Jeff Helmes custom sword...Baltic Viking style -- myArmoury.com

Tim Lison

I've been on a Baltic region kick for a while and this is my latest sword resulting from that fascination. I have wanted a single edged Lituanian/Baltic area viking era sword for a long time. They usually have the "antennae style pommels, but I went with something different. This first post is the original pieces used for the sword concept as well as a drawing of original pieces, the sword itself is in the next post:

Tim Lison · Posted: Fri 14 Mar, 2014 4:54 pm Post subject:

Here's the sword itself:
It's 34.5 inches altogether, with a blade of 28.5. As you can see, it has a slight curve towards the blade which is present in period pieces. It adds quite a bit of power to the swing. Although I haven't cut with it, I believe it would be devastating in that role...

Michael Pikula · Industry Professional

Jeff did a great job on this piece, and it was a pleasure to hold when I visited him last summer. The scabbard was still in the works and it it turned out amazing!

Great work Jeff, and congrats to Tim.

Greg E · Posted: Fri 14 Mar, 2014 6:37 pm Post subject:

That is an amazing piece of sword art! The single edged Viking sword and Baltic/Swedish style axe have been what is drawing my eye lately. Congratulations.

Robin Smith · Posted: Fri 14 Mar, 2014 9:18 pm Post subject:

Oh wow, this is great Tim! Definitely a unique piece. I really like it.

Lemme ask you... The full length picture, the hilt parts look darker than the blade. Is that just a trick of the light?

Tim Lison · Posted: Fri 14 Mar, 2014 11:46 pm Post subject:

J Helmes · Industry Professional

Hello Everyone,

This project was a real treat and I'm grateful to Tim for the opportunity to work on such a unique style of sword. These are seldom seen in reproductions. Despite its' unusual form the balance isn't so much different from other swords of the period. It's a little shorter and weightier at the top, but it handles very nicely. It is a brutal cutter. The blade shape and slight forward curve make this sword very effective . I imagined Baltic pirates the whole time I was with this piece. Maximum damage from a blade that doesn't require a vast amount of space. Aesthetically the form also sets it aside from the archetypal sword, at least in my mind. The sword as a status symbol is somewhat overshadowed by its' pure practicality and effectiveness . Not a king's sword but perhaps the weapon of some sea bound warlord .

Julien M · Posted: Sat 15 Mar, 2014 6:53 am Post subject:

Jeff this is a magnificent piece, and a very unusual design. Your scabbard work is amazing too.
Looking forward to see more as usual!

J.D. Crawford · Posted: Sat 15 Mar, 2014 6:46 pm Post subject:

Congratulations Tim, great choice of design and Smith. I watched this piece grow on Jeff's site and wondered who would choose such a sword. Now it makes sense. Turned out great!

I also look forward to seeing how Jeff's Steinsvik project turns out. Wonder who commissioned that one?

Robert Môc · Industry Professional

Interestingsword.Nice work,Jeff.

Jarno-T. Pälikkö · Industry Professional

Hello chaps,

First, I have to say that that is a very cool looking sword you have there! I am a huge fan of forward curving blades, so I find this blade very, very appealing – actually, it is almost like a Viking-era yataghan! I do like the leather work and the suspension system with strap-divider is just great!

However – and I hope you do not take this the wrong way – the original sword found from Ilomäki, Loppi that is displayed in Finnish National Museum is not such a cool weapon in real life. In fact, the original is a rather flimsy piece of ironwork… For some reason the sword has been labeled as a Z-type sword, even though the construction of the hilt is quite different.

The guard is made of sheet-iron that has been folded over after the tang-hole has been punched through in the middle and some decorative lines have been made with a cold-chisel. Most probably the pommel parts are the same - at least the pommel appears to be made of sheet-iron. The tang has been riveted through the pommel and there are no connecting rivets between upper guard and the pommel. The blade is quite thin, especially near the hilt and every time I have been looking at this sword, I have wondered how practical /durable sword it has been in its lifetime…

As I said, I hope that the stuff above is not taken in a wrong way, but the sad fact is, that not all the ancient swords & other stuff that have been found are exquisite masterworks or even of decent workmanship, the other side of quality repertoire existed as well…

(Btw. the found place “Ilomäki” translates as “Happy hill” or “Hill of happiness”!)

JT

Tim Lison · Posted: Mon 17 Mar, 2014 12:12 pm Post subject:

I thought the guard looked hollow! I was right!!!! Well, the nice thing about history is that it's in the past! I think we used that piece as more of a jumping off point than something to be recreated perfectly and I'm glad we did. I'll put this one into the "could've been" pile! Either way, I love it!
Would love to see some better pics of the original if you ever get to the museum...

Jeremy V. Krause · Posted: Mon 17 Mar, 2014 2:58 pm Post subject:

What a great addition to your collection Tim!

This is a really handsome sword and I bet it handles wonderfully.

J Helmes · Industry Professional

Ha! You were right about the cross Tim! Good eye sir!

Tim Lison · Posted: Mon 17 Mar, 2014 6:00 pm Post subject:

Jarno-T. Pälikkö · Industry Professional

I can try to take some pictures of the original piece next time I visit the museum, but for some inexplicalble reason that sword display is very badly lit and using flash in the museum is forbidden...
In all, it appears that our National Museum takes some kind of perverse pride in their skill of "hiding" the best objects in the displays. For example, the fabulous patternwelded Marikkovaara spearhead is very difficult to spot or see underneath all kind of "ordinary stuff" that has been piled on the glass plate on top of it!!

JT

Tim Lison · Posted: Tue 18 Mar, 2014 10:54 am Post subject:

Jussi Ekholm · Posted: Tue 18 Mar, 2014 4:09 pm Post subject:

That looks like a fine sword, I like it a lot.

I have to agree with JT, taking pictures of certain items in our National Museum seems to be a huge task. And unfortunately this particular sword is very badly lit like JT said, and I had only my phone as a camera. So unfortunately you can't see much in these 2 pics...

For comparison here is professionally taken photo of that sword, there is quite a bit of difference... Happy

For some reason I can't get it image tagged, so just copy the link.

[img]https://www.finna.fi/thumbnail.php?id=musketti.M012%3AAKD10908%3A1&size=large[/img]

Tim Lison · Posted: Tue 18 Mar, 2014 7:17 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the pics! That museum is lit in a rather "atmospheric" way! Adds to the mystery...

Jean Le-Palud · Posted: Thu 20 Mar, 2014 5:19 am Post subject:

Here is a picture I took at the museum, it clearly shows how the lower guard was made...