This gorgeous, one-handed Viking Age sword is a reproduction of a find discovered in 1949 on the archaeological complex of Gnёzdovo, near Smolensk, Russia, during the excavation of the L-13 burial mound. Dated between 920 and 950 AD., and classified as a Type E2 according to Petersen’s Viking sword typology, the original piece was found broken into two parts and stuck into the ground.
On one side, the blade bore a stylized depiction of a man, and on the other side, a spiral framed by a pair of crosses. But what truly made this sword stand out was its finely crafted hilt with elaborate cell ornamentation: The guard and pommel were adorned with round pits that were arranged in lines. Slits inlaid with twisted wires connected these recesses with each other, forming a chequered, latticework-like pattern.

The reconstruction we offer here has a straight, double-edged tempered 1060 high carbon steel blade with a broad, long fuller and unsharpened edges. The engravings are reproductions of the markings found on the original blade.
The hilt is composed of a short brass guard, a wooden grip tightly bound in brown leather, and a generously sized brass pommel. Here, too, the guard and pommel closely recreate the pattern that graces the original artefact. In this case, the guard and pommel are hollow and pierced to facilitate the threading of the wire trimmings.
Just like many historical examples of the time, the sword’s pommel is a two-part construction: The blade's full tang is anchored to the lower section, and the pommel cap is secured to the base by means of two rivets. Both pommel components are visually set apart by a twisted wire knotted on one side. Between the cap’s three segments, there are also recesses inlaid with braided wire.

This early medieval single-handed sword comes complete with a tight-fitting, brown wood-and-leather scabbard with antiqued brass throat, chape and belt loop (max. belt width 6 cm).