Thread: Viking sword documentary

Last night I was up late watching TV. I came across a documentary about the modern forging/replication of a famous Viking sword. The title is Secrets of the Viking Sword: Nova. There was a class of swords called Ulfberht that was much more advanced than any other swords being made in Europe at the time. There are only about 40 of these swords that have been discovered, with many of these being knockoffs. The documentary looks at the quality of the steel used , possible sources of the steel, and the name Ulfberht. Throughout the film shows a swordsmith making crucible steel and forging a replica(including inlaying the name Ulfberht on the blade). Anyway, for someone with little knowledge of black smithing I found the show fascinating.

+1 recommendation. Ric Furrer is the smith. His helper is Kevin Cashen. Top shelf guys both and friends of mine. Watch the show.

That is really cool that you know Mr. Furrer and his assistant!

Have you ever heard where the sword they made during the documentary ended up?

Kevin is a mastersmith in his own right. I don't know where the sword went. I suspect a museum somewhere. I might ask Ric and see what comes of the rest of the story.

Saw it. It was a very interesting presentation. Made you think about where the knowledge first came from and when??

Watched it yesterday, really interesting
thanks for sharing the link
Its always interesting to see blacksmiths in action, it seems such a pure thing
Mike

Mike Blue, I did not intend to dismiss Kevin as just an assistant. I am sure he is a great smith in his own right. Part of me hopes that the sword is in a museum alongside one of the originals, but I also like the idea of smiths or weapon experts having access to the replica for hands on study.

Johnus, I was thinking the same thing. The documentary posits that the technology came from Central Asia, but where did they learn to make crucible steel?

Mcbladescar, I enjoy watching smiths and other skilled craftsmen work. It is amazing what someone with skill can accomplish with relatively simple tools. They make it look so easy.

Watched it this morning...

Some interesting points came up about the history, I really smiled at the thought that there were "Faux Ulfberht" made with just a letter changed, good to see marketing hasn't evolved all that much in 1000+ years

I had a similar thought concerning the faux swords, kinda like razors we hear about that are made in Asia yet stamped Solingen.

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

... I did not intend to dismiss Kevin as just an assistant. I am sure he is a great smith in his own right. ...

No worries. There are any number of us who would stand in as willing forge monkeys (a term of description for the helper and generally one of respect) with little billing.