This sword recreates a late 9th to 10th century original discovered in 1887, during land-clearing work at Vestre Berg in the parish of Løiten (now Løten), Akershus county, Norway. It formed part of a large grave assemblage, and — like many Viking Age swords selected for burial — had been ritually disabled by deliberately bending the blade beyond use, a practice historians still debate: a symbolic act to retire the sword alongside its owner, or a practical measure to deter grave robbers. The original is catalogued as C13848a in the collection of Kulturhistorisk Museum (formerly Universitetets Oldsaksamling), Oslo. Ian Peirce, in Swords of the Viking Age, singles out the hilt as ‘the result of fine craftsmanship’: a boat-shaped crossguard with rounded ends that curves gracefully toward the blade — a detail Jan Petersen himself identified as characteristic of a genuine Type O — beneath a distinctive five-lobed pommel, its three larger lobes carrying matching decorative devices echoed on the crossguard, and a hilt finished throughout with knot-like ornamentation.
Deepeeka faithfully reproduces the hilt detailing of this Norwegian grave find as part of our Viking heritage range.
A compelling piece for collectors interested in Viking Age burial customs, and a strong addition to any Norwegian-themed Viking display.
