Small Viking Knife with Damascus Steel Blade and Wooden Handle, based on a find from Gotland

Small Viking Knife with Damascus Steel Blade and Wooden Handle, based on a find from Gotland

The knife is modeled after an archaeological find from Hellvi (island of Gotland, Sweden) dated to the 9th/10th century. The original piece is now on display at the Historical Museum (Historiska Museet) in Stockholm.

Please note that, as the blade is sharp and fully functional, this Gotland knife is designed as a collector's or decoration piece and not suited for combat re-enactment!

* The terms Damascus steel, damascene or pattern welded designate a compound steel forged out of two or more different types of steel. It is named after its birthplace, the Syrian city of Damascus, a former stronghold of the patterned steel production. As a common practice, a harder high carbon steel and a milder low carbon steel are repeatedly forge welded and folded together. The high carbon steel ensures a higher hardness, a better temperability and longer lasting edge retention, whereas the milder steel confers greater blade flexibility and tensile strength. This procedure, which arose in a time where steel qualities were often low and inconsistent, enables to combine the positive attributes of the various steel grades. Besides, the different shadings generated by the varying carbon content of the alternating layers engender strikingly beautiful patterns, such as the twisted motif called Torsion Damascus pattern or the Rose Damascus pattern. Undoubtedly, these unusual patterns partly explain why inherent magical properties were attributed to the Damascus steel blades of the Middle Ages.

• Blade material: Damascus steel (256 layers, 4340 and 1070 steel), sharp edge
• Handle material: wood and brass
• Overall length: approx. 17.5cm
• Blade length: approx. 8cm
• Weight: approx. 40 g (approx. 120 g with sheath)
• Leather-and-brass sheath with carrying ring
• Specs may slightly vary from piece to piece.

The Swedish company SPQR offers a wide range of historical replicas. SPQR stands for Senatus Populusque Romanus (Engl. The Senate an People of Rome) and is a fitting name for a company specialized in the reproduction of artefacts reaching from the Roman era to the Renaissance period. SPQR has committed itself to making high-quality re-enactment and battle-ready products available at affordable prices. The entire product line is made to historical specifications. Each piece is modeled on illustrations and photographs from historical books and museums, and SPQR works in close cooperation with a number of Viking and medieval re-enactment groups in Scandinavia, Germany and the UK to jointly develop the most authentic products possible.