Viking sword Langeid, semi-sharp

Product description

This beautiful sword from the late Viking Age is a replica of a unique find discovered in 2011 during the archaeological excavation of a Viking burial site in Langeid (valley of Setesdal, Bygland, Norway) from grave no. 8. The remarkably well-preserved find of iron, gold and silver can now be admired in the Kulturhistorisches Museum in Oslo. Due to the combination of spirals, runes, Latin letters and crosses that richly adorn the grip and pommel, the original, dated around 1030, is truly unique.

On the pommel is a hand holding a cross and there are letters in Latin alphabet, which may have a Christian message. The dating of the sword (early 11th century, marks the end of Norse paganism and the beginning of the Christian Middle Ages in Scandinavia) supports this assumption. This also explains the runes and pagan symbolism.

The sword was probably made abroad and brought to Norway by an important man. The grave dates around 1030, at the end of the Viking Age. Next to the sword lay a large battle axe with a brass casing, comparable to axes found in the Thames in London. This suggests a connection with the wars of King Cnut in England. Possibly the man in the grave belonged to Cnut's army. This sword is classified as a Petersen type Æ.

This replica has a blade of 9260 spring steel. The pommel and cross-guard show the symbols and letters also visible in the original. The sword is supplied including a luxury leather scabbard with wood strap loop and brass fittings.

The sun cross has been present since prehistoric times in art and mythology and symbolizes the central role of the sun in daily and spiritual life. In rock carvings from Alta and Bronze age art on Bornholm, the sun is depicted with rays and possibly moon cycles. Objects such as the sun chariot of Trundholm show the sun as a traveling force, which travels across the sky during the day and through the underworld at night. In the late Bronze age, the sun cross also became associated with wheels, which emphasized the sun as a moving, life-giving force. This motif continued to be associated with Indo-European sun worship and was later adopted by Christianity in the 'Celtic cross'.