Hand Forged Viking Axe, Damascus Bearded Axe with Rune Etched Head

A bearded axe is the Norse pattern where the lower part of the cutting edge hangs below the eye in a long curve. This one is hand forged in Damascus, with Elder Futhark runes cut into the cheek and an ash handle, 19 inches overall with a 6 inch head and a 5.3 inch cutting edge. It splits kindling at camp, and plenty buy it for the rune etched head.

Specification

The head

The head is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark layers run across the cheek, with the bevel polished mirror bright. Elder Futhark runes are cut into that cheek. The beard drops below the eye, which is how a 6 inch head carries a 5.3 inch cutting edge, and the hollow behind it lets you choke up close to the bevel. The trade is the core. It is carbon, so the head darkens with use and rusts if it goes away wet.

The handle

The handle is ash at 13 inches, the standard axe wood and the one most Norse axes are hung on. Ash grows straight grained and springy, so it takes the shock of a strike and passes only part of it into your hand. A denser wood hits back harder. The handle is driven through the eye and a wedge is driven into the top of it, spreading the wood tight against the steel. Grain and color shift from one handle to the next.

The leather head cover

The cover is cut for this head, so the bevel sits in it snug. The leather is vegetable tanned. A belt loop is stitched to the back, a strap with a snap closes over the top, and a welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching stays clear of the steel. Every stitch goes in by hand. The face is hand tooled with carved Norse knotwork inside a carved border, cut and shaded rather than printed. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather. This is the rest of it.

Who it suits

This is the shape people mean when they ask for a viking axe, and the runes make it a display piece that still cuts.

• Anyone who wants a Norse pattern axe that gets used
• Campers splitting kindling and cutting tent pegs
• Collectors buying hand forged Damascus
• People furnishing a wall or a mantel
• Someone shopping for a Norse themed gift

What comes in the box

• The Damascus bearded axe
• The tooled leather head cover
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Every head is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out alike. The Damascus pattern never repeats, the ash grain runs its own way, and the tooling varies. Yours will not match the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen with a file and a puck or a stone, following the existing bevel. Oil the head before storage and the handle now and then, since a dry handle shrinks and a loose head is dangerous. Check the head is tight before every use. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a head or along the handle. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art engraves cleanly, photographs do not. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a bearded axe? The lower part of the cutting edge hangs below the eye in a long curve.

What is the beard for? It gives a long edge on a light head and lets you grip close behind it.

What are the runes? Elder Futhark runes, cut into the cheek. We do not attach a meaning.

Why ash? Ash is straight grained and springy, so it takes the shock instead of your hand.

Will this steel rust? It can, since the core is carbon. Dry it after use and oil it.

Is the head tight? Yes, the handle is wedged into the eye. Check it before every use.

The same shape in 5160 spring steel is the carbon steel bearded axe on ash, and in rosewood it is the Damascus bearded axe. More sits in viking axes, in Damascus axes, and in axes and hatchets.