Swords of the Viking Age - Literature review Example

of due: The Viking Art According to Wolf (2004), very littleViking-age art can be termed art in the primary sense- art for art’s sakes. Most of it is applied art and it appears as decoration on functional objects used by Viking-age Scandinavians in their daily life, such as clothes, weapons, cups, sledges, ships, buildings, memorial stones and not least brooches. It is typically abstract rather than naturalistic and it is characterized by originality, vitality and ostentation. Wolf goes on to say that it shows the Viking-age Scandinavian’s love for splendor and their penchant for displaying wealth and rank. Our knowledge of Viking art is derived primarily from archaeological findings and it has been recognized that organic materials such as wood, leather and bone of which relatively little survives must have been the most common materials. A large portion of the preserved objects is decorative metal items. As might have been expected, the most treasured metals were gold, silver, but other materials such as amber and walrus ivory were also highly prized. Main artistic style used in Viking art The Osebera style was the first art style used by the Vikings. This style was used in the first three quarters of the 9th century. This style was also known as the gripping beast since the animal patterns were continuous as in the carpet. This style was followed by the Borre style that was used in the last quarter of 9th century. It most outstanding feature was the mask-head like animal. This was commonly used in the Norse dominions. Third in line was the Jelling style that first appeared in the 10th century and it had an outstanding “S” shape of animals like snakes that were intertwined to form an open interlace pattern. The next one was the mammen style that was created in the finale half of the tenth century and lasted until the first quarter of the eleventh century. This style was named after a wealthy man’s grave from 790 and it is identified with a beautifully produced iron ax that was found in the grave. The ax was inlaid with silver wires on both sides, one with a foliate pattern and the other with a human mask and a bird, whose head is thrown back over its body. The Ringerike is the next style that developed towards the finale of the tenth century and lasted for about a century. This style shares many features with the Mammen style. Its compositions are based on axiallity and the jelling stone is usually used in this style. This style uses three main stylistic element; the lion, the snake and the extended tendril. The Urnes was the last of the Norse styles and it was used from the 11th century to the 12th century. This style used extremely stylized animals with heads and feet reduced to mere elongated terminals. Traces of color on rune stones shields, furniture and the like show that some objects were originally painted-red, blue, brown, black and white being, it seems, the most common colors. The Gotland stones are the main examples of naturalistic art, which must originally have been an important aspect of Viking art. Scenes on the Gotland picture stone appear horizontally across the stones with ribbons framing the stones and dividing the scenes. The most popular motifs on the stones are usually ships often filled with warriors in full sail across stylized waves and rider, both of which are generally considered to be of the journey to Odin’s Valholl. There is no new art style that can be said to symbolize the beginning of the Viking age in Scandinavia; it merely grew out of the art styles of previous centuries, which are ultimately derived from the provincial art of the late Roman Empire (Wolf, 2004). My main focus in Viking art is the “+VLFBERHT+” sword in the Metropolitan Museum. This sword is made of a combination of metallic materials like steel, silver and copper alloy. The “+VLFBERHT+” weighs 3lbs, 5oz i.e. 1497g the sword is believed to be of Germanic or Scandinavian origin made between the years 850-900. Background of the +VLFBERHT+ Sword The term “ulfberht” is the name given to unique Viking swords that were made between the years 850s and 1000s. There are several Viking swords that have been found presently, but only a few have been proven to be original. According to (Peirce 63), thousands of Viking swords have been recovered and out of these 171 bears the inscription “+VLFBERHT+T” or “+VLFBERHT+." The “+VLFBERHT+” inscription were on Viking swords that were in use in Scandinavia. There is little information that is available on the fabrication of the vlfberht swords, but it is believed that the swords were forged from crucible steel that was obtained from India. The raw material was chosen because it has several advantages such that the sword made from it was more resistant to breakage, and it would allow the sword smith to shape the blade to a much harder edge or to a thinner, more flexible blade without too much effort. The name “VLFBERHT” is said to be a Frankish word whose meaning is not known. The inscription “VLFBERHT” uses Latin letters. It is believed that it was the name of the sword smith who passed on his craft to his apprentices or family, or that it was the name of a collection of craftsmen. In endeavoring to decode the meaning of the name on the swords, archaeologist Dr. Alan Williams – an archaeometollorgist at the Wallace Collection, a national museum in London- looked at 44 “VLFBERHT” swords and he was able to make a significant discovery in the metallurgical composition of the 44 swords and a connection between the two different spellings; swords that were inscribed by “+VLFBERH+T” have higher carbon content –they were made from crucible steel- making them stronger and more flexible than iron swords of the time. Those swords inscribed by “+VLFBERHT+” have a much lower carbon content making them significantly weaker and brittle. It is believed that these are copies of the stronger “+VLFBERH+T” swords. Why the “+VLFBERHT+” sword was made It is believed that the “+VLFBERHT+” sword was made mostly for the elite warriors and chieftains. The sword gave those who carried it sizeable advantage over others in that it was a bit smaller in size and shape from the common Viking sword and it was also a sign of prestige. Despite the physical difference with the common Viking sword, the “+VLFBERHT+” sword was by far more durable and as it could penetrate armor more easily than the regular Viking sword. The sword’s main purpose was to give the carrier an added advantage over his opponent at war. This is because the sword could break through the enemy’s shield and mail armor. The blade was very flexible as it would not break or hung up easily when penetrating wood or steel something the normal Viking blade could not do. Because of these qualities the “+VLFBERHT+” swords were rare and were only carried by the elite in the Scandinavian society (Peirce 63). The actual source of the +VLFBERHT+ sword Many historians are not certain about the exact location of the ulfberht foundary. However, many of them are convicted that it is in Germany, a town called Solingen town. The Solingen town has been known for sword making since the medieval times. Some famous blades like the Henckel and Boker have their foundary in Solingen town. Today those blade making companies now make kitchen knives. Many of the 171 ulfberhts swords recovered from Viking burials across the Scandinavian area and northern Europe is not in the state-of –the-art form they were said to be since they had been buried for many centuries. Today, all that remains of these glorious, majestic blades, are corroded skeletons that are put up for displays in museums across the world. Since there are still very many speculations on who really “ulfberht” was, (Christopher, 53) says that it is almost certain that “ulfberht” was the name of the blade smith who first made the ulfberht sword. This is because blades bearing his name have been found in context datable to as early as C 850, while others have appeared as late the first quarter of the twelfth century. Since such stunning longevity can surely be discounted, it seems that the ulfberht was the founder of a successful family firm which continued to use his name for two centuries and more. The inscription of the name presumably guaranteed the quality of the product. As mentioned earlier, there are two collections of the ulfberht swords. They are made in part or in whole from steel which are much higher in carbon content- and lower in slag content- and which, therefore, would have been very serviceable swords. The maker’s name is spelled as “+VLFBERH+T” and no hypereutectoid steel is found in any of the swords with a variant spelling so it is evident that these were the originals. They are the highest quality, and their starting material, which could have been a very unusual raw material, which could have been an improved crucible steel. Christopher goes on to say that crucible steelmaking would usually have produced a hypereutectoid steel, if the contents were completely melted, although some of the specimens shows a variation in carbon content that suggests an imperfectly melted steel- one that remained in the ‘slushy’ range. Some eutectoid steel may well have reason for their low slag content. The original creator of the ulfberht swords was evidently a craftsman who had access to the source of high carbon steel. This may have been Igots of crucible steel from the Middle East through the River Volga. In which case, his location was maybe in the Baltic region, where this trade route ended and where most of the ulfberht swords have been found. However, after the fall of the Samanids, and the rise of the various Russians principalities, the use of this trade route by the Vikings denied. It is also notable that, at this period, the manufacturing of the ulfberht swords ceased presumably because the raw materials were no longer available as from the year 1005. Conclusion on the “ULFBERHT” sword From the above literature review and history, it is clear how the ulfberht sword came to be in the hands of the Vikings. The “ULFBERHT” sword from the metropolitan museum is not the original version the famous ulfberht swords. This is because it bears the inscription “ULFBERHT” instead of “ULFBERH+T” that shows high quality steel was used on them. The “ULFBERH+T” variety was rare then and even today probably because of the availability of the raw material or the high cost of its production. The other variety “ULFBERHT” were more and the numbers we have today reflect the same. However, both varieties of swords were superior to all other swords as they were used as a symbol of wealth and prestige by the elite among the Vikings. These swords became popular at the time for their efficiency at war and the advanced technology involved in their making. Before the ulfberht swords, all the other European swords were of the old welded pattern variety where soft iron bars were heated and welded alongside stripes of steel and then they were later forged into a blade form/shape. An edge that was made of steel was then welded on the sword to complete the look. The ulfberht sword was, however, different and superior in both technology and design. There has been a lot of suspense surrounding the Viking sword for a long time. There is no clear data as to where the raw materials for making the ulfberht sword as some historians claim that the war material was imported from India and others say that it was imported from the Middle East. This could be because the sword is quite old and also because it was made by a particular line of family members are opposed to say, a community. The information about what inspired the making of the sword and where the raw materials came from remaining buried with the ulfberht family, if I may call them so. The ulfberht sword still makes a lot o fuss today as many people want to see them and others even want to but it. Since it is ancient and no longer in production these rare swords are very expensive and most of them have been placed in museums for public displays. The swords are also quite famous today because of the Vikings whose lives have been restaged as fearless and courageous warriors of the time. There is no mentioning the ulfberht sword without mentioning the Vikings themselves since the sword was made for them- but only the elite of the Vikings. This explains why only several of the ulfberht swords were original. Works cited Harper-Bill, Christopher. The Ideals and Practice of Medieval Knighthood: 3. Woodbridge, Suffolk u.a: Boydell Pr, 1990. Print. Peirce, Ian G. Swords of the Viking Age. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2004. Print. Wolf, Kirsten. Daily Life of the Vikings. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood, 2004. Print. Read More