Viking Sword (Eigg Island), Damascus Steel

Description

Viking Sword (Eigg Island), Damascus Steel
Viking Sword (Eigg Island), Damascus Steel
Viking Sword (Eigg Island), Damascus Steel
This Viking sword is a replica of a sword found on the island of Eigg and dates from approx. the eighth/ninth c. It features a dull and thin Damascus steel blade with a wider width. The short guard, handle and knob are made of cast bronze and are richly decorated.
The sheath is made of leather-lined wood and features a bronze lid and mouth, as well as a bronze loop (maximum belt width 5 cm).
The terms Damascus steel or welded pattern designate a forged composite steel from two or more different types of steel. It is named after its birthplace, the Syrian city of Damascus, an ancient bastion of stamped steel production.
As a common practice, a harder high carbon steel and a softer low carbon steel are repeatedly forged and bent. High carbon steel ensures greater hardness, better temperability and longer-lasting edge retention, while softer steel confers greater blade flexibility and tensile strength. This procedure, which arose at a time when steel grades were often low and inconsistent, allows the positive attributes of different steel grades to be combined.
In addition, the different nuances generated by the variable carbon content of the alternating layers engender surprisingly beautiful patterns, such as the twisted motif called the Torsion Damascus pattern or the Rose Damascus pattern. Undoubtedly, these unusual patterns partly explain why magical properties inherent in the Damascus steel leaves of the Middle Ages were attributed.
Details:
Blade material: Damascus steel.
Overall length: approx. 97.5 cm.
Blade length: approx. 80 cm.
Handle length: approx. 17.5 cm.
Approximate weight. 1920 g.