Weapons adorned as such served large religious and social functions. The Viking World: ch 15.Pederson, Anne (2008). [The Viking Sword].Wheeler, R.E.M. The Hilltop Review. in the The distribution of Frankish blades throughout Scandinavia and as far east as Scandinavian affinity towards foreign arms and armour during the Viking Age had an eminently practical aspect. He classifies all of the Viking Age swords as his type X.Jakobsson (1992): has recently published a number of maps detailing the distribution patterns of Petersen’s sword hilts across Europe. There is even some evidence from Viking burials for the deliberate and possibly ritual "killing" of swords, which involved the blade being bent so that it was unusable.

Ulfberht is a name given to unique Viking swords used throughout Scandinavia more than a thousand years ago.

Jahrhunderts  offenbar  nur  sehr  schlichte, unverzierte Eisenschwerter (Typ X) 84 mit einteiligem, halbkreisförmigem Knauf und gerader Parierstange, wenngleich mit gut geschmiedeter, damaszierter Klinge  hergestellt  worden,  wie  z. Even considering the huge pommel, this weapon has a very poor balance and consequently does not handle easily. These datings have been made by two extremely eminent Runologists, Eric Moltke and O. Rygh, each independently corrobating the other's finding. 1960.Ian Peirce's 'Swords of the Viking Age'. There are also numerous blades which have this type of geometric pattern but no Vlfberht inscription.

Lutterworth Press. "Scandinavia and the Continent in the Viking Age".

It is currently in the possession of King Björn Ironside. The hilt is the collective term for the parts allowing for the handling and control of the blade; these consist of the grip, the pommel, and a simple or elaborate guard, which in post-Viking Age swords could consist of only a crossguard (called a cruciform hilt or quillons).

The Viking World.Hampton, Valerie Dawn (2011).

Because Vikings were often buried with their weapons, the "killing" of swords may have served two functions. "Ingelrii sword found in the Thames: length 84.2 cm (blade 69.7 cm): Peirce (2002:80).

"Viking Age Arms and Armor Originating in the Frankish Kingdom".

"the runes inscribed upon the bronze collars which once held the grip at top and bottom [...] rather roughly incised in a rather 'home-made' style, have been positively dated as being no later than 1150 and unlikely to be much earlier than 1100. Boydell.Peirce's 'Swords from the Viking Age'. Deshalb mögen den Kaisern der damaligen Zeit typische »Wikingerschwerter« mit ihren prächtig ausgestalteten, wuchtigen Griffen für

The swords are at the transitional point between the Ulfberht swords were made during a period when European swords were still predominantly Total of 170 Ulfberht swords are known from Europe, most numerously in Northern Europe.The prevalence of Ulfberht swords in the archaeological record of Northern Europe does not imply that such swords were more widely used there than in Francia; the pagan practice of placing weapons in warrior graves greatly favours the archaeological record in such regions of Europe that were still pagan (and indeed most of the Ulfberht swords found in Norway are from warrior graves), while sword finds in from continental Europe and England after The original Ulfberht sword type dates to the 9th or 10th century, but swords with the Ulfberht inscription continued to be made at least until the end of the Viking Age in the 11th century. The Hilltop Review.

Wamers, "Ein karolingischer Prunkbeschlag aus dem Römisch‑Germanischen Museum, Kö1n," W. Menghin, "Aufhängevorrichtung and Trageweise zweischneidiger Langschwerter aus germanischen Gräbern des 5. bis 7. 4 (2): 36–44Pederson, Anne (2008). A. Jones in Peirce (2002:23), citing Geibig (1991): "Dimensions of Viking Age Sword Blades in Geibig's Classification" type 1: 70–80 cm, type 2: 74–83 cm, type 3: 74–85 cm, type 4: 63–76 cm, type 5: 84–91 cm.Stephen V. Grancsav, “A Viking Chieftain’s Sword,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XVII (March 1959), 181.Schulze-Dörrlamm (2012:623): Accessed December 12, 2018. Utrecht / NL).

+VLFBERHT+ (18 to 23 examples), 3. Repräsentationszwecke besser geeignet erschienen sein. Peirce (2002:36): "it is extremely rare to find a Viking Age sword with an overall length of more than 1 metre. 700 AD1200 AD), p. 126: Moilanen identifies 31 Ulfberht-swords in Finland, which is more than double the number stated by Stalsberg. "Viking Age Arms and Armor Originating in the Frankish Kingdom".

"Viking Age Arms and Armor Originating in the Frankish Kingdom". A notable late example found in Eastern Germany, dated to the 11th or possibly early 12th century, represents the only specimen that combines the The most likely place of origination of Ulberht swords is in the +VLFBEHT+ inscription on the blade of a 9th-century sword (Viacheslav Shpakovsky, David Nicolle, Gerry Embleton, Wegeli (1904), p. 12, fig. 144). Based on about 1,700 finds of Viking swords in NorwayOakeshott (1960): Added two more types to Wheelers typology bridging the gap between the Viking Age and the later mediaeval sword.Geibig (1991): introduced an additional typology based on blade morphology (types 1–14) and a typology of pommel shapes (types 1–17, with subtypes), focussing on swords of the 8th to 12th centuries found within the boundaries of Oakeshott (1991): Mainly dealing with sword from the post Viking-age period.

+VLFBERH┼T+ (1 or 2 examples), 5. The swords are at the transitional point between the Viking sword and the high medieval knightly sword.

On stylistic grounds and on the circumstances of its burial, Jan Petersen dated the sword to c. 1050" Oakeshott (1991:76)"Åttaåring Fann Järnålderssvärd." The Hilltop Review. London Museum Catalogues: No 1Oakeshott, Ewart (1960) The Archaeology of Weapons. Most have blades of Oakeshott type X. Jahrhunderts," Petersen, Jan (1919) De Norske Vikingesverd.