![unscrew the pommel and end him rightly unscrew the pommel and end him rightly](https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/images/Side-sword8.jpg)
However, it was also brittle, and could easily shatter if the force of impact was large enough. Steel on the other hand was much harder and could be sharpened to an edge, and retain that edge. It was a fairly malleable material, but could still be beaten out of shape, and had to be regularly sharpened. Iron, while much harder than bronze, was still not quite hard enough to hold an edge. The technique was referred to as Pattern Welding, and was the answer to the two main problems that iron and steel swords had. The Viking method of forging blades was passed down from the later Iron Age, around the time that steel was developed.
![unscrew the pommel and end him rightly unscrew the pommel and end him rightly](https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/014/034/159/large/hammer-and-forge-studios-gladiusmkiv-01-30juna1-complete-59.jpg)
The Spatha eventually traveled north, where it was developed into the weapon used by the Norsemen, and Vikings. Eventually it replaced the Gladius among front line troops, providing them with a longer reach. Their use was widespread among the conscripted Germanic troops, and found wide use among heavy infantry in later years. The Spatha was a much longer sword than the Gladius, and was developed for use by Cavalry officers, who would have need of the longer reach the Spatha provided from horseback. Strong similarities can be seen between the Roman Gladius and the Celtic swords, especially in the shape of the grip, which in both cases does not feature a cross piece.īefore the Gladius developed into the Viking sword, however, there was one more evolutionary stage, that also took place among the Romans. The Gladius was not the primary weapon of the infantry, who focused instead more on tight formations and the pilum, or spear. It was a short steel sword, similar to the Greek swords, used in close quarters. The Roman Gladius is a fairly iconic sword, that is recognizable even by people with no interest in historical weaponry. The next step in the evolution of the Viking sword was oddly enough carried on by the Romans. During this period, however, smiths learned new techniques and slowly discovered the method by which to make steel, which resulted in swords that were harder to break, and more capable of holding an edge.Īs the Celtic culture declined, other cultures picked up on their iron and steel working techniques, which led to the creation of several swords inspired by the Celtic design over the course of history. Quenching techniques had not yet been developed so iron swords were created using the same forging techniques used to create bronze swords.
![unscrew the pommel and end him rightly unscrew the pommel and end him rightly](https://i.imgur.com/czMC3GY.jpg)
The Celtic sword, several examples of which are shown in the image above, were relatively crude weapons when compared to later steel weapons. The story of the viking sword most likely used by Beowulf begins with the Celtic culture at the dawn of the Iron Age. At the beginning of the Iron Age, iron replaced bronze as the primary material used to create swords and other weapons. Just to provide a little background, I'll briefly go over the evolution of the viking sword, starting at the Iron Age. This is a repost of a post from my other blog, but I felt like its true home is here. I decided to go over the poem, and provide some information on the development of swords at the time, and their place in society.
![unscrew the pommel and end him rightly unscrew the pommel and end him rightly](https://www.dailydot.com/wp-content/uploads/a6e/cd/23633c0b3c9dd3fc-e1489445211349.jpg)
One such epic, Beowulf provides a good example of the importance swords played in ancient European culture. Swords hold a place of importance in the classic epics.