In a time when men very much were the creators of their own good fortune, weapons played a major role. While there were several different weapons used by viking warriors, none were as sought after as a sword. Axes were both tools and weapons so they were quite common. As were spears which were much cheaper and simpler to create. Swords however were also status symbols, and a sign of wealth in the martial society of the Vikings.
In this post I am diving into both the real swords the Vikings wielded as well as the mythological swords from the Old Norse sagas. Not only did swords come in many different styles, there were even popular brands of swords. From the myths, the loss of one sword in particular likely brought an end to all, gods and humans alike.
Design and Crafting of Early Viking Swords
There are some slight variations found across Scandinavia when it comes to types and designs of Swords. Likely this is due to both modern day Denmark and Sweden being closer to the Frankish Empire geographically. The Viking Age proper only kicked off in the late 8th century. However, the Danes had been both trading and raiding the tribes just south of Denmark for a few centuries already.
To a lesser degree, the Swedish based Vikings had been venturing out to the Baltics and Poland for some time as well. Back in Norway, we were a bit more isolated and both the design and manufacturing of swords reflects this.
Simple Single-edge Design
Something of a cross between a really large knife, and a sword, Viking Age single-edged swords have been found mostly in Norway. Out of the more than 3000 swords found in Norway, around 350 of these are single-edged. Requiring less specialized skill in making them, they were mostly “home-grown” in both design and manufacture.
In the early part of the Viking Age, most swords were made locally and the end result and quality was likely quite varying. With what was likely higher demand, and influences from abroad, sword making in Scandinavia evolved.
This is an example of a single-edge sword found in Norway. Note that even though it is single-edged, it still has a beautiful hilt and decorated pommel.
Pattern Welding of Swords
In order to be able to create swords with higher quality blades, smiths used a technique known as pattern welding. With pattern welding, rods made of different quality steel are forged together, yielding tougher blades that could also be sharpened well.
In this process, the different quality steel or iron rods were heated, and then worked/hammered together, fusing into one. With pattern welding then the Iron Age smiths could create sword blades that were light and somewhat flexible, yet could be razor sharp.
Springy Double-edged Viking Swords
As the Viking Age progressed, there were likely many smiths across Scandinavia who made great sword blades. With swords being around three feet long, and yet only weighing around two and a half lbs, give or take, the steel had to be both strong and flexible.
With newer techniques in creating swords, no one would settle for a single-edged sword. Instead, double-edged swords became the norm, along with light weight and flexibility. With these swords in hand, the Vikings went out raiding and into war.
However, being out there raiding, the Vikings would come across lots of swords made by Anglo-Saxon or Frankish smiths. Especially early on, but seemingly also through the entire Viking Age, these blades were of a higher quality.
The Ulfberht Swords
Found all across Europe, Ulfberht swords are easily recognizable by having +ULFBERHT+ engraved on one side of the blade. Based on metallurgical tests and the prevalence of these blades, they are believed to have been crafted by high quality steel. Essentially this was a brand of swords, and quite popular at that, that would end up all across Europe in the Viking Age.
In this image you can see a few swords from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, with the Ulfberht sword easily recognized.
More than 40 of the around 170 ULFBERHT swords known have been found in Norway. However, they are not believed to come from Scandinavia at all. Instead it is believed they all came from one place in Germania, in the then Frankish Empire.
With finds spanning more than three centuries, it seems highly unlikely they were all made by the same smith. It is more likely that Ulfberht was a family name, or brand. And that a family of master smiths created great swords through the centuries.
In fact, the Ulfberht swords were so popular that there have been found blades that are of such inferior quality that they today are believed to have been fakes. They are basically swords created by other smiths, who then added the famous ULFBERHT branding to their sword blade. With the renowned branding, these blades could likely get a higher price.
Other Branded Swords
While the Ulfberht swords are by far the most numerous, there have been found other “brands” of swords as well. Possibly the second most well known such brand are the Ingelrii swords. About 20 of these have been found, all sporting an engraving of “Ingelrii” in a few variations on on side of the sword blade.
The Trade in Sword Blades
With superior sword blades being produced in the Frankish empire, what did local smiths do? There is actually ample evidence of a flourishing trade in sword blades, which would then be finished by local craftsmen. While the blade would be imported from abroad, the local Scandinavian smith would make the hilt, handle and pommel.
There were obviously differences in the finish and quality of the blade itself, as discussed already. However, what I believe really “made” the sword was its handle. Made from bone, wood, leather or antler, sword handles came in a variety of styles. Some were also inlaid with gold or silver details or engravings to further add to the value and aesthetics.
In the image below, which I took at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, you can see some of the finer details in one such sword handle.
Swords From Norse Mythology
Seeing how important swords were to the Vikings there should be no surprise that quite a few made it into the Old Norse sagas. Having magical qualities, or just being especially well crafted, these swords were likely as well known as Thor’s hammer. One sword especially, which was given away, would be sorely missed when its previous owner marched into battle without it.
Freyr’s Sword
While not being given a name, like Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, or Odin’s spear Gungnir, Freyr’s sword was equally as important. When wielded by “a worthy hero” the sword could fight on its own accord! We first hear about his sword in the Poetic Edda poem Skírnismál, The Story of Skírnis.
One day Freyr is sitting in Odin’s throne Hlidskjalf, looking deep into the realm of Jotunheim. There he sees a beautiful jötun maiden, named Gerd, whom he instantly falls madly in love with. For some reason Freyr is not inclined to go seek the maidens’ hand himself, instead sending his servant Skírnir. This is discussed in stanza eight and nine of the poem.
Skirnir said:
- “Then give me the horse that can
ride through the dark and flames,
And give me the sword that can
fight on its own against giants.”
Freyr said:
- “I will give you the horse that can
ride through the dark and flames,
And the sword that can fight on its own,
if you are a worthy hero.”
As I understand it, Skírnir is asking for Freyr’s sword because it is able to fight by itself against giants/jotnar. Just why a god like Freyr would not ask to get the sword back later is unclear. However, it explains why Freyr on the day of Rangarök has to battle the giant fire jötun Surt without the aid of his magical sword. Freyr will be killed by Surt, and that surely is part of the reason why the forces of evil win.
Sigurd the Dragonslayer’s Sword Gram
Sigurd is one of the greatest heroes in the Old Norse myths. Son of Sigmund of the Volsungs, he is a central part of the Saga of the Volsungs. The story of his sword however, starts even before Sigurd is born. Garm, or Garmr, means wrath in Old Norse. Quite the name for a mythical sword.
It is the fateful wedding between Sigyn, daughter of King Volsung, and Siggeir, king of the Goths. The wedding feast is held in the Volsungs’ hall which is built around a great oak tree. In the evening, a one-eyed hooded stranger walks into the hall. He holds up a magnificent sword, and plunges it into the oak tree. Leaving the hall, he is proclaiming it a wedding gift to whomever can pull it out. Naturally all the men there try, but in the end no one is able to pull it out. That is until Sigmund, brother to Sigyn, pulls it out with ease.
King Siggeir is envious and wants to have the sword himself. In the ensuing saga, King Volsung and most of his sons are killed, but Sigyn manages to save Sigmund. Sigmund lives on to become a great warrior, but in the end, he is killed in battle by Odin in disguise. As Sigmund dies, his sword shatters into pieces.
Gram is Reforged Stronger than Before
Later, Sigmunds’ wife Hjordis gives the shattered sword to their son Sigurd who has it reforged. Testing the blade, he cleaves an anvil in two with it. The sword plays a part in several of Sigurd’s later adventures. When he happens upon the valkyrie Brynhildr, he frees her from her chain mail, cutting it open with his sword.
In his most heroic and storied adventure, Sigurd slays the dragon Fafnír using Garm. Seemingly impervious to most weapons, Sigurd slices open the belly of the beast with his sword. Having killed the dragon, Sigurd takes the great treasure hoard Fafnir had amassed.
Hrólfr Kraki’s Sword Skofnung
Legendary Danish king Hrólfr Kraki is another hero of the Old Norse sagas. His story is told in the Hrólfr Kraki’s Saga, but he is also mentioned in other sagas.
The backdrop is rather dark, being born after an unwitting incestuous rape. His mother left his rapist father when their familial bond became known and she was wedded to the Swedish king Aðils. Hrólfr’s father Helgi however wanted his wife/daughter back, and went to fetch her. That misadventure ended in his death at the hand of king Aðils.
Seeking to avenge his father, and take his great fortune, Hrólfr leaves Denmark with a large group of men, and twelve Berserkers. On the way there they meet a mysterious man, which of course is Odin in disguise. He convinces Hrólfr to leave most of his men behind, only taking the Berserkers with him. There is some scheming on both sides, but in the end, Hrólfr gets the revenge he is seeking.
However, Hrólfr doesn’t kill Aðils, instead he does something I personally would think was almost worse. This is described in the Hrólfr Kraki’s Saga.
“But when King Adils tries to pull the spear-shaft towards himself along with the ring, that’s when King Hrolf rushes at him and hacked off both his buttocks, right down to the bone, with the sword Skofnung, the best of all swords to have ever been borne in all the north.”
This is also the first we hear of his sword Skofnung. However it is mentioned a few more times in the saga. It is also said that; “The nature of Skofnung was such that it sang aloud when it tasted bone”.
In the end, Hrólfr Kraki is buried in a great burial mound, along with his treasure and the sword Skofnung.
Tyrfing – Cursed Sword from The Saga of Hervör and Heidrek
The last sword I am including is Tyrfing, the legendary cursed sword found in “The Saga of Hervör and Heidrek”. This is both the mythical sword that is best described, as well as being central to the saga it is part of. The saga really details how the cursed sword Tyrfing is passed down through generations. As it was cursed to do, it brings both victory and death to its owners.
Part of the saga is a poem called Hervararkviða, often translated as “The Waking of Angantyr”.
In it the shieldmaiden Hervör wakes her father Angantyr from the dead, asking him to give up the sword.
The Origins of Tyrfing
The legend starts in Gardariki, land of the Rus Vikings, which spanned a large part of modern day Eastern Europe.There king Svafrlami one day captures two dwarves, named Dvalinn and Durin. They offer to create a sword for him in exchange for their release. Upon giving him the sword, just before they escape into the stone from which they came from, they curse the sword.
The curse states that the sword could never be unsheathed without killing a man, it would be the death of Svafrlami, and finally that it would cause three evil deeds. Undeterred, king Svafrlami kept the magnificent sword. True to its curse, the king would later meet a great berserker named Arngrim in battle. However, as he cuts through the berserker’s shield, Tyrfing is stuck in the ground.
More or less defenseless, Arngrim chopped off the king’s hand and took the sword. What happened next depends on the version of the saga, as there are a few slightly different ones. Arngrim then either killed the king, and took both his sword and the king’s daughter Eyfura, or he became a valued war-chief for the king, and was given the sword and daughter.
The Death of Hjalmar and Angantyr
Arngrim has twelve sons with Eyfura, one of whom was called Angantyr. He later inherits the sword from his father, and with it, the curse as well. After one of Angantyr’s brothers is rejected by a maiden he proposes to, he challenges Hjalmar, the man she picked instead of him.
Meeting on the island Samsöe to battle Hjalmar and whoever he brings are the twelve berserker brothers, with Angantyr among them. Unluckily for them, Hjalmar brings a legendary hero named Orvar-Odd, who manages to kill all twelve brothers with his club more or less by himself.
To break the curse of the sword, they bury Angantyr along with his sword Tyrfing on Samsöe. However, Angantyr has a daughter named Hervör, and she is very much the warrior shield maiden one might expect from a berserker father.
The Waking of Angantyr
The poem Hervararkviða tells the story of how Hervör goes to the mystical island of Samsöe in search of her fathers sword. Finding the twelve burial mounds of her father and her uncles, she calls out to them, willing them into answering her.
The below is an excerpt from the Auden – Taylor translation of the Hervarakvida.
Hervor:
Angantyr, wake! Hervor calls you,
Your only daughter whom you had by Tofa.
Give up from the grave the gleaming sword
That the dwarves smithied for Svafrlami.
Hervard, Hjorvard, Hrani, awake!
Hear me, all of you, under the tree-roots,
With sharp swords, with shields and byrnies
And red spears, the rig of war.
Much are you changed, children of Arngrim,
Once so mighty: are you mold now?
Will Eyfura’s sons refuse to listen
Or speak with me on Munarvag?
May ants shred you all to pieces,
Dogs rend you; may you rot away.
Give back the sword that was smithied by Dvalin:
Fine weapons are unfit for ghosts.
Angantyr:
Evil it is, Hervor, my daughter,
To call down such curses upon us:
Your words are mad, without meaning in them.
Why do you wake the bewildered dead?
In the end, Angantyr does give the cursed sword to his only daughter, and she carries it, and the curse, with her from the island. She later had two sons, Heidrek and Angantyr. As one of the three evil deeds it would do, the sword is instrumental in killing Angantyr as Heidrek is only going to show it to his younger brother. Then, later still, Heidreks’ two sons will end up in a battle, one killing the other with Tyrfing claiming its last victim.
Last Thoughts on the Vikings Swords
Like the story of Tyrfing illustrates, swords held a special place in the heart and minds of the Vikings. A sword was something all warriors coveted. Being a tool of war as much as a status symbol, they would pay quite a lot for well crafted and decorated swords.
I can not think of similar relationships with weapons today, but it might be more similar to that of a Stradivarius violin. Made in the 17th and early 18th centuries by an Italian master craftsman. These violins are immensely valuable, and to this day, regarded as some of the finest violins ever made. For a violinist, getting to play one is likely a lifelong dream few will ever experience.
Such was the regard and value of a finely crafted sword to the Vikings. One day, two brothers walking together, the younger following his older banished brother out from their home. Daring the curse just to get a glimpse of the legendary sword, Heidrek unsheathed it to show it to his curious younger brother Angantyr. His curiosity left Angantyr dead on the ground, and his brother forever haunted by the memory.
To the martial Vikings, swords defined a man as much as anything else, and most would likely gladly have taken Tyrfing if they could, curse be damned.
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