Danish Pallask

[E Farrell]

I am looking for a little more information on a sword which I am researching on behalf of Nyborg Castle and Museum.

I am first curious about the actual translation for the Danish 'Pallask'. I can equate with the German 'Pallasch' easily enough, but I don't know types well enough to get to English.

Would it be considered a hanger? Broadsword? Both? I keep seeing it in museum records as sabel/saber, but I am under the impression that - in English usage - a saber is always a curved blade.

I am mainly concerned with gathering more information on the marking on the blade. From other posts here on Vikingsword I am reasonably sure it is a 17th century Passau wolf, but I would like confirmation of that.

I would also very much like to know what can be said about the hilt style, and whether it can be identified as military. This was found in excavation near the site of the Battle of Nyborg (1659), and based on date and location is supposed to have been lost at that time. I don't know swords well enough to make any determination of the accuracy/plausibility of that, but I would love to know any further information you can glean from this.


The sword is in pretty rough shape. It was found in 1939 and, geopolitics being what they were, was not conserved until the 1960s/70s. Hilt used to be wrapped in brass wire, but that was lost sometime before 1992. Beyond the date and approximate location, there aren't any good records of the context this was found in, so I am left essentially with just the Passau(?) mark and a lot of speculation.

Images attached.


Cheers,
E Farrell