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Petersen Type X Viking Sword with Ulfberht Inscription
Availability: 5 in stock
SKU: ESP-023This sword is a reproduction of an original held at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris, dating from the mid-10th to mid-11th century. It was part of a lot of four Viking swords auctioned at Sotheby's in London on November 1, 1984. Its one-piece, semicircular pommel corresponds to Type X in the typology of Jan Petersen, the Norwegian archaeologist who, at the beginning of the 20th century, classified Viking Age swords according to the shape of their pommel and guard.
On one side of the blade is the famous inscription "Ulfberht," a name associated with some of the finest blades of the Viking Age, so highly prized that it was widely imitated, often poorly. On the other side appears the enigmatic mark "DUNA+DUNA XX," a combination of letters and symbols that historians interpret as an abbreviated phrase or a good luck charm. This replica reproduces both engraved inscriptions.
Identification
- Type of piece
- Petersen Type X Viking sword, with inscriptions engraved on the blade
- Model
- Petersen Type X Viking Sword with Ulfberht Inscription
- Historical period depicted
- Late Viking Age, from the mid-10th to the mid-11th century
Blade
- Steel type
- Tempered high carbon steel (48-52 HRC), with inscriptions engraved on the blade
- Overall length
- 94.5 cm
- Blade length
- 78.7 cm
- Width at the base
- 5.8 cm
- Blade type
- Straight, double-edged, with a wide central fuller; inscription "+VLFBERH+T" on one side and "DUNA+DUNA XX" on the other; thickness 4.7-4.8 mm
- Blade finish
- Polished, with acid-etched inscriptions
- Edge condition
- Unsharpened / decorative
Grip and guard
- Guard type (crossguard)
- Short, straight crossguard
- Guard material
- Steel
- Grip
- Wrapped in brown leather
- Pommel
- One-piece semicircular pommel (Petersen type X), in steel, with peened tang
- Handle length
- 10.2 cm
Scabbard
- Scabbard material
- Brown leather, with steel chape
- Scabbard fittings
- Steel chape and leather loop for the strap
General information
- Total weight
- 1360 g
- Sword type
- Petersen Type X Viking sword
- Recommended use
- Collecting, decoration and historical re-enactment; unsharpened
This sword is handcrafted with a straight, double-edged blade of high-carbon steel, tempered to 48-52 HRC, featuring a wide central fuller and two acid-etched inscriptions; it is supplied unsharpened. The short guard and semicircular pommel, characteristic of the Petersen X type, are made of steel, and the tang is riveted to the pommel. The grip is wrapped in brown leather. The brown leather scabbard is finished with a steel chape.
- Petersen type X Viking sword, from the mid-10th to the mid-11th century.
- Replica of an original held at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris.
- Hardened high-carbon steel blade with central fuller, without a real edge.
- Engraved inscriptions: "+VLFBERH+T" on one side and "DUNA+DUNA XX" on the other.
- Semicircular pommel and short steel guard.
- Handle wrapped in brown leather.
- Brown leather scabbard with steel chape.
- Ideal for collectors, Viking history enthusiasts and historical re-enactors.
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