Gotland Axe Head – Lord of Battles

This Viking Gotland Axe head is hand-forged from high carbon steel and is ready to be mounted onto your own wooden haft. The blade edge is thick and blunt for reenactment and stage combat. Blade edges are about 1.7 mm which widen to about 3 mm in thickness at the thick, blunted blade ends.

The socket measures about 1 1/2 x 7/8 in diameter – exact sizes can vary due to handcrafted nature of this axehead. The axe socket can be mounted directly to haft of a matching size. For a more durable construction we recommend using a haft which is wider than the socket and then trimming the end down to make a slot for the axehead to be seated upon. By using this method you can use a wider wooden haft and by slotting the axe into place it makes it impossible for the axehead to come loose and move down the haft.

To achieve a tight fit between axehead and wood haft we recommend the use of axe wedges – these are sold separately and are linked on this page with a thumbnail link under the also available section.

This unique Viking axehead is a replica of a 10th century original from Gotland in Sweden. Like other similar axes in Scandinavia it has a prominent cross cut out of the axe which is evidence of the conversion to Christianity in the region. Though this conversion was not entirely wholesale and was in many cases a syncretism between Christianity and the Norse pantheon. Many elements from both merged together to have dual symbolism and in many cases the Christian cross had a sort of dual representation with the stylized Hammer of Thor.