Introduction
The long knives spread around the Baltic Sea in the period of the 10th and 11th centuries represent a not very numerous group of weapons, which in recent decades has received increased attention from academics (e.g. Stjerna 2007; Kainov 2019: 102-112) and historical reenactors (e.g. Vlasatý 2020; 2021a; 2021b; 2022a; 2022b; 2023; 2024). The joint efforts of these two interest groups led to the mapping, determination of basic parameters and ultimately the definition of various regionally specific variants of decoration.
The common denominators of long knives are a total length of 27-60 cm (most commonly 35-50 cm), a blade width of 1.7-3 cm and a spine thickness of 0.5-2.5 cm (most commonly around 1 cm). The length of the handles, which were made of wood, bone or antler, is 9-13 cm. The handles could be wrapped with wire wrap. The weight of the blades without handles is 100-330 grams. Blades were made from a three-part or five-part sandwiches with a steel core (Arrhenius 1974: 105; Puškina – Rozanova 1992: 215; Tvauri 2012: 187-8). Sheaths cover the entire knife, including the handle, and are hung with the cutting edge pointing upwards. In order to be able to pull the knives out of their sheaths, they usually have small eyelets at the ends of the handles, originally filled with a leather strap. The first division we can make divides the group into:
- Knives that have longitudinal grooves on their spines, which are the result of production and which should be understood as a sign of quality. Knives with these grooves are usually not combined with decorated sheaths (Stjerna 2007: 245), although, for example, the knife from the Vendel IX grave has a groove.
- Knives with flat spines and sheaths that are decorated with edge fittings (chapes, grooved clamps, fittings of the widened part of the sheath and hanging mechanism).
These variants indicate different strategies in the presentation of the knives. Knives with grooves on the spines of the blades are found in Estonia (Mandel 1977: 240), Finland (Salmo 1938: 160), Latvia (Atgāzis 2019: 79) and Sweden (Stjerna 2007). Further differentiation can be found in the group of knives with decorated sheaths, which can be divided into two main groups:
- Standard components of Baltic and Gotland sheaths were elongated chapes, clamps, fittings of the fittings of the widened part of the sheath, metal bands encircling the handle and rings used to hang the sheath. Some sheaths have additional decoration on the surface in the form of rhombic applications or toothed fittings. The fittings, with the exception of the rings, are made of copper alloy. The surface of most of the fittings is decorated with a triangular punching, lacking openwork, underlaid lining and tinning. The rings are simple, made of strong iron or copper alloy wire. Sheathed knives of this group have copper alloy wire wrapped handles.
Fig. 1: An example of a long knife from Priekuļi Gugeri.
Source: Apala – Zariņa 1991: 4. att.
- Sheath fittings for long knives from Central Sweden and Old Rus include chape, clamps, fittings of the widened part of the sheath and hanging mechanism. Sheaths lack bands encircling the handle and are never decorated with a triangular punch. The fittings are made of tinned copper alloy, with a characteristic stepped edge and openwork that reveals a contrasting copper alloy lining. The rings are cast. The sheathed knives of this group have handles wrapped in silver wire.
Fig. 2: Examples of knives from central Sweden: Valsgärde 12 and 15.
Source: Pedersen 2014: Pl. 63.
Of course, there are exceptions that indicate a blending of both styles. One of them is the tinned and openwork sheath fittings from Dreņģeru-Čunkāni (Atgāzis 1994: 25), which is simultaneously combined with triangular stamping and a band encircling the handle. Another good example is the copper alloy wire-wrapped long knife from grave 230 from the site of Kopparsvik, Gotland, the fitting of which is tinned and lined, but at the same time stamped with a triangular stamp and supplemented with a band encircling the handle (Thunmark-Nylén 1995: Abb. 314a-b; 2000: 860). Because of the obvious similarities and the aforementioned limited intermingling of styles, the groups cannot be understood as entirely separate traditions, but rather as two dominant variants of a single fashion that spread in the Baltic region in the 10th century.
Research to date has focused on the categorization of finds according to their obvious metal elements, which are captured in not very detailed photographs, drawings and written descriptions. It is standard practice for long knives to be examined by people without practical knowledge of their manufacture and use, which results in the vast majority of examined knives being shown, as a rule, from the front view, without focusing on the sides. It is also a matter of course that the organic component of older finds suffered significant damage due to poor conservation. As a result, many important details can be missed.
In the article below, we will present an overlooked detail of long knife sheaths, which consists in interlaying the edges of the sheaths with a thin sheet of copper alloy. We will focus on mapping all known interlaid parts and an attempt to justify this phenomenon. We will also include experimental reconstructions. The article is dedicated to all academics and craftsmen who are devoted to the problem of early medieval militaria. At the same time, it can serve as an illustrative example of the importance of a detailed reading of archaeological finds.
Fig. 3: Detailed measurement of the long knife from grave Bj 581 in Birka.
Author: Peter Johnsson, https://swordreflections.com.
Description of the group
Some long knife sheath from the 2nd and 3rd quarter of the 10th century show an unusual way of interlacing the edges, which is insufficiently described in the basic literature or is completely absent (see Volken – Goubitz 2020). The interlacing consists in the fact that a thin (~0.5 mm) strip of copper alloy is inserted between the leather layers, the edge is subsequently covered with a component of the same material and riveted. The strip is narrow and concentrated in the rivet area, while not extending into the sheath core or blade area. In the academic literature, this method was first noticed by Stjerna (2007: 245, 248), who calls the interlining a mid-strip and describes it as “strip of bronze sheet, originally sandwiched between the two leather parts“. Another author who described this unusual arrangement is Kainov (2019: 106), who defined the interlacing as follows: “between the leather layers of skin (…) of the sheath there is a thin brass strip” (между слоями кожи (…) ножен проложена тонкая латунная полоска). In the book that describes the Šestovica material, the mid-strips are listed as “thin plates” (тонесенькі пластинки) inserted between the components (Syta – Mudrycka 2023: 30).
It is believed among artisans and learned reenactors that there is evidence of leather mid-strips. However, this opinion is based on a misunderstanding of the state of the leather sheaths, which have undergone so-called delamination, so that the edges appear frayed (see Blomqvist 1937: 152-3; Cameron 2000; 2007). These separate layers may appear as interlacing, but this is a natural feature of the archeological leather.
Our efforts to map this phenomenon have found that it is geographically limited to what is now central Sweden, Russia and Ukraine, and has not yet been found in long knife sheaths from the Baltic countries, so it appears to be a accompanying feature of the family of Swedish and Old Rus sheaths that were described in the introduction. Both variants are exclusively connected to sheaths that are riveted on the edge, not sewn. The phenomenon only applies to the sheaths of long knives (30-60 cm), while it is not noticeable in the case of smaller riveted sheaths (see Knorr 1938). Mid-strips can be found in long components that use more than 3 rivets – i.e. chapes and trapezoidal fittings at the handle, mid-strips do not occur in shorter fittings (ring holders and clamps). In the case of the chapes, a sandwich consisting of three layers of metal and two leather layers is created, while in the case of trapezoidal fittings it reaches four (six at the place of ring attachment) layers of metal and two leather layers. Mid-stripping of trapezoidal fittings is currently known from one locality only – Šestovica, Ukraine.
Map 1: Geographical distribution of mid-stripped sheaths.
Blue = chapes, orange = trapezoid fittings.
In general, the interlacing gives the appearance that it is related to joint reinforcement in long riveted components and it is related to the size or method of use. There is currently no consensus on the function. Manufacturers and users lean towards the following options:
- Mid-strips can prevent rivet shanks from bending. However, if this were the case, the metal strips would probably also appear on other parts of the sheath.
- The rivets that are tiny and also made of a copper alloy can tear out of the thin, taut leather, so interlacing can prevent edge damage or even the loss of the entire component. However, we can also see interlacing strips in the case of the sheath from grave 2/2006 in Šestovica, Ukraine, whose leather is 2.5-3 mm thick (Androšchuk – Zocenko 2012: 336–337). The sheath leather from grave Bj 834 from Birka is 3 mm thick as well, as confirmed by Mr. Sven Kalmring, curator of the SHM in Stockholm.
- Edge reinforcement can prevent bending of the long sheath or cutting through the edge. However, this is contradicted by the fact that a large part of the sheaths of this group had a wooden core, so they were solid and could not be cut though.
- The added strap can affect the balance of the knife and can help achieve the desired angle of the sheath.
- The strips can have a purely decorative dimension. It is true that they are visible, but from very close and from a certain angle.
It cannot be ruled out that the interlacing followed several functions at once. In any case, we have to state that not all sheaths of long knives were equipped with interlacing. For long components that are significantly damaged and missing leather, there is a possibility that the original interlace has broken. On the other hand, it is true that the well-preserved long knife from Vendel IX does not seem to have a mid-strip (Stolpe 1912: Pl. XXIV.2). At the same time, it is necessary to consistently distinguish between the interlacing of leather and the backing of openwork decorations. We record a metal insert for a total of seven chapes and two trapezoid fittings at the handle from a total of seven graves or situations. It is true that the all sheaths that have mid-stripped trapezoidal fittings also possess a mid-strip in the chape area. At the moment, we do not know whether the open and folded mid-stripped chapes constitute an alternative to the completely closed chapes (see Vlasatý 2024).
Catalog
Chapes
Site: Berga, Skultuna municipality, Sweden.
Storage and inv. no.: SHM Stockholm, inv. no. SHM 474.
Brief description: The fragmentarily preserved folded sheath chape, whose elongated projections are broken and missing. A row of rivets can be seen at the edge, which binds a narrow (6-8 mm?) strip of copper alloy inside.
Literature: Stjerna 2007: 248; catalog SHM.
Fig. 4: The chape from Berga. Source: Sara Kusmin, SHM Stockholm.
Site: Grave Bj 581, Birka, Sweden.
Storage and inv. no.: SHM Stockholm, inv. no. SHM 34000: Bj 581.
Brief description: Semi-preserved long knife with decorated sheath. The nearly complete folded chape holds a narrow copper alloy strip inside that is perfectly centered in the thickness.
Literature: Arbman 1943: 189; Stjerna 2007: 248; Wåhlander 2023: 105-9; catalog SHM; personal review of Peter Johnson.
Fig. 5: Details of the long knife chape from grave Bj 581, Birka.
Source: Peter Johnsson, https://swordreflections.com/.
Site: Grave Bj 644, Birka, Sweden.
Storage and inv. no.: SHM Stockholm, inv. no. SHM 34000: Bj 644.
Brief description: A fragmentarily preserved long knife with a decorated sheath. The broken folded chape holds a narrow copper alloy band inside that is perfectly centered in the thickness.
Literature: Arbman 1943: 223-4; Stjerna 2007: 248; catalog SHM.
Fig. 6: Diagram of the long knife chape from grave Bj 644, Birka.
Source: Harald Faith-Ell, SHM Stockholm.
Site: Grave Bj 834, Birka, Sweden.
Storage and inv. no.: SHM Stockholm, inv. no. SHM 34000: Bj 834.
Brief description: Semi-preserved long knife with decorated sheath. A nearly complete, folded chape inside holds a narrow copper alloy strip that sits at the perfect center of thickness.
Literature: Arbman 1943: 305; Stjerna 2007: 248; catalog SHM.
Fig. 7: The long knife chape from grave Bj 834, Birka.
Source: Pavel Voronin, SHM Stockholm.
Site: Mound 30 (XXIV), Šestovica, Ukraine.
Storage and inv. no.: ЧОІМ Chernihiv, inv. no. А-3-(3-11).
Brief description: A fragmentarily preserved long knife with a decorated sheath. The broken folded chape holds a narrow copper alloy band inside that is perfectly centered in the thickness.
Literature: Androščuk – Zocenko 2012: 182-3; Blifeld 1977: 126; Černenko 2007: 133; Syta – Mudrycka 2023: 30-1.
Fig. 8: The long knife chape from the mound 30, Šestovica.
Source: Černenko 2007: 133; Syta – Mudrycka 2023: 31.
Site: Mound 2/2006, Šestovica, Ukraine.
Storage and inv. no.: ЧОІМ Chernihiv.
Brief description: An exceptionally well-preserved long knife with a decorated sheath. The complete folded chape holds a narrow copper alloy band inside that sits at the perfect center of thickness.
Literature: Androščuk – Zocenko 2012: 336-7; Asingh – Jensen 2022: 22-3.
Fig. 9: The long knife chape from the mound 2/2006, Šestovica.
The author is unknown.
Lokalita: Mound ПОль-11/1979, Gnězdovo, Russian Federation.
Storage and inv. no.: ФКА МГУ Moscow.
Brief description: Semi-preserved long knife with decorated sheath. A broken folded chape holds a narrow copper alloy band inside.
Literature: Artěmjev 1998: 228–229; Kainov 2019: 106; Kameneckaja 1991: 141.
Obr. 10: The detail of long knife chape from the mound ПОль-11/1979, Gnězdovo.
Source: archive of Sergej Kainov.
Trapezoidal fitting at the handle
Site: Mound 30 (XXIV), Šestovica, Ukraine.
Storage and inv. no.: ЧОІМ Chernihiv, inv. no. А-3-(3-10).
Brief description: A fragmentarily preserved long knife with a decorated sheath. The broken, folded trapezoidal fitting at the handle retains a narrow copper alloy band located in the center of the thickness.
Literature: Androščuk – Zocenko 2012: 182-3; Blifeld 1977: 126; Černenko 2007: 133; Syta – Mudrycka 2023: 30-1.
Obr. 11: The trapezoidal fitting from the mound 30, Šestovica.
Source: Syta – Mudrycka 2023: 31.
Site: Mound 2/2006, Šestovica, Ukraine.
Storage and inv. no.: ЧОІМ Chernihiv.
Brief description: An exceptionally well-preserved long knife with a decorated sheath. Slightly damaged, folded trapezoidal fitting at the handle retains a narrow copper alloy band that sits at perfect middle of the thickness.
Literature: Androščuk – Zocenko 2012: 336-7; Asingh – Jensen 2022: 22-3.
Fig. 12: The trapezoidal fitting from the mound 2/2006, Šestovica.
The author is unknown.
Stjerna (2007: 248) states that a metal mid-strip is visible at the fitting from Lilla Djurbo (Brottberga municipality, Sweden). For this purpose, the author contacted the Västmanland County Museum (Västmanlands läns museum) that kindly provided contemporary photographs of the object, inv. no. VLM 1179: 22. From the photographs, it can be seen that the supposed mid-strip is actually the backing of the openwork part of the fitting. Below you can view or download photos of this object, which we publish with the kind permission of the museum:
Since the trapezoid fittings from graves Bj 834 and Bj 955 from Birka appeared to be potential candidates based on the publicly accessible documentation of the SHM Stockholm museum, the author approached the mentioned museum with a request for more details. It turned out that none of the fittings has a metal mid-strip. In addition, we received additional details regarding the thickness of the preserved leather: the sheath leather from grave Bj 834 was 3 mm thick, and the sheath leather from grave Bj 955 was 1.5 mm thick.
Reconstruction
Just as mid-strips are a neglected topic in archaeological literature, we also encounter them very rarely in the historical reenactment nowadays. This is a marginal detail that belongs to the package of other small things (wide spine of the knife, tinning, wooden core, etc.) that distinguish quality and laborious reproductions (minimum price hundreds of EUR) from cheaper imitations. To this day, we have registered at most a dozen top craftsmen who were involved in the quality production of decorated sheaths: we can mention Václav Maňha (Ratatosk CRAFT), Bartłomiej Paśnik and Joel Wennerholm.
In the pictures attached below, you can see the approximate appearance of the mid-strips on the reconstructed sheaths made by Alexej Neujmin.
Fig. 13: The mid-strip of the long knife chape. Source: archive of Alexej Neujmin.
Fig. 14: The mid-strip of trapezoidal fitting of the long knife.
Source: archive of Alexej Neujmin.
Acknowledgment
The article could not have been created without the long-term involvement of colleagues from the academia, reenactors and craftsmen. From professional circles, our thanks go to Ida Andersson (Västmanland County Museum), Olena Chernenko (Warsaw University), Sergej Kainov (State History Museum, Moscow) and Sven Kalmring (State History Museum, Stockholm) who provided us with valuable and often unpublished details. Valuable notes were also shared with us by craftsmen and researchers Aiden Carley-Clopton, Peter Johnsson (swordreflections.com), Roman Král (King’s Craft), Václav Maňha (Ratatosk CRAFT), Vykintas Motuza Matuzevičius (Gyvas Peilis), Alexej Neujmin, Steven Thurston (Króka Thurston’s Workshop) and Pavel Voronin who deserver our sincere thanks.
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