Here is a more intact example of the Hornknap style of sword. The 'horn' part refers to the shape of the 'cap' , not the material.
As you can see from this example, the new find from Denmark is missing some of the grip and the lower guard:-

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It's on display at Moesgard but the find is from Northern Germany.
This miniature, amuletic version (from Borum Eshøj) is on display in the same case, as is another full size example with the same hilt fittings intact.

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NIce sword found on Iceland. I guess now I have to take up goose hunting. Looks to be a nice piece and interesting hilt. Not sure if its missing an upper section to the pommel or not. Also maybe a sandwich construction but tough to tell from pics. Hope to see this after conservation.

BBC Story

Iceland Press

RT story most pics

Kirk's thread on hilt types to begin sorting out this piece. :)

Have a great day
Craig

Well-preserved Viking age "forked" arrowhead - from 900-1050 AD - found in melting Norwegian glacier.
Probably a guy who missed his shot after a reindeer and failed to relocate the arrow afterwards.
Source: http://sciencenordic.com/viking-arrowheads-em...n-glaciers

At the newly found viking ring fortress near Køge in the eastern part of Sjælland (now called Borgring) they have located an entire toolbox with contents.
This is a rare find (best so far was the Mestermyr chest from Gotland found in 1936) and was possibly deposited just before the ring fortress was attacked and burned down (likely when Svend Forkbeard and the people of Sjælland rebelled against his father King Harald Bluetooth as the most famous ringfortress Trelleborg near Slagelse in the western part of Sjælland also have strong indications of being destroyed by a successful attack).
It is possible though that is was deposited after the attack by someone doing some work in the fortress.

Conservation needs to be done to really see what these lumps of iron really are, but so far the guess are they are wood-carving instruments. There are 14 tools in the box.

English: http://sciencenordic.com/archaeologists-discover-viking-toolbox
Danish: http://videnskab.dk/kultur-samfund/se-vaerkto...ive-aabnet

Here is a better photo of the bronze sword found in that Pylos grave, dating to around 1500 BC. Hilt is gold plated.

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Here are some really spectacular items found in Scotland. Sword, with scabbard bits, Spear head with gold all Bronze age find in larger complex being excavated for Futball Fields. Really great things!!

Scottish Bronze Age Sword and more

BBC story

The Sun Story

Hmm is this the same find?? Sept 16 Find

Best
Craig

edited to add links
edited again to add possible dup from Sept16

I'm drawing up a blank page. Maybe it's my 'puter. :wtf: Might want to check your link, though. :) ....McM

Oops, there it is! My bad. :) ...McM

Wow....that is tooo cool. :D Must have belonged to a chieftain, or a really famous(in his-or her :?: time) warrior. That sword and spear ....woof!..........McM

Late viking age grave from Denmark with sword was re-discovered in 2009 near Næsby in Himmerland, Northern Jutland.
(short excavation made in 1951 - but this re-discovery has brought new speculation and discoveries to light).
So this is a new hypothesis brought forward last month about the identity of the guy buried with the sword:

The quality of the sword shows the wearer was a prominent man and it can now be determined that a structure (chapel, church?) was build over the grave!
[ Linked Image ]
Source: http://nyheder.tv2.dk/lokalt/2017-01-23-arkae...lig-fundet

A metal-analyses shows that the blade is of central european iron and it has an "in Nomini Dei" inscription.
The sword should also contain copper and silver (not specified but probably either on the pommel or the inscription?).

Danish interview with Bjarne Henning Nielsen shows the sword just after 0.10 & 1.40 min:
Source: http://www.tv2nord.dk/artikel/rester-af-valde...t-i-naesby

Other sources:
(english): http://cphpost.dk/news/danish-archaeologist-m...chief.html
(spanish): http://www.gciencia.com/historias-gc/atopan-a...u-galicia/

It is the opinion of the excavator that these might be the grave of Jarl (Earl) Ulf "galicienfarer" = "Galicia-traveller", who went on Crusades in Spain (or viking attacks, whatever the perspective is) from 1028-1048, who came from this area of Jutland.

[Himmerland was called in older Danish "Himbreland" - likely the site of origin for the Cimbri mentioned by Roman writers as Germanic has the sound change of k- -> h- which doesn't happen in Latin].

Jarl Ulf "Galicia-traveller" was the father of Jarl Thrugot Ulfsen "fagerskind" = "beautiful-skin", who became the "named" ancestor of the powerful Thrugot-family, which gave Denmark its two first arch-bishops of Lund (Asser & Eskild). He was the hird-leader of Svend Estridsen (King 1047-1076)

Thrugot Ulfsen "fagerskind" was the mother of Bodil Thrugotsdatter, who was married to Danish King Erik Ejegod (she died on pilgrimage in Jerusalem in 1103). Their children were Knud Lavard - father of Valdemar the Great (King 1137-1182) - Harald Kesja and Erik Emune (King 1134-1137)

This is off course still speculation, but it is likely that the grave was a prominent person and so far Jarl Ulf "galicia-traveller" fits (especially since a chapel was build over the grave). It has to be mentioned that the area contains another 24 graves from the viking age possibly from the time of Harald Bluetooth.

Hi Niels,
Very interesting find, thanks for sharing! I hope more information will eventually be forthcoming...

The pommel seems to be your basic tea-cozy shape, Petersen's type X? Difficult to tell from the camera angle and physical condition... It would be pretty unusual (but not unique) for there to be any copper/silver embellishments on this type of pommel.

If the inscription is literally "in nomine Dei" and not the similar (and common) "in nomine Domini", then this also seems noteworthy. Actually, I can only think of one example of a sword where "Dei" (genitive form of "Deus"/God) is used - in an inscription of "homo Dei" on the reverse of an Ingelrii sword. In this time frame, and this type of inscription, and paired with this type of pommel, an iron-inlaid inscription would be typical I think - so again, an unusual feature if it is the inscription that is inlaid in copper/silver.

So either way, I think there are questions that remain to be answered! :?:

I will be keeping an eye on this. I would be greatly interested in what the sheath material is composed of on the fragment that was found! ;) .....McM

Thanks for tracking down these details and references! :D

If that illustration accurately represents the appearance of the inscription, it seems to require a fair bit of imagination to get any meaning from it, unfortunately... Also it does make me think that the inscription is iron-inlaid after all, since it specifically shows how the letters are formed of broad strips of metal, which I don't you find with precious metal inlays.