Viking Swords
The most elaborate, costly and prestigious item was a double-edged iron sword…
Viking Age Archaeology, Richard Hall, p. 10
Archaeology tells us that Viking Age swords may have had the following characteristics (not all swords had everything):
- Pattern welded blade
- Steeled cutting edges
- Guards and pommels embellished with cast or inlaid decoration in silver or brass
- Scabbard was a leather sheath with two wooden strips encased in textile on either side of the blade, with an inner lining of wool
- Scabbard tip may have had a metal chape (for both protection and decoration)
- Grip was usually wood
- Grip may have been bound with textile