Often overlooked by us modern sword lovers is the tremendous amount of stress placed on a sword blade during battle. Early Viking swords were forged from layers of iron interwoven with strands of steel to produce a very tough sword. Although iron was a tougher material than bronze it would frequently bend. Damascus, or pattern welded steel, was used to make the blade strong enough to withstand the rigors of combat. Recent excavations of a number of Circa 850-900 Viking swords turned up this lovely damascus specimen in Finland. It has the tri-lobed pommel loved by the Norsemen, but the crossguard contrasts slightly with the typical downcurved versions. The early style blade is well-suited to the quick, slashing blows of the Viking warrior. Our version is made by Windlass Steelcrafts of high carbon damascus steel. The blade is polished with the fuller etched to show the damascus construction of the blade. Both pommel and crossguard are of steel. Grip is leather wrapped wood. Scabbard is leather with steel mounts. This is a true fighting sword, and one that any Viking would be proud to carry in battle. #1-556...$375 ($12.95 s/h) Overall-36" * Blade-31 3/8" long, 1 3/4" wide * Wt.-2 lbs. Can be seen in "Record Of The Medieval Sword" by Ewart Oakeshott.