Tuesday, July 24, 2018

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

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