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Forum Index > Historical Arms Talk > Organic hilt components on viking swords Reply to topic
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Tim Lison




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PostPosted: Sat 16 Apr, 2011 8:46 am    Post subject: Organic hilt components on viking swords         Reply with quote

I'm looking for any photos of organic hilt components for viking style swords. I've included a few examples of some that are made of horn or bone. Does anyone have others?


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Luka Borscak




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PostPosted: Sat 16 Apr, 2011 9:53 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The first one looks metallic, which part of it is organic?
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Tim Lison




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PostPosted: Sat 16 Apr, 2011 10:58 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Luka Borscak wrote:
The first one looks metallic, which part of it is organic?


Both the pommel and guard are carved from horn. It's a "piast type-t" sword from Poland. The "piast" type hilts were all carved out of horn. It was localized to the region. There are several examples show in Lech Mareks's "Early Medieval Swords from Central and Eastern Europe: Dilemmas of an Archaeologist and a Student of Arms" Link to the book in store:
http://www.myArmoury.com/books/item.8322926243.html
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Ryan Renfro




Location: Reno, NV
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PostPosted: Sat 16 Apr, 2011 3:39 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Whalebone pommel and guard from two different swords. http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/themes/viking/viking-sword-pommel

Yorkshire Museum collection - ref. 1979.7.4752



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K J Seago




Location: Suffolk, England
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PostPosted: Sun 17 Apr, 2011 2:31 am    Post subject: hilt components         Reply with quote

here you go, i have a file full of organic hilt components, but very, very few original ones (i suppose absense of evidence etc...) anyway hope this is useful


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another handle, very little found in the way of guards, but there have been bare blades found about...

just another student of an interesting subject, Happy
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Jean Le-Palud




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PostPosted: Sun 17 Apr, 2011 7:18 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hey Tim, once again the guard shown on your number 4 picture is made of bronze, not bone as erroneously quoted in "Viking Hersir" (Osprey)
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Tim Lison




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PostPosted: Sun 17 Apr, 2011 7:54 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean Le-Palud wrote:
Hey Tim, once again the guard shown on your number 4 picture is made of bronze, not bone as erroneously quoted in "Viking Hersir" (Osprey)


Really!? Too bad...
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K J Seago




Location: Suffolk, England
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PostPosted: Mon 18 Apr, 2011 11:34 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

although the polish hilt is metal, as shown by the bone hilts, the hilt wouldnt be too hard to construct in bone, if you can get good enough material!
just another student of an interesting subject, Happy
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Tim Lison




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PostPosted: Mon 18 Apr, 2011 11:58 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

K J Seago wrote:
although the polish hilt is metal, as shown by the bone hilts, the hilt wouldnt be too hard to construct in bone, if you can get good enough material!


I'm not quite sure I understand your post. The Polish hilt is horn, it's the first one. Did you mean the Welsh guard which is actually bronze, pictured last?
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K J Seago




Location: Suffolk, England
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PostPosted: Wed 20 Apr, 2011 1:58 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

im sorry if i have garbled my words, i believed that the image of the hilt on the front cover of
Early Medieval Swords from Central and Eastern Europe: by Lech Marek
is bronze, and that style would be easy to copy onto an organic hilt, i have the book myself somewhere, but cannot seem to find it at the moment to verify, or correct myself as to its material, anyway the original point i was attempting to get across is that most designs in inorganic material could well be attempted and replicated in organics.

just another student of an interesting subject, Happy
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Tim Lison




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PostPosted: Wed 20 Apr, 2011 10:18 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

K J Seago wrote:
im sorry if i have garbled my words, i believed that the image of the hilt on the front cover of
Early Medieval Swords from Central and Eastern Europe: by Lech Marek
is bronze, and that style would be easy to copy onto an organic hilt, i have the book myself somewhere, but cannot seem to find it at the moment to verify, or correct myself as to its material, anyway the original point i was attempting to get across is that most designs in inorganic material could well be attempted and replicated in organics.


Ahh...OK. I just went back to read the description of the sword once again and Lech Marek is pretty specific about it being horn. I think it's a damn cool sword.
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