Seax

Seax
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This article's completion rating is 2 out of 5. Article structure and content is subject to change as data is still being collected.

A large knife with a blade length of 18cm (7") or longer possibly used in combat.
Harke defined knives and short seaxes by size with knives being under 175mm and short seaxes being over 180mm. [CAMERON 2000:p.49]. Like Esther Cameron we have also used this as our definition. Blades of over 12" in length are more usually defined as Langseaxes.
The short seax is also known as a Scramasax, a Hadseax or just a Sax. The term Scramasax comes from Gregory of Tours writing in 575AD, who speaks of "boys with strong knives (cultris validis), which they commonly call scramasaxes (scramasaxos)." in his History of the Franks (IV, 52). [WHEELER 1935:p.176] It is not known if this name continued in use into the Viking Age.
It is not uncommon for burials in the Viking age to contain more than one knife. [BERSU and WILSON 1966: p.41] Wheeler gives his opinion that small heavy seaxes were in use up until the end of the C10th but that as a weapon it really belongs to the pre-Viking period. [WHEELER 1927: p.30]
Seaxs from the Viking Age never have metal fittings unlike the pagan Anglo-Saxon examples.

Images of Seaxes (C8th to C11th)

• 775-800AD St. Andrew Sarcophagus
• C8th England, Derbyshire, Repton. Stone carving, [CAMERON 2000:p.200] [HINTON 2005: p.105]
• 850-900AD Brussels, Bibliotheque Royale, Lat. 9987. Psychomachia
• C9th Paris, BNF, Lat. 8085 fol.57r. Virtue, armed with a sword and seax, combating a Vice. [BNF]
• C10th Brussels, Bibliotheque Royale, ms. 10066-77 Psychomachia f.112r-139r
• England, Dorset, Cranborne. Silver strap-end [HINTON 2005: p.113]
• Middleton Warrior [BAILEY 1980:pl.14]
• 975-1000AD Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS23, f.23r.[PARKER]
• 1025-1050AD Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS lat 8824 - seax.jpg [OHLGREN 1992]
• 1076AD Bayeux Tapestry [WILSON 1985:pl.6, 7]

• St. Andrew Sarcophagus.jpg

  St. Andrew Sarcophagus

• 

  Repton Stone

• 

  Paris, BNF, Lat. 8085

• Middleton Warrior.jpg

  Middleton Warrior

• 

  Brussels Bib. ms. 10066-77

• 

  Cranbourne Strap End

• 

  Paris, BNF, Lat. 8824

• 

  Bayeux Tapestry

Literature (C9th to C11th)

• Beowulf c.1000AD
  • "Grendel's mother; the hard man of conflict then heaved, now that he was enraged, the deadly foe, so that she fell to the floor; she again him quickly gave hand-reward with wrathful grips and clutched him against herself; hen, weary in spirit, he stumbled, the strongest man, warrior on foot, so that he was in a fall; then she bestrode the guest in her hall, and drew her seax, broad and bright-edged; she wished to avenge her son, only offspring;" lines 1538-1547 heorot.dk
    
  • "Then again the king himself gathered his wits, drew a slaughter-seax bitter and battle-sharp, that he wore on his byrnie;" lines 2702-2704 heorot.dk
    
  • "beside him lies his life-contender sick with seax-wounds" line 2903-2904 heorot.dk
    

English Seax Blades (C9th to C11th)

Seax Blades

Out of 128 knives found from Coppergate York, only 1 can be classed as a seax. [CAMERON 2000: p.64-65]

File:Seax Dimmock Cote.jpg 130x150px	England, Cambridge, River Cam at Dimmock's Cote Current Location- University of Archaeology and Ethnology, Cambridge Type- ? 800AD Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? Comments- 'large scramasax with a groove along the back of the blade' [BJORN 1940:p.69]. Bibliography- [BJORN 1940:p.69]
File:Seax Cumwhitton 634.jpg 130x150px	England, Cumwhitton, Plough Soil Current Location- Tullie House Museum Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: 30mm; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 220mm Comments- 'Patern-welded blade with remains of possible leather sheath still attached' [PATERSON 2014:cat.634]. Bibliography- [PATERSON 2014:p.50,51 & Cat.634]
File:Seax Cumwhitton 885.jpg 130x150px	England, Cumwhitton, Grave 5 Current Location- Tullie House Museum Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: 182mm; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 270mm Comments- 'Part pattern welded. Has a horn handle with inlaid silver wire.' [PATERSON 2014:cat.885]. Bibliography- [PATERSON 2014:p.110 & Cat.885]
File:Seax Sittingbourne.jpg 130x150px	England, Kent, Sittingbourne Current Location- British Museum 1881,0623.1 Type- Wheeler IV 900-925AD Find Date- 1881 Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? Comments- 'inlaid with copper, bronze, silver and niello.' [WILSON 1964:cat.80]. Bibliography- [WILSON 1964:cat.80] [British Museum]
	England, London Current Location- London Museum ALG84[588]381 Type- Wheeler III/II 1000-1100AD Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 247mm Comments- Bibliography- [Museum of London]
File:Seax London 1856 Honey Lane.jpg 130x150px	England, London, Honey Lane Current Location- British Museum 1856,7-1,1413 Type- Wheeler IV 978-1016AD Find Date- 1856 Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 327mm Comments- Bibliography- [WILSON 1965:Cat.43]
File:Seax London 1879 Park Street.jpg 130x150px	England, London, Park Street Current Location- British Museum 1879,12-22.1 Type- 800-1000AD Find Date- Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 266mm Comments- Bibliography- [WILSON 1965:Cat.81]
File:Seax London Princes Street.jpg 130x150px	England, London, Princes Street Current Location- London Museum 29.94,17 (Wheeler 21) Type- 900-1000AD Find Date- Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? Comments- Bibliography- [WHEELER 1935:p.]
File:Seax London 1859 Thames.jpg 130x150px	England, London,Thames Current Location- British Museum 1859,1-22.12 Type- 800-1000AD Find Date- Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 232mm Comments- Bibliography- [WILSON 1965:Cat.50]
	England, London, Thames Current Location- London Museum A1781 (Wheeler 25) Type- 900-1100AD Find Date- Size- Blade Length: 247mm; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 334mm Comments- Bibliography- [WHEELER 1935:p.]
File:Seax London A9313.jpg 130x150px	England, London, Thames at Blackfriars Current Location- London Museum A9313 (Wheeler 8) Type- 800-1000AD Find Date- Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? Comments- Bibliography- [WHEELER 1935:p.]
File:Seax London A10721.jpg 130x150px	England, London, Thames at Brentford Current Location- London Museum A10721 (Wheeler 11) Type- 700-900AD Find Date- Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? Comments- Bibliography- [WHEELER 1935:p.]

English style Seax Sheathes (C9th to C11th)

Seax Sheaths

Seax sheaths are made from substantial leather up to 3mm thick and closed by rivets about 4 to 5cm apart. In England there are 12 finds of Seax sheaths out of a total of 61 [CAMERON 2000: p.64-65]

File:Sheath Aachen.jpg 130x150px	Germany, Aachen Current Location- Aachen Cathedral Treasury Type- ? Find Date- before 1860 Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: 470mm ; Total Width: ? Comments- Contains a name in Old English Bibliography- [OKASHA 1992:p.64 cat.1 pl.IV]
File:Sheath Dublin DLS4.jpg 130x150px	Ireland, Dublin, Christchurch Place Current Location- ? (Cameron 2007 cat.DLS 4) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: 367mm ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [CAMERON 2007:p.]
File:Sheath Dublin DLS5.jpg 130x150px	Ireland, Dublin, Christchurch Place Current Location- ? (Cameron 2007 cat.DLS 5) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: 295mm ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [CAMERON 2007:p.]
File:Sheath Dublin DLS11.jpg 130x150px	Ireland, Dublin, Fishamble Street Current Location- ? (Cameron 2007 cat.DLS 11) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: 405mm ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [CAMERON 2007:p.]
File:Sheath Gloucester.jpg 130x150px	England, Gloucester Current Location- ? (Cameron 2000 cat.349) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: 405mm ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [CAMERON 2000:p.]
File:Sheath York Coppergate.jpg 130x150px	England, York, Coppergate Current Location- ? (Cameron 2000 cat.206) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: ? ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [CAMERON 2000:p.]
File:Sheath York sf.753.jpg 130x150px	England, York, Parliament Street Current Location- ? sf.753 (Cameron 2000 cat.207) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: ? ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [CAMERON 2000:p.113]
File:Sheath York sf.754.jpg 130x150px	England, York, Parliament Street Current Location- ? sf.754 (Cameron 2000 cat.205) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: ? ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [CAMERON 2000:p.112]
File:Sheath York sf.4332.jpg 130x150px	England, York Current Location- ? sf.4332 (Cameron 2000 cat.347) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: ? ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [CAMERON 2000:p.135]
File:Sheath London Cheapside.jpg 130x150px	England, London, Cheapside Current Location- ? (Cameron 145) Type- ? Find Date- ? Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: ? ; Total Width: ? Comments- Bibliography- [VINCE 1991] [CAMERON 2000:p.208]

A few Seax Sheathes from the C8th

• Dover, Buckland, grave 145, leather sheath dated to 700-750AD
• London, River Thames nr. Westminster Bridge, metal fittings, late C8th
• York [MOULD, CARLISLE and CAMERON 2003: p3379-3385]
• Ireland, Dublin. Style E1 [CAMERON 2007: p.15-20]
• [CAMERON 2000: p.64-65]
• England, London. One find from cheapside could have had a blade of 25cm. [CAMERON 2000: p.64-65]

See Also

Langseax
Norse Style Knives

References

<nocite> BAILEY1980 BERSU1966 CAMERON2000 CAMERON2003 CAMERON2007 HINTON2005 OKASHA1992 VINCE1991 WilSON1965 WILSON1985 WHEELER1927 WHEELER1935 </nocite> <biblio force=false>#Template:Bib</biblio>