Langeid Viking Sword, Windlass Category-B

Delight yourself with Langeid Viking Sword, Windlass

Viking langeid sword, Windlass
In 2011, while building a new road in Langeid, in the Setesdal Valley in southern Norway, workers stumbled upon an ancient Viking grave. In addition to coins and an axe, a team of archaeologists unearthed a stunning and unique sword that hadn't seen the light of day for more than 10 centuries. Thousands of Viking Age swords have been discovered in Norway in varying conditions, but none has a handle as ornately inscribed as the weapon found that day.
Whether the sword originates in Norway or is possibly an Anglo-Saxon weapon acquired elsewhere is a matter of interpretation, but there is no doubt that it is a costly example of deadly artistry made by the Viking warrior who wielded it. The pommel and the slanted cross are decorated with gold and copper and display a mixture of Latin characters, Christian symbols, and runes, the exact meaning of which has been lost over time, with some characters apparently interchanged for symmetry.
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Latin letters are among the most difficult to interpret, but they can be meaningful abbreviations of Christian messages. They can be anything from Bible verses to the worship of Christ in Greek or Latin, which are roughly equivalent to Christograms. A cross or an X may represent Xristos (Christ). The R appears in several places and could stand for Rex (king). The H appears once, and its meaning is unclear. The E symbol is depicted in several orientations, but its meaning is also mysterious. A character that appears to be a rune could be a stylized S. The top of the pommel shows a hand holding a cross, possibly representing the hand of Jesus or God. The cross in the hand together with the S sign could, if interpreted freely, be read as Xristos Salvator (Christ the Savior), but then it would represent a mixture of Greek and Latin.
Interestingly, the hilt of this sword is one of the shortest found to date, just a hair over 3-1/2 inches. Short handles are very common on Viking swords, which, like this sword, have a sharply sloping guard. The owner had to place their pinky finger on the pommel or possibly wrap their index finger and thumb around the crossguard (as a side note, Viking warriors were known to slide the pommel into their palms while swinging it to increase the effectiveness of a blow).
This faithful replica has a razor-sharp carbon steel blade. The pommel and crossguard are iron and silver-plated like the original, with markings decorated in gold and copper. The handle is slightly flared for comfort, but the wire wrapping is twisted in the same patterns a prominent Viking hand would have waved centuries ago.
The original sheath had long been in poor condition, so Windlass made a high-quality leather sheath and laser-engraved it with a pattern taken from the pommel image. The sheath comes with its own belt loop.
Manufactured by windlass steelcrafts.
This sword is designed as a collector's item or decorative object and is also ideal as an accessory, for example to complete your costume.
Details:
- Blade material: carbon steel
- Total length: approx. 97.6cm
- Blade length: approx. 79.9 cm
- Blade thickness: approx. 4 mm
- Handle length: approx. 8 cm / full handle approx. 17.7 cm
- Maximum blade width: approx. 5.3 cm.
- Center of gravity: approx. 11.5 cm (in front of the guard)
- Includes leather case
- Weight without cover: approx. 1240g
- Weight with case: approx. 2020 g
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