Sword Scabbards

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Literature

• Umgerð or umgjorð – used for a complete scabbard (DAVIDSON 1962, p.187)
• Skálpr – a less frequent term to describe a bag or cover and probably refers to the leather sheath (DAVIDSON 1962, p.187)
• Skeiðir, slidrar or spænir – refer to the two wooden sides of the scabbard (DAVIDSON 1962, p.187)

Scabbard hanging styles

Swords on baldrics

Worn high on the side in a not dissimilar fashion to the Romans.

Art

• BL, Cott. Tib. C vi f.8v, 9r c.1050AD

Literature

• A ‘rich baldric’ is mentioned in a Latin will dated to 867AD (DAVIDSON 1962, p.119)
• Thidriks Saga, clxxv ‘the whole scabbard (umgerð) is covered in red gold and all of the straps (fetlar) are overlaid with gold and ornamented with fine buckles (goðum sylgjum búnir)’ (DAVIDSON 1962, p.188)
• Fetill – baldric (DAVIDSON 1962, p.188)

Archaeology
-- Discussion
Baldrics seem to have been the most common way of suspending a sword scabbard up until about 1050AD.

Swords on sword belts

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Art
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Literature
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Archaeology
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Discussion
Sword scabbards suspended from or integral to waist belts can be seen in early manuscripts but only become the dominant style in the C11th.

Scabbard Construction

Composite wooden / leather plain scabbard

A scabbard made in layers using different materials. The wooden core is usually lined on the inside with sheep shin, hair on. Over the wood is a layer of textile and then a further layer of leather, or more rarely linen, overall.

... covered in leather

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... covered in textile

Art

• Italian wall painting – Regia site?

Literature

• Charlemagne scabbard was described by a monk of St. Gall thus “This sword was enclosed first by a scabbard, secondly by a leather of some kind, thirdly by pure white linen rendered stronger by clearest wax and strengthened towards the centre by little raised crosses for the destruction of the heathern” (DAVIDSON 1962, p.113).

Archaeology

• Sutton Hoo
• Balnakiel, Scotland

Discussion
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All leather scabbard

Discussion
We have no evidence for scabbards without wooden cores. 'All leather' scabbards are often used by reenactors as they are deemed to be safer to fall upon.

Scabbard decoration

Gold plated

Archaeology

• A sword from Essen Minster dated to the late 10th or 11th centuries is covered in stamped gold (CAMPBELL 1982, p.171).
• The Sword of St Maurice in the Weltliches Schatzkammer, Vienna has an olive wood scabbard overlaid with panels of gold decorated with repousse figures of Kings (OAKESHOTT, Records of the Medieval Sword 1991, p.56). Dated to the second half of the 11th century Oakshott believes this to be purely a scabbard used for ceremonial occasions.

Embossed

Archaeology

• The Hiberno-Norse burial at Cronk Moar, Isle of Man had a scabbard with a leather outer decorated with a raised moulding (BERSU and WILSON 1966, p.72).
• Dublin C11th scabbards with moulding.

Incised Designs

Archaeology

• Dublin 4 scabbards with incised designs.
  

Decorative Seams

Archaeology

• A leather scabbard from Hedeby has 3 diamonds down its front created by two layers of leather (HAGG 1991, 265)

Scabbard suspension styles

Strap slide style

Archaeology

• York
• Glouster
• Hedeby
• Birka

Riveted straps style

Archaeology

• Isle of Man (BERSU and WILSON 1966)

Laced style

Archaeology

Scabbard remains of unknown hanging arrangement

Archaeology

• Scar (OWEN and DALLAND 1999, p.109-112)
• Saint-Denis, France, c.869 (MONTEMBAULT 1998, p.60)