Gripping beast seax

[hellize]

Hi,

Continuing my medieval hammering fray, I ended up with another broken back seax. This is a bit different from the rough seax, I presented a few days ago in the manner that it is a little bit more fancy.
Vikings just loved fancy, shiny, glittering stuff, the remaining hidden gold and silver hoards proves this and even the men wore elaborately ornamented accessories and weapons. We can only imagine how wondrous and fertile their art was before Christianity tamed and forced its uniform romanesque culture upon them.

So back to the seax!
It is a 33 cm long anglo-saxon type seax, with a 17 cm long, 4 cm wide and 6 mm thick damascus blade, which has 120 layers of L6 and W1.2516 tool steels.
The handle is made of antler and oak, all packaged in a thick leather sheath, both decorated with Jellinge style gripping beasts, which were popular in the 10th century.
Hope you guys like it

It is 250 usd, with all fees included!

Sold!

 

[Bigjonhoss]

another awesome medieval piece!

 

[kootenay joe]

I love the stories you tell us and your pictures and your knives too. Always a pleasure to read your posts.
The handle looks big for a 33cm OAL knife. What is a Seax intended for ? Is this handle best for big hands ?
thank you.
kj

 

[hellize]

another awesome medieval piece!

Thanks!

 

[hellize]

I love the stories you tell us and your pictures and your knives too. Always a pleasure to read your posts.
The handle looks big for a 33cm OAL knife. What is a Seax intended for ? Is this handle best for big hands ?
thank you.
kj

Glad you like them! I try to dig myself into the background of the weapons and the time they were used a bit and sometimes I am carried away by them
Yes, the handle is a bit long on this one. I found some historical pieces of seaxs with handles this long, so I thought I give it a try. Seax were used as a kind of multitool in its time as a kind of ancient EDC, they were used for cutting meat and all kinds of foodstuff, were used as tools for carving on occasion (if an axe shaft broke during a raid or in the middle of a forest) and most importantly they were weapons! Ok mostly the larger ones were used as weapons, since a seax can have a 60-70 cm long blade.
One of the more memorable descriptions of the use of a seax in a fight occurs in Brennu-Njáls saga, at the fight on the Rangá described in chapter 63. Kolr thrust at Kolskeggr with his spear while Kolskeggr had his hands full with other opponents. The spear went through Koskegg's thigh. Kolskeggr stepped forward and cut off Kol's leg with his seax, and he asked, "Did that hit you or not?"
Kolr replied that it was what he deserved for not shielding himself. He stood looking at his leg stump.
Kolskeggr said, "You don't need to look: it's just as you think, the leg is gone." Then Kolr fell down dead.

But even the smaller ones could be fearsome, especially in close quarters when you don't have room to wield a sword, axe or spear.
There are some sagas describing attacks while night within longhouses, and there is somewhere a mention where one viking was attacked while he was attempting to take a dump How frustrating could that be?!
They were also known for their devastating piercing ability against chainmail, because of the single edge and strong spine.

 

[ns42]

Hi, I sent an e-mail to mooseknives.ro inquiring about this beauty. Is it still available? If so I'd like to make it mine. You are really really talented. I like this and would like to add it to my collection of seax knives. Thanks, Stephen

 

[hellize]

Hi, I sent an e-mail to mooseknives.ro inquiring about this beauty. Is it still available? If so I'd like to make it mine. You are really really talented. I like this and would like to add it to my collection of seax knives. Thanks, Stephen

Hello, yes it is available, and I have sent you a mail with the details
Thanks for the compliments, it is much appreciated!

 

[hellize]

This one is gone, I thank all of you for looking