Swords
| Swords |
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A large number of swords from the Viking Age have been found including at least 2,500 double-edged just from Norway [STALSBERG nd:p.8]. These swords have been well studied over the last century although surprisingly very few changes have been made to Petersen’s original work based on sword hilt styles found in Norway and published in 1919 [PETERSEN 1919].
- 1919 Petersen: Devised the original hilt typology of 26 types that is still widely used across Europe for classifying and dating Viking swords.
- 1927 Wheeler: Created a simplified typology of sword hilts based on finds from Britain.
- 1960 Oakshott: Added two more types to Wheelers typology
- 1991 Geibig: Created a modified version of Petersen’s hilt typology based on finds from Western Germany. More importantly he created the first sword blade typology.
Ian Peirce has produced the most recent and accessible book on the subject of Viking Age swords [PEIRCE 2002]. Much of this article is based upon his work.
This article is divided into three parts. The first gives an overview of blade types, the second covers hilt fittings and finally the third section combines the two and covers swords by century in an attempt to show how sword technology and fashion changed over time.
Sword Blades
Most studies on swords concentrate on hilt styles and little attention is usually given to the actual blades. Sword blades just like everything else evolved in form and manufacture over the Viking Age.
Art
--
Literature
- The C9th Emperor Louis is described by a monk of St Gall testing a batch of swords sent to him by ‘the king of the northmen’. This test involved bending the sword tip back to the hilt. Interestingly the first sword so tested broke but one of the envoys swords passed the test. This ability for swords to bend is again mentioned in the C11th Persian Geography, Hudud al-Alem. This states that the swords of the Rus may be ‘bent double’. [DAVIDSON 1962: p.113-114]
- Laxdaela Saga, Kjartan bent his sword in fight with the sons of Osvifr and had to straighten it beneath his foot [WHEELER 1927: p.29]
Archaeology
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Discussion
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Dimensions of Sword Blades
| Blade length | Norway [PETERSEN 1919:p.8] |
Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Under 70cm (27½") |
9 (4%) | ? |
| 71cm to 75cm (27½" to 29½") |
37 (17%) | ? |
| 75cm to 81cm (29½" to 32") |
136 (62%) | ? |
| 81cm to 90cm (32" to 35½") |
36 (17%) | ? |
| Blade width at hilt | Norway [PETERSEN 1919:p.10] |
Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5cm (2") |
70 (16%) | ? |
| 5cm to 6cm (2" to 2⅓") |
300 (70%) | ? |
| Over 6cm (2⅓") |
61 (14%) | ? |
Double-edged Sword Blades
The most comprehensive study done to date regarding sword blades from the Viking Age has been carried out by Geibig and is discussed in English by Jones in Ian Peirce’s Swords of the Viking Age. Geibig has broken the sword types down into 5 types.
Type 1: parallel edged to minimally tapering blade with short tip
600-800AD Type 1 blades date to the period before the Viking Age commonly referred to as the Migration period. These usually pattern welded blades have a length of between 70 to 80cm and a blade width at the cross guard of between 4.4 to 5.8cm. These blades are often found without fullers or alternatively with shallow fullers.
Type 2: gently tapering blade with fuller of near uniform width
750-950AD A length of between 74 to 83cm and width at the cross guard of between 4.8 to 6.2cm.
Type 3: gently tapering blade with tapering fuller
780-980AD
Type 4: moderately tapering short blade with elongated tip
950-1050AD
Type 5: moderately tapering long blade with elongated tip
950-1080AD
Single-edged Sword Blades
Single edged swords seem to be a particularly Norwegian item [OAKESHOTT 1960: p.135].
| Type | Date Range | Norway [PETERSEN 1919:p.10] |
Britain |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 750 - 825 | 36% of 22 finds | ? |
| C | 800 - 900 | 63% of 110 finds | ? |
| H | 775 - 960 | 27% of 213 finds | ? |
Blades with inscriptions
A number of blades have inscription forged into them. The two most common are Ulfberht and Ingelrii.
Ulfberht
Anne Stalsberg has recently published an article on 166 finds of swords marked with Ulfberht signatures [STALSBERG nd]. It would appear that Ulfberht blades were made in the Carolingian Empire and can be found on swords dated from 800AD to 1000AD [STALSBERG nd: p.8]
Ingelrii
Oakshott has dated the Ingelri swords from 925AD [OAKSHOTT 2002:p.8]. Some of the Ingelri swords contain the additional words ‘Me Fecit’ which translates as ‘Made me’
Other makes
Oakshott lists a few other makers names that have been found on Viking Age sword blades [OAKSHOTT 2002:p.8-9]
Sword hilts
Typologies
Two main typologies are primarily used, Petersen’s for Viking swords and the Wheeler / Oakshott typology for late Anglo-Saxon ones.
Petersen’s typology of Viking swords
Based on finds of Viking swords in Norway this typology remains the most commonly used. The following typology is based primarily on the typology chart published by Pierce [PIERCE 2000:p.18-19].
Jakobsson has recently published a number of maps detailing the distribution patterns of Petersen’s sword hilts across Europe [PIERCE 2000:p.16]. Unfortunately the authors do not have access to this document.
Wheeler / Oakshott typology of late Anglo-Saxon swords
This is the typology chosen by the authors in the next section to demonstrate the change of sword styles throughout the Viking Age.
| Wheeler | Petersen | Rygh |
|---|---|---|
| I | M | |
| II | B | |
| C | ||
| H |
Methods of attachment
Two main methods of attaching the hilt fittings to the blade seem to have been deployed.
to the upper guard
The tang passes through the upper guard and is then peened over. The pommel is then attached by two more rivets that are peened over under the upper guard.
to the pommel cap
The tang passes straight through the pommel and is simply peened over.
Materials
Hilt fittings of iron
The vast majority of sword fittings are made of iron.
Hilt fittings of copper alloy
Hilt fittings of bone or antler
Art
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Literature
--
Archaeology
- Dublin, 2 possible guards of antler. (HALPIN 2008, p.161-162)
- York, 1 antler cross guard and 1 whale bone pommel (MacGREGOR 1985, p.165)
- Sweden, Sigtuna, 1 elk antler guard (GRAHAM-CAMPBELL and KIDD 1980, p.168-169)
Discussion
MacGregor argues that the ability of bone and antler to withstand even quite savage blows should not be underestimated. (MacGREGOR 1985, p.165)
The Grip
Of wood
Of horn
Of bone, antler or ivory
- Scotland, Ardnamurchan. Type K sword, grip of bone, antler or ivory with a copper alloy core. [HARRIS, COBB, GRAY and RICHARDSON 2011:p.17]
Covered in leather
Covered in cloth
Covered in wire
With decorative rings
See Also
References
<nocite> DAVIDSON1962 LAKING1920 OAKESHOTT1960 PEIRCE2002 PETERSEN1919 ROESDAHL1981 STALSBERGnd THOMPSON2004 WHEELER1927 </nocite> <biblio force=false>#Template:Bib</biblio>
