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- Jan 10, 2010
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The definition I've come to understand of a 'viking sword' is a sword that a man from Scandinavians used during the period of history we call the 'Viking age'. So a viking sword is a sword that 'vikings' used. But the term 'viking' was really a verb.. not a noun. It meant to go pirating and raiding. Something rich, bored farm boys did to earn honor and riches. The swords that we are most familiar with that came from this age were typically forged by Frankish smiths and then imported into Norse lands... and hilted there. These Frankish blades were usually pattern welded and very well made. Locally forged .. in Scandinavia.. were typically not pattern welded. So a 'viking' could have had several different types of sword.... including Germanic types picked up on raid.
The Sutton Hoo sword comes before what we call the 'Viking Age'.... it was Anglo-Saxon and made well before the 'Northmen' were recorded as wreaking havoc on the English coasts. It's hilt type is really quite different if you look at the details. But the blade.. well the blades of the Migration period up through the 'Viking age' and into the medieval era were all evolutions. The spatha being a good example of the early relative. Some spathas were pointy.. some long, straight and ... not pointy. My sword is sort of a hybrid between 9th/10th century and 12 century Viking age and the blade would be classified as Geibig type 10 which was NOT pointy. The Sutton Hoo sword was more 7th century in it's type (Geibig type 1 or 2)... and essentially a spatha.
Don't know if that helps or not. But it's there.
The Sutton Hoo sword comes before what we call the 'Viking Age'.... it was Anglo-Saxon and made well before the 'Northmen' were recorded as wreaking havoc on the English coasts. It's hilt type is really quite different if you look at the details. But the blade.. well the blades of the Migration period up through the 'Viking age' and into the medieval era were all evolutions. The spatha being a good example of the early relative. Some spathas were pointy.. some long, straight and ... not pointy. My sword is sort of a hybrid between 9th/10th century and 12 century Viking age and the blade would be classified as Geibig type 10 which was NOT pointy. The Sutton Hoo sword was more 7th century in it's type (Geibig type 1 or 2)... and essentially a spatha.
Don't know if that helps or not. But it's there.
