Viking Krumkniv

These are all finds from Norway, dated to the Viking Age.  "Krumkniv" translates to "curved knife", due obviously to their shape.  I have no information as to their function or use during antiquity, but I surmise they would have been used for food preparation or as a herb knife, as the curve of the blade is well suited to slicing vegetables and the upward sweep of the handle keeps the wielder's knuckles from striking the cutting board. Here is the link to the historical museum website where I found the photographs: http://www.unimus.no/foto/#/search?q=krumkniv

C16900 (Telemark)

B1492

B6755b

C5191

C7511

C22582b

C38647

How Did the Vikings Attach Knife Handles to their Blades?

In a recent video I laid out my hypothesis for how Viking knives may have only used the friction of the tang against the wood of the handle to hold them in place.  Below are some museum examples of archaeological finds of knives from the Viking Age.  My hypothesis was developed based on knives, such as C35300, where the tang is significantly smaller than the blade.  I also drew on my own knife-making experiences to come to my conclusion. Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwKr5S3oVDQ

C34702a, from Ringerike, Norway. Dated to the early Iron Age.

Knife C35300, from Telemark (Norway).

Classic Swedish scramasaxes. Sketch shows how the tang is the full length of the handle.

T13577, found in Romsdal, Norway.

Collection of knives and other cutting tools, perhaps kitchen knives. From Norway.

C24592b, from Hedmark, Norway.

The knife I used in the discussion video.  It looks a little bit like C.37484 (pictured above).

Link to the video discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwKr5S3oVDQ

The "Stewart Sgian Dubh"

This knife was forged by hand from a piece of a farrier's rasp.  The handle is oak, with a carved basketweave pattern with brass pins for authentic flavor.  The scalloping on the spine was also done by hand with fine files.

The Bear Bowie Knife and Historic Examples

"The Bear"

The Bear Bowie was made as a prop for the feature film "Jack London's Son of the Wolf".  The character who wields this 12" blade is a Native American named Makwa (translated as Bear), who in keeping with his name is large in stature.  At the climax of the film, he engages in a knife fight with the main character, Jack McKenzie (aka the. Malamute Kid).  Jack London's short story of the same name describes the Bear's knife as a Russian blade, so I gave the bowie a crescent shaped curve to resemble a Russian shashka saber. Below are the reference photos I used for inspiration to make my knife some historical accuracy.

Auction house photo, described as a "Crow Indian" knife, with a tacked sheath.
https://www.sherwoodsspirit.com/weapons/

The bottom blade has a curved handle and no guard, similar to the Bear Bowie.  

Bowie knife attributed to having belonged to Caiaphas Ham (1820). Ham was friends of the Bowies, and this is the knife on display at the Alamo Museum in Texas, which was allegedly given to Ham by Rezin Bowie (Jim Bowie's brother).

The "Moore Bowie" is one of the knife supposedly belonging to Jim Bowie.  The tale with this one was that it was taken from Bowie's body by a Mexican soldier, and later traded to the Moore family as a form a payment for rent.  Note the slight notch at the bade of the false edge. I used this as the inspiration for the notch on the Bear Bowie, to be used as a blade-catcher. 

"Equinox" Viking Knife (photo set)

Buy this knife here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/613348749/viking-scramasax-hand-forged-with-an-ash?ref=shop_home_active_2

Forged out of a coil spring on the last day of winter, I have come to call this one the "Equinox". The six-inch drop-point blade was forged from a coil spring into a scramasax style inspired by Norwegian archaeological finds. In an effort to keep the knife as historically accurate as possible, I used mainly hand tools such as files to shape the edge bevels and a draw knife to carve the handle. The sheath is hand-stitched leather, dyed with homemade birch oil and coated with a beeswax-based leather conditioner to give it some water-resistance. 

The sheath is set up for a horizontal carry method, as in the Viking Age large knives like this would have been worn on the front of the belt. The belt loops are held in place with copper fittings in the style of some Swedish examples.

The handle is a beautiful ash wood, stained with linseed oil to bring the most out of the dark grain. It has a good feel in hand, with a slightly oval shape to it. Fairly light and well-balanced, the weight favors the blade to make it nimble in use and it would excel for hunting or camping chores. It would also serve well as a food or utility knife around the homestead. 

This is a a one-of-a-kind knife, and while I may make another one similar, there will never one quite like this one.

"Brutus": Knife Forged on the Ides of March (photo set)

Buy this knife: https://www.etsy.com/listing/594332454/vikings-companion-coilspring-knife-hand?ref=shop_home_feat_4