Damascus Langseax, Hand Forged Viking Knife with Buffalo Horn Handle

A langseax is the long form of the Norse seax, closer in size to a short sword than to a knife. It is single edged, and the spine runs level out of the handle before it breaks and drops to the point. This one is an 18 inch blade in Damascus, 24 inches overall, with a buffalo horn handle between brass and a flat Norse sheath in tooled leather. Made by hand in High Point, North Carolina.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark layers run the length of the blade. No two patterns repeat, because the layers move as the billet is drawn out. The spine holds level for most of its length, then breaks in a shallow angle down to the point. The edge is single, so the spine stays flat and thick behind it. Carbon sits under the pattern, so the blade darkens as it is handled and rusts if it goes away wet.

The fittings

There is no guard on this pattern. The blade meets a brass collar at the front of the handle, which closes the joint between steel and horn and gives the grip a hard front edge. A brass cap finishes the butt. The tang is hidden, so it runs inside the horn rather than showing along the sides, and collar and cap clamp the horn at both ends. The brass is polished and left to darken.

The handle

The handle is water buffalo horn, polished to a deep black with faint gray streaking. It is turned slightly barrel shaped, swelling through the palm and drawing in at each end, and it runs 6 inches. Horn is warm to hold and it takes a high polish without going slick. It is a natural material, so the streaking and the depth of the black differ on every handle.

The scabbard

The sheath is the flat Norse style, cut for this blade and sewn along both edges with cream thread that reads clearly against the dark leather. It hangs flat from three leather loops along the top edge rather than from a belt loop. Brass rivets sit at the throat where the pull is heaviest. The face is hand tooled with an interlaced knot panel carved inside a beaded border, cut and shaded by hand, not printed. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather.

Who it suits

This is what people buy when a short seax is not enough presence and a full sword is more than they want.

• Collectors who own a shorter seax
• Buyers who want Damascus on a long blade
• Anyone drawn to black horn over wood

What comes in the box

• The Damascus langseax
• The tooled leather sheath
• A care card

Every piece is different

Each one is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out alike. The pattern, the streaking in the horn and the tooling differ from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. Damascus darkens the way plain carbon steel does, and that gray patina is normal and protects the surface. A light coat of oil before storage is enough. Do not leave the blade in the sheath for months, and let leather dry slowly away from heat. More sits on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it here on the page. Around 30 characters fits on the blade or the handle. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a langseax? The long form of the Norse seax, single edged and closer to a short sword than a knife.

Why is the spine angled? That break is the seax outline, level out of the handle then falling to the point.

How does the sheath hang? Flat, from three loops along the top edge.

Will Damascus rust? It can, since carbon sits under the pattern, so dry and oil it.

Will mine look like the photo? Not exactly, no two patterns repeat.

Is it legal to own? Long blade laws vary by state, city and country, so check your local rules first.

For the shorter classic outline try the broken back seax in rosewood, and for antler the seax in stag antler. More sits in seax knives, Damascus steel and historical blades.