Viking Age swords were generally longer, thicker and heavier than those of their predecessors. They also differ in the shape of the handles. But here the whole matter is complicated by the fact that there are several typologies of scientists competing with each other. So, Jan Petersen, back in 1919, proposed a typology in which he singled out 26 forms of handles. In 1927, R. Wheeler proposed a typology that included seven types of grips. In the 60s of the last century, Ewart Oakeshott added to it two more varieties of transitional handles from the Viking sword to the knight's sword. In 1991, the typology of Alfred Gebig appeared. Over time, historians have developed the opinion that the typology of Petersen and Wheeler / Oakeshott is the most perfect. But the Wheeler / Oakeshott typology is more suitable for knightly swords, but the Petersen typology is more convenient to use when it comes to Viking swords.
Typology of swords according to Wheeler / Oakeshott (T. Laible "Sword". M.: Omega, 2011)
Let's start with type I swords, and we have at our disposal a fine example of such a sword from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. Found this exceptionally well-preserved sword in 2017 on the Kjölen mountain range in Les, Oppland. It is 92.8 cm long and weighs 1203 grams. The sword was found high in the mountains at an altitude of 1640 meters above sea level, probably the highest point where a Viking sword has ever been found. The sword was found, however, not in the grave, but on the rubble. Perhaps, where it was found and its owner died. But here's what is curious. Rust stains and lichens were found on the blade. That is, for some time it was open to the wind and the sun, and in winter snow fell on it.
But what about thousands of years, even a short northern summer, after which the water on the blade freezes in the fall and thus promotes corrosion? Why was the iron not completely destroyed by corrosion? Maybe this happened because he was lying on the stones and did not touch the ground? In the mountains, the wind constantly blows, and the water on the blade quickly dried up? Who knows…
"Sword from the Kjölen Ridge" (Museum of Cultural History, Oslo)
The sword was X-rayed and found out that its design is very simple. That is, it is a functional and formidable weapon, devoid of any decoration. Such simple and unpretentious swords are often found in mountain graves in Norway. But again, this sword, as shown by fluoroscopy, consists of parts made at different times. So, the crosshair, according to Jan Petersen, belongs to type C, and can be dated to 800-850. But the pommel belongs to type M and dates back to 850-950. A. D. That is, the crosshair guard on the sword is older than the pommel and, most likely, the sword itself! As for the owner of the sword, then … who can know who he was, and how he lost his sword … At one time, Ernst Hemingway wrote the story "The Snow of Kilimanjaro", inspired by the story of the frozen corpse of a leopard, lying almost on the very top of this mountain … Perhaps there is a contemporary author who will be inspired by the "sword from the Kjolen ridge"?
X-ray of the "Sword from the Kjölen Ridge" (Museum of Cultural History, Oslo)
Sword handle type II. Despite the simplicity of the outline, the crosshair and the pommel of the sword are decorated with a silver notch. (Museum of the City of Nantes, France)
Viking sword type II (City Museum "Valkhov", Nijmegen, Netherlands)
Among the swords discovered by archaeologists, and they found about 3000 of them in Norway alone, one of the most common is type II. This sword with a simple triangular pommel of the hilt was common among ordinary warriors in the early period of the "Viking Age". Such swords originate from Norway, but from 800 to 950 they spread widely from Britain to Switzerland. Type III is very characteristic. As a rule, it was an expensive weapon, and the blades came to it, as a rule, from Europe, but the handles for them were made in the North. Traditionally, they are all richly decorated with precious metals and engraving. During the 9th and 10th centuries, type III swords spread throughout northwestern Europe up to the territory of Russia.
Type III swords from Steinswick, Nordland. Denmark. (Museum of Cultural History, Oslo)
Sword handle, type III. IX century (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh)
Among the swords of the Vikings, type VI is also quite widespread. It was also made in the X - early XI century, but it is found mainly in Denmark and those areas of England, which were owned by the Danes, in the so-called "Denlos" - the area of "Danish law". But swords of types VIII and IX are already transitional samples of swords from the "Viking era" to the era of chivalry.
Sword blades were dealt with by Alfred Gebig, and he divided them into five types. At first, the blades had parallel blades, but then they begin to taper towards the point. were parallel, later the blades began to narrow. Symmetrical valleys are also gradually narrowed later. Types 1 to 4 have a blade length of 63 to 85 centimeters. Over time, the blades have lengthened - from 84 to 91 centimeters.
In general, the Gebig typology is as follows:
Type 1. VII-VIII centuries.
Type 2.750-950
Type 3. End of VIII - end of X century.
Type 4.950-1050
Type 5. Mid X - late XI century.
In any case, it is believed that the Viking swords are more consistent with the Gebig system, and knightly swords - Oakeshott's typology, recognized as unsurpassed.
Interestingly, although most Viking swords have double-edged blades, not all of them were. Archaeologists also come across single-edged specimens with straight blades. It is believed that they were made in the transition period from the era of the Great Nations Migration to the early period of the "Viking Age". As a rule, by the shape of the hilts, they can be attributed to type II swords. There is no dol in such swords. The length of the blade itself is 80-85 centimeters, which makes it possible to consider them longer than the blades of double-edged swords of the same time. But a single-edged sword could not bypass a double-edged sword, although it is undoubted that it was easier for a blacksmith to make just such a sword. After all, if one blade became blunt or serrated in battle, the sword was simply turned in the hand and began to use the other.
It should be noted, however, that there have always been people who sought to stand out from the crowd. They ordered their own armor different from all others, and in the same way the blacksmiths made unusual weapons for them. Here is the sword from the grave no. 8 in Langeida in the Setesdal valley in Norway, which has a length of 91 cm, belongs to such unusual samples. It is very well preserved. Only at the tip of the blade is a few centimeters missing.
"Sword from Langeide" (Museum of Cultural History, Oslo).
In Norway, as already discussed here, up to 3,000 Viking swords were found. Of these, less than half have handles decorated with precious metal, few have remained intact, and there are almost no inscriptions on them. And against their background, the "sword from Langeid" can be considered completely unique.
It is interesting primarily because it belongs to a type unknown to the sword historian Jan Petersen, who presented his typology in 1919. But similar swords were also found in Denmark and Finland.
It is still a mystery what the marks on the sword hilt mean. Many of them are similar to different versions of the cross. And although the Latin letters are among the most difficult to interpret, it can be assumed that these signs are abbreviations of a certain message that has a religious content. For example, a cross in hand, combined with an S, can be read as Xristos Salvator (Christ the Savior). But this is all that is at least somehow clear in this inscription.
Close-up photo of the pommel. Gold wire inserts make up the center line in each symbol. The gold is framed by copper wire, which today has turned black. All intermediate surfaces were filled with a silver wire notch. A hand with a cross is visible at the top. (Museum of Cultural History, Oslo).
The inscription and decoration on the handle are in the form of thin threads of silver, copper and gold. The components of the hilt were first forged from iron, after which its surface was incised in narrow rows of parallel lines. All the designs are made of gold wire, but around each design there is a kind of "frame" of copper wire made of gold. It seems that the artisan who made the sword was saving gold and trying to use thinner wire.
X-ray photograph of the "Sword from Langeide" (Museum of Cultural History, Oslo).
The handle is also braided with precious metal, but it is placed on a wooden base. The braid of the handle is made of twisted and smooth, in one thread, silver wire. The length of the handle is only 6.5 cm. That is, it is only enough for three fingers, so that the little finger should lie on the top. Despite this seeming impracticality of such a grip, such a sword in battle can be used in the same way as with a longer handle - the main thing is to get used to it!
After this sword was discovered in the Oppland Mountains in Norway in the fall of 2017, it took 400 hours of working time to preserve and process it. Moreover, most of the time was spent on the handle, while the blade underwent minimal processing. As a result … as a result, we were faced with a Viking sword with Christian symbols, laid in a pre-Christian grave, apparently at a time when the new faith conquered the last regions of Norway. And that's all for now!
