Huskarls were the personal warband of a Viking Jarl (Lord), the name literally means ”House Man”. Bonded to the Jarl with an oath of servitude, Huskarls were expected to fight with their lord and, if necessary, die fighting (or gain victory) after his death in battle. These professional warriors were outfitted with the best armor and weapons by their benefactor and were richly rewarded with gifts and plunder for their servitude. Huskarls existed in northern Europe and in Saxon Britain as well, and by the time of Harold Godwinson of England, the Huskarls had been expanded beyond a warband and into a professional military core numbering about 3,000. They were the backbone of his army that met the invasion force of William the Conqueror in 1066 and their numbers were backed by the levied ”Fyrd” troops. After Harold’s death in battle, his Huskarls fought to the last man to keep true their oath.
As the elite Huskarls were outfitted in the best wargear the smiths could make, this sword is representative of the blades these professional warriors would carry. Difficult to produce and expensive, good swords were status symbol and weapon melded in one. This sword has a rarer type of curved guard, wheras most Viking swords had straight guards, leaving experts to believe that the original sword this replica is based upon may have been a smith with Anglo-Saxon influence typical of swords dating from the 8th-10th centuries.
The blade of this sword is made of hand-ground tempered high carbon steel and polished to a satin-finish. The hilt guard and pommel are constructed of mild steel. The pommel is of two parts, the first holding the tang of the sword whereupon it was peened. The second lower half with the three lobes is riveted to its other half. Twisted sterling silver wire adorn the pommel. The grip is of leather, tightly wrapped over wire.
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