[Taylor Ellis]

I have a mate with a Chinese tattoo that literally translates as "a chinese word". It's hilarious when he ensnares people in a conversation loop when they ask about his tattoos.

[Allen Foster]

[Tim M.]

Up until the Swedish invasion of Finland in the mid-1200s, Finland was predominately a pagan collection of hunters and trappers, but it is agreed among most historians that there were times of Viking presence in Finland due to evidence of imported blades and such. What isn't agreed though is whether or not the Swedish or any other Viking group ever settled in Finland, mainly due to the fact that the Finnish people are not even mentioned in manuscripts until the 1000s. The closest confirmed settlement near Finland is off the coast in the Gulf of Finland.

Whether or not the sword is native to Finland is difficult to say. Even if the sword did not belong to a Viking invader, more often than not the swords or at least the blades were imported, and the patterns on the hilt are similar to the Scandinavian Urnes Style, which is credited for the most part to Norway. However, it is still possible a Finn made it or belonged to a high ranked member of a group of Finnish people.

[Allen Foster]

[Tim M.]

Contrary to popular belief, the Finns were not part of the Viking culture. They were first and foremost hunters and trappers rather than traders, sailors, and invaders like the Vikings. Up until the 1200s when the Swedes annexed Finland, there technically was not even a Finland to speak because there was no central government.

Although the writing of the Finns was similar to the Scandinavians, their language was completely different in origins and structure and phonics. Their language belongs to the Finno-Ugric group of languages that for the most part includes Estonia and Finland. The family technically belongs to the larger family of languages known as the Uralic family, but the group is the most distinct of that family to the point that some argue that the Finno Ugric group is almost unique enough to be considered a family of its own. Just for reference, Finland is NOT Scandinavian, and the Scandinavian languages are part of the Indo-European and Germanic language families.

I personally have no experience with the Finnic runes I'm afraid.

[Myles Mulkey]

[Allen Foster]

I'm not sure I can still do it without hurting the sword after what Ben Potter said. I read somewhere that back in those days bad men were referred to as a "wolves" so I was thinking something along the lines of "Wolf Slayer" might be an appropriate name.