The Viking World: A History in ObjectsMain MenuGallery viewA galleryTag Cloudtag cloud pageThemesA path of thematic categoriesAuthor IndexExplore the collection by authorWorks CitedReferencesAdam Bigelow3afa9c7ecebf516bba6609664b1b12f79c54bf77Caitlin Donahue61b7e986e7c71d400e5c803912ed83c0cf65252fCaroline Harvey1783f21a5882b5b4d3d0b6c174d058052a5ff7eaEdward Hershewee701ef220480b51ca728fc9c719bc094cf813655Martin Hoffmana1fd203afd9a84ee8db567e188cf6ed1d269386eTyler Hruby23493f763b312110686cfafc62578fd0ab5f3833Brittany N. Johnsonc1c1763339f8fa953e3c907c6bb8a3bad0c28b2cCarlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01Moira McConnell710633400590ea38533ea3412c01fc5056288180Clara McCurdy9aec76477d0b55f9c685c47330d6786ec98182e1Elise McIlhaneyef48481634ff342c8b43c9d56f678b2d3562fb69Cameron Meikle669a5682bfbfd603130a26e25628f24eb07e6295Alexander Christopher Newkirk019c2f5b38c043507251d1789e2fdf47e61c3b7fBenja Reilly816c23aa0d444213fb2d1ef33555a15617e08228Oliver Statenc625ae8c3926f5e1a4268bc91d6a6f4cdb1e7fb6Liam Sullivanaa3a1dccb90c7fe4646b61c4af594abbb0c5574aRead Wilder31bf4715220144a665996f2e6cae80a1a8611eadAliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707dea
Sword
12017-05-10T09:59:32-07:00Aliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10164562A copper-alloy upper sword guard that shows signs of having been decorated with either silver or tin on one side and having been attached to a pommel on the other.plain2017-05-10T10:01:41-07:00Whitlock, Alex. Sword. Still Image, February 4, 2013. LANCUM-C625C4. Portable Antiquities Scheme. https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/540109.800-1100LANCUM-C625C4CC BY52.044862,0.838608Copper AlloyPortable Antiquities SchemeEdwardstone Parish, EnglandViking Age, circa 800ad-1100adAliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10
1media/PKqlln.JPG2017-05-18T21:43:24-07:00Sword Guard7Object Pageplain2017-09-17T14:56:10-07:00The fact that viking warriors wielded swords is unsurprising.[1] However, this sword guard is interesting because it is the upper guard at the base of the grip, rather than the guard between the handle and the blade which was used to secure the wielder’s grip on the weapon.[2] Practically, the upper guard itself has little to no use, but rather is decorative. The fact that a viking sword had such a decorative guard suggests that it was not used simply as a weapon but as a show of status and wealth.
The reason why this guard is not attached to a sword may also be interesting. When a Nordic pagan was buried, his possessions were often placed in the grave with him and sometimes were destroyed or “killed” so the objects could enter the afterlife with him.[3] It is possible that the sword was broken apart in order to “kill” it and the guard was stolen, lost, or saved by his loved ones. It is also possible that the rest of the sword was made of richer materials and the upper guard was discarded in favor of a more impressive version.
The guard is a hollow cast copper alloy. On one side of it, there is evidence of some sort of coating made of tin or silver. However, the coating is too degraded to make out any sort of style. There is also scarring from where a pommel had once been.
The sword is of typical viking style having a date range of the entire Viking age, 750 ce. to 1100 ce. However, the sword was found in Yorkshire, the site where the micel here or Great Army first began its invasion. This suggests that the sword was used by a warrior during the Scandinavian invasion and occupation of England from 850 ce. to 950 ce.
