Hi all,

I saw this article and thought it would be of interest. In particular I really like how nicely defined the fuller is.
I am always surprised with how simple the fittings on these types of swords tend to be, considering just how expensive the sword would had been at the time.

http://secretsoftheice.com/news/2017/09/05/viking-sword/

https://youtu.be/xwTwY6YHfv8

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Well, there is that theory that type M "upper guards" and pommels were basic fittings that cutler would put on a sword so that it is functional, but wealthier customers would order new fancy fittings after choosing their blade.

I read this article earlier today, but there were no pictures included. Do the pictures make anyone else wonder about authenticity? It strikes me that the rust/corrosion looks fairly new, and the grip length appears quite long.

Having looked at the context of the find and the group doing the archaeology, the very cold and dry conditions there (the sword was likely in ice for most of the last 1000 years), and seeing a herringbone pattern in the fuller in a closeup, I don't doubt this is the real deal.

I'm glad that someone else made mention that this could be a possible hoax. I didn't want to be the first to say it, but that blade looks very 'crisp' to have been in permafrost for centuries. But, look at Utzi, the 'Ice-Man'---He made it through the ages in bare flesh. I guess a Viking-age sword could do the same. This particular sword----I wouldn't be afraid to polish it up, re-grip it, and build a nice scabbard for it. That may sound like blasphemy to some, or a good idea to others----either way, it's a nice sword. It just looks sooo much like a Deepeeka to me. :wtf: .......McM

Permafrost is permanently frozen ground. I don't think this sword was ever in the ground. This is rescue archaeology due to the retreating ice fields, so this sword was probably lost by somebody traversing the ice somehow and not recovered; the sword would be covered by later snowfalls and protected in the ice until recently, when the retreating ice field left the sword on top of the field of broken rock.

What I am interested in, when the sword gets a clean and scan, will there be inlaid letters on the blade?

Nothing wrong with wishful thinking. :) It wouldn't surprise me a bit to see 'INDIA' stamped into the blade. Sorry to be such a pessimist, but this looks just too good to be true. If it IS REAL....I'll gladly eat my own words. I hope it's genuine....I really do....but, I'm not going to sit here holding my breath. I've seen some reeeeeally good fakes in my fifty years. ;) .....McM

I'm also thinking about the picture with the hand holding the hilt....unless that's an awfully narrow hand, that exposed tang is at least 5" long....
Like others I'm not crying hoax, but I am certainly skeptical. Just found lying on the ground.....needs measurements checked to see if that reveals a typology misfit - not a guarantee, but certainly an indication.

I just want to point out that the sword was found from Southern part of Norway, not from Finland. It was found from Oppland province: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppland

We don't have any places in Finland that reach 1640 meters.

Type M swords often had a bit longer grips. Also an argument for theory that M hilts aren't meant to stay on the sword for long.

New details on the Lesja sword now that it is ready for conservation. This shows clearly to me this is no fake, and as a bonus, the article has all the important details (measurements, weight, basic construction) to make a replica of this sword:

https://www.khm.uio.no/english/research/collections/objects/15/sword_lesja.html