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In my
opinion, one of the most exciting places in the world for a sword
collector is Denmark. Besides being a beautiful country, Demark is
a cornucopia of “bog finds.” Bogs
are marshes near lakes or wet areas that were once lakes or small
bodies of water. For centuries,
the inhabitants of this area of Europe
have deposited items in these bogs by accident or more commonly
as an 0ffering (votive deposit). The Nydam Bog find is one such “votive deposit.”
First
excavated in the 1700’s, the Nydam Bog contains four primary groups
of deposits that include 2 ships (the renowned Nydam boat and the
Pine boat), swords, shields, lances, spears, axes, arrows, personal
items, and knives. The number
of items is so concentrated that excavators referred to them as
a “complicated game of pick-up-sticks.”
These items are dated between 250-450 AD with the largest deposits occurring in the 4th
and 5th century AD.
Seaxes
have always interested me, so when I became familiar with the Nydam
find, I was immediately drawn to the seaxes. These seaxes are simple. They could have been utility knives or back-up
weapons or both. They seem
to exhibit some of the characteristics that are not desirable in
a modern knife. For example,
many of them have a small “belly” to the blade.
In addition, many of them have simple wood handles that are
just pushed into place without the benefit of a custom fit.
Some of the examples have small but stylish rivet blocks,
others are simply peened over an iron disk.
Many
of the Nydam seaxes exhibit decorative file work on the spine.
This simple feature breaks up the line of the spine and catches
the eye. In spite of these
modern knifemaking “faux pas,” these seaxes have a harmonious look
that is characteristic of their time period. The modern collector must be careful to consider
them in light of their historical context.
I have
tried to recreate a variety of Nydam “inspired” seaxes using the
best examples from the find. Three
have rivet blocks and two are simply peened over an iron disk.
I have tried to fill in the blanks where the historic examples
were heavily corroded and provided little guidance as to the overall
shape. The results, I believe,
are worthy of the originals. The
seaxes are hand forged 1080 steel and each blade was heat-treated
by me. In addition, the fittings
are made of iron. Each seax
comes with a leather storage sheath made by Tami Donisi.
Price: $350 per seax (sheath included) plus $25 domestic
shipping (International
shipping will be quoted at time of purchase).
I can take
check, money order or PayPal (my PayPal e-mail is ericmycue@verizon.net). Please add 3% to total. Below you will find pictures and details for
each seax. Other photos of
each seax are available on request.
Please put the number of the seax you are inquiring about
in the subject of the e-mail. Interested parties can contact me at eric@albionarmorers.com.
Nydam
Seax 1
SOLD
Blade
Length: 9.5” (24.1 cm)
Overall
Length: 14” (35.6 cm)
Grip:
Walnut
Nydam
Seax 2
SOLD
Blade
Length: 9.75” (24.8 cm)
Overall
Length: 13.75” (34.4 cm)
Grip:
Boxwood
Nydam
Seax 3
SOLD
Blade
Length: 10.625” (27 cm)
Overall
Length: 15” (38.1 cm)
Grip:
Maple (stained)
Nydam
Seax 4
SOLD
Blade
Length: 10.5” (26.7 cm)
Overall
Length: 14.625” (37.1 cm)
Grip:
Boxwood
Nydam Seax
5
SOLD
Blade
Length: 10” (25.4 cm)
Overall
Length: 14.125” (35.9 cm)
Grip:
Maple (stained)
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