A Viking Sword With Inscribed Blade in a Moscow (?) Museum

Jim McDougall · 28th June 2009, 06:30 AM

Thank you for posting this Michael!
Although I have always much admired Viking swords, I honestly have never researched them in any depth....this illustration has certainly inspired me, and one of the best references is "Swords of the Viking Age" ( Ian Pierce, 2002). While the late Mr. Pierce is named as the author, Dr. Lee Jones was also instrumental in the production of this book, along with the late Ewart Oakeshott. These gentlemen together produced a book that is in my opinion key to research on these historic swords.

The excellent example shown here, as near as I can estimate, is closest to the example illustrated in Plate III, which has similar construction as well as the iron inlaid ULFBERHT name. I cannot quite make out the large lettering on this blade, but it does appear to be a variation of the Ulfberht name.

The pommel/ upper guard in triangular configuration and shape of the lower guard seem to correspond to the Petersen (1919) reference as Type H.
The reference in Pierce/Jones/Oakeshott, Plate III, notes as reference
for the type:
"Den Yngre Jernalders Svaerde", A.L.Lorange, Bergen (1889), Plate I.

It seems this type is typically thought to have been found extensively in Norway, but as far south as Switzerland and Yugoslavia (p.17) and that the type H seems to have been in use about latter 8th c. to into the 10th c.

This is at least what I have found in these references, and as always, I look forward to better and more accurate assessments from those who are more specialized in these type swords.......Hello Lee

!!!

All best regards,
Jim

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28th June 2009, 06:30 AM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,278	Thank you for posting this Michael! Although I have always much admired Viking swords, I honestly have never researched them in any depth....this illustration has certainly inspired me, and one of the best references is "Swords of the Viking Age" ( Ian Pierce, 2002). While the late Mr. Pierce is named as the author, Dr. Lee Jones was also instrumental in the production of this book, along with the late Ewart Oakeshott. These gentlemen together produced a book that is in my opinion key to research on these historic swords. The excellent example shown here, as near as I can estimate, is closest to the example illustrated in Plate III, which has similar construction as well as the iron inlaid ULFBERHT name. I cannot quite make out the large lettering on this blade, but it does appear to be a variation of the Ulfberht name. The pommel/ upper guard in triangular configuration and shape of the lower guard seem to correspond to the Petersen (1919) reference as Type H. The reference in Pierce/Jones/Oakeshott, Plate III, notes as reference for the type: "Den Yngre Jernalders Svaerde", A.L.Lorange, Bergen (1889), Plate I. It seems this type is typically thought to have been found extensively in Norway, but as far south as Switzerland and Yugoslavia (p.17) and that the type H seems to have been in use about latter 8th c. to into the 10th c. This is at least what I have found in these references, and as always, I look forward to better and more accurate assessments from those who are more specialized in these type swords.......Hello Lee !!! All best regards, Jim