Markland Merchants – Viking Haithabu / Hedeby Knife

Designed by Markland Merchants to be a historically accurate utility knife for the serious Viking reenactor, this Viking utility knife has a blade of tempered EN45 spring steel with an HRc hardness of 56-58 HRc. The grip is Poplar wood which has been intentionally left unfinished so that the reenactor can oil, stain, carve or modify the grip as desired. The Poplar wood is ideal for detailed carving which makes this knife an ideal project knife for you to customize to your own liking. The blade tang is durably secured into the hilt and the length of the tang runs about half the length of the grip.

This small Viking age knife or seax replica is crafted in a configuration that we decided upon after long hours of research. It is very much like many of the knives that reside in museums throughout Europe and Scandinavia. Examples of this type of knife would have been found all over Viking age Scandinavia, Europe, and the Eastern-Rus territories as far as Novgorod. It is not an exact example of one particular knife, it is an amalgamation of many knives of the same shape and size. Knives like these were used every day for carving wood, peeling fruit, cutting rope, or trimming meat. It was the utilitarian belt knife of the period and as such would have been readily available in large trade centers such as Haithabu/Hedeby, Jorvik, and Birka.