layers read as long flowing bands from the guard down to the point. Every one is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports them, checks the hilt for tightness, the pommel for seating and the scabbard for fit at our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse, and ships from there. A dark brown leather scabbard is included.

Pommel, fuller and grip length are what separate a good Norse sword from a prop, and what to look for in a Viking sword goes through them. Mjolnir is the short handled hammer of Thor, and what Thor’s hammer meant covers the pendants pulled out of graves. A board from the round shields is what usually stands beside one.

Specifications

Mjolnir, and why the handle is short

The hammer on the pommel is Mjolnir, and the first thing everyone notices about the shape is that the handle looks stubby compared to the head. That is not a design failure on anyone’s part. It is in the story. Loki wagered his head with the dwarf brothers Brokkr and Eitri that they could not match the treasures of the sons of Ivaldi. While the hammer was in the forge Loki turned himself into a fly and bit Brokkr on the eyelid to make him falter at the bellows. Brokkr faltered for a moment, and the handle came out short. Every Mjolnir pendant and every Mjolnir pommel since carries that flaw as a feature.

The archaeology is just as interesting. Something like a thousand Mjolnir amulets have been recovered across Scandinavia, Iceland, England and the Rus trade routes, and the striking thing is when they appear. They are rare in the early Viking Age and become common in the tenth century, exactly when Christian missionaries were pushing north and Christians were wearing crosses. There are even moulds that cast crosses and hammers side by side. Wearing a hammer had turned into a statement of which side you were on. A hammer on the pommel of a sword is therefore a properly period idea, even if this specific hilt is a modern design.

Damascus, blackening and brass

The blade begins as a stack of 1095 high carbon steel and 15N20 nickel alloy. Forge welded, drawn out, cut, folded and welded again, the layer count reaches several hundred through the thickness. Grinding the bevels afterwards cuts across the stack, and an acid etch darkens the 1095 while leaving the 15N20 bright, which is what makes the layers legible. The pattern runs through the steel rather than sitting on it. Hardened and drawn to 58 to 60 HRC, the blade stays stiff along its full length, which is what a broad sword blade needs above everything else.

The fittings are blackened rather than polished, which is a deliberate contrast. Against a bright etched blade, a black guard and pommel push all the attention onto the pattern. The brass collars at each end of the grip are the third note in that scheme, warm against grey and black, and they also do the practical job of closing the ends of the wrap so it cannot unravel. Blackening is a surface finish and it will wear at the high points over many years of handling. That is honest wear.

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 an engraved pommel would take the place of the Mjolnir. Most people who personalise this sword put the rune line on the blade flat just below the guard and leave the hammer where it is. More on the engraving page.

Handling and display

This is a display and collector sword. The edge is unsharpened and the point is rounded, so it is not a cutting sword and it is not built for full contact sparring or any drill in which it is struck. That is worth saying plainly rather than leaving you to work it out. In the hand the balance sits close, because a heavy pommel on a single handed sword pulls the mass back where the wrist can control it, and it is a genuinely pleasant thing to pick up.

For display, the green grip is the detail that decides where this sword should hang. Against dark wood it disappears, and against a pale wall or a light plaster it sings. Mount it vertically if you have the height, with the pommel at eye level so the hammer reads. Two padded hooks or a plate mount will take the weight without pressing marks into the etch. Keep it away from bathrooms and unheated garages, where condensation is the one real threat to a carbon steel blade.

Care

Wipe the blade with an oiled cloth every couple of months and always after handling it, because skin oils are acidic and will mark an etched surface if they are left. Mineral oil, camellia oil or light machine oil all do the job. Do not use an abrasive polish on the blade, since the pattern is an etched relief and abrasive flattens it permanently. Leave the blackened fittings alone apart from a dry wipe, because polishing them takes the black off. Feed the grip wrap and the scabbard with a neutral leather cream twice a year, and store the sword out of the scabbard if it is going away for months. Fuller detail sits in our knife care guide.

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

Made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. Nothing here is drop shipped out of an importer catalogue straight to a customer. Every sword arrives at our Memphis warehouse, is unpacked, has the hilt checked for tightness and the scabbard checked for fit, and only then goes on sale as in stock. That is the honest reason processing takes one to two weeks rather than a couple of days. Shipping in the United States is free, returns run for seven days, and the lifetime warranty against defects in the forging, the grind, the heat treat and the 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. Each Damascus billet folds differently and the pattern on your blade is unique to it, so the bands will run their own way down the fuller. The etch bites with slightly different contrast every time. The scrolled quillon terminals are formed by hand and curl a little differently on each sword. The green wrap takes dye unevenly by nature and can be a shade deeper or lighter than the one shown. The dimensions, the steel and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this sword sharpened

No. It has an unsharpened display edge and a rounded point. It is a collector and display sword and we describe it as nothing else.

Why is the hammer handle so short

Because that is how the myth tells it. Loki, in the shape of a fly, bit the dwarf working the bellows and the handle came out short. Every Mjolnir since has kept the flaw.

Is the green grip leather or cord

It is a wrap over a shaped core, closed at each end with brass collars. Treat it as you would any leather wrap, with a neutral cream twice a year and no soaking.

Can I use it in a reenactment

Only for static display or costume where nothing is struck. It is not built or certified for contact drill, and contact groups have their own strict standards that this piece does not meet.

Does it come with a scabbard

Yes. A dark brown leather scabbard is included. Store the blade out of it for long periods so the leather is not holding moisture against the steel.

How long does delivery take

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

What is in the box

• Stormvine Damascus Viking sword
• Dark brown leather scabbard
• Care and warranty card
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

Explore the range

See more in Viking swords, Damascus swords, swords and engraved and personalised pieces, or read the guides.