[Jake Wilson]

Hello all,

I have looked all over the place and I can only find profile shots of most swords. My question is this: were viking blades set flush with the guard or were the guards recessed so the blade shoulders fit into the guard instead of riding on it. I know the modern reproductions use the recessed blade design, but I was wondering about original viking swords.
'Thanks.

[Hadrian Coffin]

Both, depends on: the exact century, place of hilting, style of hilt (i.e. H, B, G, etc.), decoration, etc. I'd first figure out what style hilt and era you want, then look for corresponding historical pieces.

[Douglas S]

The guards were probably forged to fit the tang, since CNC machines were rather rare in those days.
So a good look at blades without guards should give you an idea, and there may be a fair number of those.

[Paul Hansen]

Generally speaking, guards were recessed to approximately half the thickness of the guard, so that the blade shoulders fit inside the guard, without it showing at the side of the grip.

Also logically iIt has to be like this, because the blade shoulders need to have a radius, which then needs to be recessed in the guard. A guard flush with the blade shoulders would logically mean either no radius, or the radius showing outside the guard.