Sign in or register
for additional privileges

The Viking World

A History in 100 Objects

Austin Mason, Hannah Curtiss, Liza Davis, Jane Kelly, Kerim Omer Kadir Celik, Adante Ratzlaff, Leah Sacks, Kai Matsubara-Rall, Quinn Radich, Madeline Cosgriff, John Kennelly, Claire Jensen, Alperen Turkol, Jordan Cahn, Peter Hanes, Sarah Wang, Nick Carlsen, Ari Bakke, Phineas Callahan, Lauren Azuma, Justin Berchiolli, Rowan Matney, Ben Pletta, John Scott, Nick Cohen, Sophie Bokor, Authors
Madeline Cosgriff, page 1 of 4
Previous page on path     Next page on path

Other paths that intersect here:
 

You appear to be using an older verion of Internet Explorer. For the best experience please upgrade your IE version or switch to a another web browser.

Iron Seax


This seax was forged circa 1000 out of iron with silver and copper inlaid decorations. It was found on the Thames foreshore in London, England, and currently resides within the Museum of London. A silver plate hammered into the blade reads “OSMHND”, which most likely means “Osmund”, the forger’s name. This suggests that the smith is of Anglo-Saxon descent.1 The word seax means “knife” in Old English, and the Saxons derived their name from this common weapon.2

The blade lacks a grip because they were made of perishable materials such as wood or bone. This specific seax design follows the “broken back” blade shape, which consists of a relatively long handle and sloping upper guard. As is common with “broken back” seaxes, the designs on the knife spine are partially in a herringbone style, which resembles the pattern-welded blades prevalent in Viking Age Europe.3 Pattern-welding is accomplished by overlaying thin sheets of patterned steel onto a softer iron core, granting the blade flexibility and thus an advantage in combat as they were less likely to break.4 

Often these knives were much larger than this specific artifact, which only measures 13.6 centimeters, and were sometimes long enough to accommodate a two-handed grip. Smaller seaxes such as this were typically worn across the stomach and suspended from a waistband, as shown by this burial cross from Yorkshire.3

  At the time of this seax’s creation, much of England was a part of the Danelaw. This means that it was in a state of cultural flux and assimilation as the Norse integrated themselves into Anglo-Saxon territory. London, where this blade was discovered, bordered the Danelaw, so this seax could have originated from either side of the divide. Although its forger, Osmund, has an Anglo-Saxon name, the mutual influences of the Danes and English around this time blurred the once-sharp distinctions separating these two cultures.
Comment on this page
 

Discussion of "Iron Seax"

Add your voice to this discussion.

Checking your signed in status ...

Previous page on path Madeline Cosgriff, page 1 of 4 Next page on path


Related:  Decorated Sword PommelSilver Penny of CnutDrinking Horn / TerminalThe Ulfberht SwordEigg Sword HiltLeather Whip, 11th centuryOseberg ShipIron Spearhead with Silver EmbellishmentsMaterialsClench BoltThe Silver Penny of Sven EstridsenSuontaka SwordKiaby BroochMammen AxeCopper Alloy Mount for a StirrupIron Hatchet Head, 9th centuryFuneral of Emperor Leo V, 820 CE.Brass RingWeaving BattenEarl of Pembroke's SwordRune stone Sö 108ThemeJelling StoneA Mold for Religious AmuletsStamford Mint Silver CoinBrooch in the Urnes Style from Kiaby, Skåne, SwedenSilver ArmletPiraeus Graffiti LionGold ArmringSkuldelev Ship 2 - The Great LongshipIron NeckletPenny From the Reign of Anlaf GuthfrithssonNorse KeyTerminal for an Open Ring BroochLocationTreatise on Astronomy with Picture of Dragon Headed BoatRhenish Glass BeakerTimeAntler Comb with Matching CaseChess Pieces from the Isle of LewisReins Guide in the Borre StyleBurial SwordAbassid CoinGrey Ceramic PitcherSilver Penny from the Reign of Cnut the Great Minted in Bath, EnglandAnimal Head Post from OsebergRing with Inscription "To Allah"Runestone Morby UpplandScale and Weights from the HebridesUppland Runestone 613Borre Style PendantPattern-Welded SwordStirrupThe New ValkyrieHoard Find from Vester VedstedRanvaig's CasketFinnish Bronze HoardDEMO: Circular Bracteate PendantThe Birka GirlCup from the Halton Moor HoardSilver Figure of FreyaBirka CrucifixBow Brooch in Copper and GarnetHelmet from Grave I at Vendel, SwedenIron Sickle, 800 ADSilver BraceletHemdrup StickTwo Volva StaffsGokstad ShipPicture StoneDress Pin in Bronze