The Vikings’ Sword
The Viking sword was a double-edged and relatively light straight sword that weighed between 2 to 4 pounds. A fuller that ran down the blade’s length reduced weight, without compromising strength. The blade measured between two and three feet, and 1.5 to 2.3 inches wide, and was balanced by the hilt and pommel. A slight blade taper helped bring its center of balance closer to the hilt. The grip was typically made of wood wrapped in leather. For swords owned by the wealthy, the grip could by wrapped with gold or silver wire. By the close of the Viking era, blade lengths had increased, and some recovered samples from that era had blades up to three and a half feet long.
The sword’s tip was not pointed, but rounded – a rounded tip is stronger than an acute one, and is not significantly less effective in piercing than a sharply pointed blade. “Viking sword” is actually a misnomer, as it implies that it had been developed or used only by Vikings, when that was not the case. It was actually developed by Frankish swordsmiths in the Frankish Empire during the Carolignian era. It got its name because the most and best preserved samples were recovered by archaeologists from Viking burial sites. By the time the swords’ true provenance had been recognized, the name “Viking sword” had already stuck, although “Carolignian sword” or even “Viking era sword” would have been more accurate.