posted 05-25-2000 12:50 PM               

I'm building a sax (or seax or scramaseax) with authenticity in mind. I'm starting with a Damascus Bowie blade, but the hilt is giving me some problems. I'm never seen a picture of a surviving contemporary hilt. I have some pix of repros from Paul Chen: http://www.fantasycutlery.com/swords/daggers/07scramasax.html
and Del Tin: http://www.swords.co.za/catalogue/dt/dt2060.htm

The question is: Where did they get their designs from? Are there any illustrations on-line?

posted 05-25-2000 04:18 PM               

Note that vanishingly few of these knives ever had metal fittings like crossguards or pommels; almost invaribly they had organic grips (probably wood) that seldom survive.

There is at least one exception: a Viking Age knife currently in a private collection that has survived not only with an intact grip, but it also has a "sandwich" type crossguard reminiscent of the Migration Aera swords. A photo appears in a recent book on Mediaeval warfare, the exact title eludes me at this time. The grip is especially interesting, as it features an elaborate "raven's head" at the end of it. I have done similar work on my saxes without even realising that it is historically accurate to do so - lucky coincidence.

posted 05-25-2000 08:45 PM               

Peterson, Harold L. "Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World - From the Stone Age till 1900" Figures 11 & 12, and pages 9-11 in the text discuss Scramasaxes. The examples depicted are both 6th century Frankish.

Harrison, Mark. "Anglo-Saxon Thegn - 449-1066 AD" Osprey Warrior Series - has a good summary of sax blade types.

Nicolle, David. "Medieval Warfare Source Book - Volume I: Warfare in Western Christendom" This is the one I couldn't remember. Page 81 has a spectacular sax, dated to the 9th - 10th centuries, which has a sort of raven grip. It is in a private collection, with no attribution, other then the fact it is Scandinavian (gee, that really helped, didn't it? I hate unattributed finds). An interesting feature, though, are the circles that appear in the wood in the crossguard and grip; they are very similar to examples from two swords found in the river Scheldt (dated to 400 AD & 650 AD, respectively. Plates 24 & 25 of Oakeshott's "Archaeology of Weapons") and an Anglo-Saxon Thorr's Hammer (depicted in HR Ellis Davidson's "Scandinavian Mythology")

posted 05-26-2000 05:54 AM            

Reportedly found in the Netherlands in the 1930s in the same general region as the Migration Period ship's prow now in the British Museum. (overall picture added 7/24)

posted 05-26-2000 12:20 PM               

Second, my Oakeshott only goes to Plate 22. No Plates 24 & 25. Did I get gypped? Natheless, the circular marks remind me of Oakeshott's observation that some weapons are obviously decorated by the smith; I believe these easily-crafted circles may be in that class...

"Nicolle, David. "Medieval Warfare Source Book - Volume I: Warfare in Western Christendom" This is the one I couldn't remember. Page 81 has a spectacular sax, dated to the 9th - 10th centuries, which has a sort of raven grip. It is in a private collection, with no attribution, other then the fact it is Scandinavian (gee, that really helped, didn't it? I hate unattributed finds). An interesting feature, though, are the circles that appear in the wood in the crossguard and grip; they are very similar to examples from two swords found in the river Scheldt (dated to 400 AD & 650 AD, respectively. Plates 24 & 25 of Oakeshott's "Archaeology of Weapons") and an Anglo-Saxon Thorr's Hammer (depicted in HR Ellis Davidson's "Scandinavian Mythology")"

posted 05-26-2000 12:58 PM               

Also, I bet you have an earlier edition of Archaeology of Weapons - mine is '94 or '96, and has some additional material, which includes the sword hilts mentioned, amoung other stuff.

As for the decoration, I also failed to mention that the crosshatching on the metal parts of the crossguard is also duplicated on the above hilts. What is significant is that the same motif spans literally centuries, from the 4th to the 10th. It seems to me that it likely (though not inevitably) has some sort of special meaning, but I'll be fudged if I know what. I think HR Ellis Davidson discussed the circles with respect to the Thorr's hammer; I should probably look at that again.

posted 05-26-2000 01:28 PM               

I just got my copy! Only cost me $10.95 (maybe that's why). Dover edition, 1996. Hmmm..

posted 05-26-2000 06:51 PM               

Mine is a Barnes & Noble, I'm pretty sure (it's not in front of me right now.) I suspect Dover was copying the earlier '60's vintage edition of the book, which would lack any newer material. I feel very lucky to have the B&N.

posted 05-27-2000 09:22 PM               

Osprey Men at Arms Elite series has "Vikings" with some good photos of saxes in it.

posted 06-17-2000 05:01 PM            

Agantyr - This would have been the first publication in color, it is from an original slide made in the early 90s. The whole thing is about a foot long. The blade has a band of pattern welding which I also have a close-up photo of on the same photoCD, if there is interest. The hilt is carved of one piece of wood rather than being of sandwich construction; the bronze is actually thin elliptical rings.

posted 12-23-2000 08:13 AM            

If you are about, do you have any idea if the circles are simply decorations in themselves, or if they are impressions left by some sort of studs no longer present? It almost appears as if the shaft of such studs may still be present. Also, you state that the grip is not of sandwich construction, but is it "open" at the bottom? It looks like we're viewing the edge of the tang.

posted 12-30-2000 07:37 PM               

Alcock, Leslie " Arthur's Britian, History and Archaeology, A.D. 367 - 634. Penguin Books. 1971.

posted 01-02-2001 07:17 PM               

1) Oakeshott, R. Ewart. The Archaeology of Weapons. Frederick A. Praeger. New York. 1960. Page 118 Figure 49. The caption states that it is from Vimose. It looks rather like a chef's steak knife with a full tang continuing from the back of the blade with slab grips riveted to it. There is no guard or pommel. Oakeshott describes saexes from the Vimose and Nydam finds as, "broad bladed weapons slightly curved in the back and more strongly curved on the edge with an acute point."

2) Alcock, Leslie. Arthur's Britain Penguin Books. 1973. Page 328 Figure 28. Figure 28e A Saex from Burwell Cambridgeshire. Length overall = 25". Blade length = 15". Straight, single edge with a bowie type clipped back, curved front tip = 3". The blade width = 1.7", with a single fuller down the back. Hidden tang = 10" down the center of the blade. There may be a simple guard no wider than the blade. No pommel. There is a second blade, 28f from Shudy Camps Cambridgeshire. Length overall = 19". Blade length = 11.5". Straight, single edge with a bowie type clipped back, curved front tip = 3". The blade width = 1.4", there may be a narrow fuller down the back but it is hard to tell from the drawing. Hidden tang = 7.5" down the center of the blade. No guard. Simple cap pommel.