Dated to the 9th–10th century, this sword recreates one of the rare complete examples of the Petersen Type L classification — a straight blade with a slightly raised midrib and sloped edges, mounted beneath a pommel with a curved base element and three lobes, each separated by narrow bands. Two closely comparable swords have been published by Ian Peirce in his study Swords of the Viking Age (2002, pp.77–81), both preserved in the British Museum; one of them is the celebrated Witham sword, documented as early as Bjørn (1940) and Oakeshott (1960). A further find of the same typology was excavated in Wales in 2002. Swords of this type are found especially in Britain, concentrated between roughly 900 and 1050 AD — the very period in which England fell under Danish influence and, for a time, formed part of the Anglo-Danish empire of Cnut the Great (1017–1035).
Developed in consultation with a historian specialising in early medieval sword typology, this piece carries the Gunther name shared across Deepeeka’s series of historian-guided Viking sword reconstructions, reflecting our ongoing collaboration with academic experts to bring authenticity to our historical replica range.
Suited to serious collectors and museum-style display, as well as living history presentations of the English Danelaw period.
