9th Century Anglo-Saxon Swords

         Swords are a popular object that has played a role in battles as well as symbolism throughout a large part of history. Before the creation of advanced artillery like guns swords were the weapon of choice. In addition to being used in battle swords are also a symbol of strength and power. Part of the medieval knight's uniform was always a sword. Knights were looked up to and respected because they were protective and a figure of authority. A knight and a sword is a classic pairing which is why swords are viewed as a sacred item. Swords come in all different shapes and sizes and vary in what they look like from time period and place they are from. For example a sword from 11th century China would be very different form a sword form 8th century France. This blog's focus is on Anglo-Saxon swords from the 9th century. The Anglo-Saxons were people who lived in Great Britain beginning in the 5th century. These people were part of German tribes and moved into England. Swords were often very decorative especially on the handle and pommel. The pommel is the portion of the sword that separates the handle from the blade. These will often be made out of metal and have different designs carved into them. 9th century Anglo-Saxon swords can often be identified by the "silver-wire and niello technique" which was used to create designs on the metal. Pictured below is an actual Anglo-Saxon pommel from the 9th Century. This piece is on display at the Metropolitan Museum Of  Art in New York City. 

9th Century Anglo-Saxon Sword Pommel

         Anglo-Saxons in the 9th century used the pattern welding technique when creating the blades of their swords. Pattern welding is when metal rods are welded together and then carved down, the rods were twisted in different directions depending on what shape the maker wanted. Twisting the rods leaves an wavy pattern on the metal that can be seen after the blades have been worn down over hundreds of years. The reason the sword maker would use pattern welding is because twisting the rods helped to distribute strength and weakness equally throughout the whole blade. The Anglo-Saxon people also sharpened their blades differently than others around the world. Many other sword makers would make a large piece of metal in a somewhat general shape of the blade, for example a long skinny rectangle. They would then take this shape and sharpen it down a lot to created the desired blade. Doing it this way took of a large amount of metal while sharpening. The Anglo-Saxons did the opposite. They would start with a piece of metal that was very close to the shape of the blade they wanted. They would then sharpen the blade and only take off a very little amount of the metal.

         Although, swords are not used as much as they have been in the past they will continue to change in shape and design. Swords represent the people of their time and place of origin. And even though there are no more knights in shining armor the sword will continue to live on in its symbolism of power and strength.