Viking Sword Types
This article draws from the most credible archaeological sources and classification systems—especially Jan Petersen’s groundbreaking typology—to guide you through the different types of Viking swords, how they evolved, and what they tell us about Viking life. Whether you're a historian, reenactor, or modern-day shield-bearer, you’ll find both clarity and craft in what follows.
We also offer historically accurate Viking sword types for sale forged to match specific designs used from the 8th to 11th centuries. If you want a battle-ready replica that holds up in both form and function, you’re in the right place. At Norse Imports, we combine years of scholarly research with expert craftsmanship to offer not just historical insight, but museum-grade Viking sword replicas built for today’s warriors. Our swords are crafted by elite blacksmiths in the Czech Republic, trusted by HEMA and Buhurt fighters worldwide for their authenticity, durability, and performance.
[See our Sword collection here]
Types of Viking swords
Types of Viking Swords: A Quick Guide to Sword Typology
Not all Viking swords were the same. While they’re often seen as symbols of status and power, Viking swords came in many shapes and styles. Today, archaeologists use classification systems called typologies to group these swords based on how they were made, especially by the design of the hilt/pommel/guard).
Why does this matter? Typologies help historians quickly identify and date swords. A label like “Type H” or “Type S” tells us not just how a sword looked, but when and where it was in all likelyhood used. Studying the different types of Viking swords shows us how Viking weapons evolved, how blacksmiths worked, and what these tools meant to Norse culture.
In this guide, we’ll break down the key Viking sword hilt types, what makes them unique, and what they reveal about the Viking Age.
Jan Petersen and the Viking Sword Typology
Jan Petersen (1887–1967) was a Norwegian archaeologist whose work changed how we study Viking swords. In 1919, he published his groundbreaking book De Norske Vikingesverd ("The Norwegian Viking Swords"). It became the main reference for classifying types of Viking swords and is still used by historians today.
Petersen studied over 1,000 Viking swords in the archeology, mostly found in Norway but also of course Sweden, Iceland Denmark and even Germany and Frankish lands. He organized them into 26 main anchortypes labeled A to Z based on the shape of their hilt, especially the pommel (the knob at the end of the handle) and cross-guard (the bar above the blade). These Viking sword hilt types help researchers date and compare swords across the Viking world.
Petersen didn’t stop at weaponsHe also published studies on Viking jewelry and tools, and he served as director of the Stavanger Museum for 35 years. His detailed work helped make Viking archaeology more popular and accessible.
Over a century later, his A–Z sword typology remains the foundation for identifying and understanding Viking sword types. This is how we classify the swords we carry on our online shop as well.
Petersen’s Viking Sword Types
Developed in 1919, the classification sorts swords mainly by Viking sword hilt types, particularly the shape of the pommel and cross-guard. These parts of the hilt varied most over time, while the blades remained fairly consistent. They were usually broad, double-edged, with a central fuller and usually 70–80 cm in length. Although there are absolutely exceptions.
Early types, like A or B, were used in the 700s–800s or even earlier. Later styles, like T or Z, show up in the 900s–1000s and even into the later middle ages. Although these do not always prove true and there are many exceptions to the rule, generally this classification helps archaeologists and collectors trace how sword design changed during the Viking Age and even helps them date burials when there is difficulty doing so by other methods.
Here are some of the most common ones that you may see at a museum or for sale on our shop.
| Type | Period (Approx.) | Characteristics of Hilt |
|---|---|---|
| A | Late 8th century |
Triangular pommel (simple, thin, often undecorated) and straight short guard. Transitional form from earlier Migration-era swords. Earliest Viking sword style, often plain but effective. Geibig classifies this as his type V, but our sword for sale would fall under Perersens type A sword |
| B | Late 8th century |
Similar to Type A with a triangular or three-sided pommel, but guards are taller with a central ridge. Sometimes slight convex curves on pommel edges. Represents refinement of Type A. |
| C | Early 9th century | Evolved from Type B, this stylefeatures a one-piece pommel/upper-guard (pommel fused to upper guard into a single mass). Generally plain iron with minimal decoration, but a bulkier overall hilt. Marks a shift to sturdier construction. |
| D | c. 800–850 (early 9th) | This is a massive, richly decorated hilt. Typically a large decorated pommel and large guards. Iron hilt components were overlaid with bronze and silver sometimes for example, silver on raised areas, bronze in recessed patterns. High-status swords; pommel attached by rivets to the guard. |
| H | 8th – mid-10th c. | Broad, elliptical guards that are widest at the center and taper towards the ends; usually a lobed pommel (often 3 lobes). Many Type H hilts were decorated with inlaid metal wire (silver, copper, or brass) in geometric pattern. Often found across Europe (Scandinavia to as far south as the Balkans). Over a quarter of Type H swords in Norway were actually single-edged rather than double-edged |
| L | Early–mid 9th c. |
A distinctive 3lobbed pommel. Petersen believed Type L Similar to Type A with a triangular or three-sided pommel, but split up into divisions meant for decoration. It also made for a more flexible wrist movement when maneuvering. |
| M | 9th – 10th c. |
A very common type in Norway and Iceland. It has an almost “absent pommel” design – essentially the upper guard is elongated and serves as the pommel, rather than having a separate pommel piece. The result is a simpler flat-ended hilt. Type M swords are often relatively plain and utilitarian, suggesting they were popular, serviceable and affordable weapons for many regular Viking warriors. |
| S | 10th century |
Elaborate hilts with intricately decorated lobed pommels (usually 3 lobes or more) and ornamented guards. Many Type S swords show silver or bronze inlays, carved designs, and other embellishments These fine details indicate they were likely owned by high-status warriors or nobles. Type S represents the high point of Viking sword adornment in the mid-late 10th century, when craftsmanship was at a peak and wealthy Vikings displayed status through richly decorated swords. However, this was more of a resurgence in beautiful artwork on weaponry because we find similar designs from before the viking age in the rich Vendel period. |
| Y, Z, Æ | Late 10th – 11th c. |
One of the latest Viking sword types, showing a clear movement to the more mideival knight style swords.. Type Y, Z, and Æ swords have larger, more proportioned guards and pommels, moving away from multi-lobed designs toward simpler forms influenced by continental Europe. They are often sturdier and longer-bladed. The appearance of Type Z coincides with the end of the Viking Age – these swords quickly evolved into the high medieval sword types shortly after 1100. |
Note: Most Viking swords were double-edged, but some types, like Type H, tended to had single-edged variants. Blade quality varied within types based on hilt style. Blade-making tech evolved from pattern-welded iron to higher-carbon steel over the Viking Age.
From Petersen to Wheeler and Geibig: How Viking Sword Types Evolved
Jan Petersen’s A–Z system for classifying Viking sword types was so effective that later archaeologists used it as the foundation for their own research. In 1927, R.E. Mortimer Wheeler created a simplified version for Viking swords found in Britain. Instead of 26 types, Wheeler grouped swords into seven major types using Roman numerals (I–VII), focusing on both Viking sword hilt types and blade shape. Later, historian Ewart Oakeshott added two more transitional types (VIII and IX) to the list.
By 1991, German archaeologist Dietmar Geibig expanded on Petersen’s system in a new way. He introduced a detailed blade typology based on length, width, fuller design, taper, and tip shape,things Petersen hadn’t emphasized. Geibig’s system helped researchers understand how Viking swords evolved into medieval knightly swords by the 11th and 12th centuries.
Geibig also classified pommels into 17 main types with sub-categories, offering a deeper view of Viking sword hilt types in Central Europe. At the same time, Oakeshott observed that nearly all Viking blades fall into his Type X category which were broad, fullered swords common from the 9th to 11th centuries.
Even with these updates, Petersen’s typology remains the core system. Scholars like Mikael Jakobsson and Ian Peirce still use it today to identify and compare types of Viking swords across regions and time periods. We also use them here!
What Types of Viking Swords Reveal About the Age
Sword typology tells stories about warfare, craftsmanship, trade, and cultural values across the Viking world.
Swords as Symbols of Status and Power
In the Viking Age, swords were not everyday weapons. Most warriors fought with spears or axes, while swords were expensive and reserved for elites, chieftains, noblemen, and wealthy warriors. Owning a sword was a clear sign of high status. Some of the more decorated Viking sword types, like Petersen Type D or Type S, had silver inlays and elaborate multi-lobed pommels. These luxurious swords were likely trophies, heirlooms, or ceremonial gifts.
In graves, swords were often buried with their owners. Some were bent or broken in a possible religious ritual act known as “killing” the weapon, symbolizing that it would not be used again. This spiritual treatment shows the deep respect and power associated with swords.
Craftsmanship and Sword Technology
The evolution of Viking sword hilt types reveals changes i n technology. Early Viking swords (Types A–C) often featured pattern weldinga forging method that twisted and combined iron rods to create beautiful and flexible blades. Later swords, like the famous Ulfberht blades, used high-carbon steel, likely imported from the Frankish Empire, showing a leap in quality and strength.
[see our Ulfberht replica for sale here]
Trade, Raids, and Cultural Influence
Many Viking sword types reveal how far Norse culture reached. For example, Petersen Type K swords, with five-lobed pommels, originated in the Frankish Empire. Vikings got them through trade, diplomacy, or lootingand then copied them. Finding a Type K sword in Norway or a Type H sword in Ireland shows how connected the Viking world was.
Some sword types were regional. Type O swords, seen mainly in Denmark, help archaeologists date specific Viking settlements. Others, like Type H, were widespread, reflecting a shared martial culture.
By the end of the Viking Age (around the 11th century), sword design had begun to blend with broader European styles. Simpler pommels and longer guards (as seen in Type Z) marked the transition into the medieval period. This was for the simple reason that many vikings probably had their fingers chopped off by using their swords with smaller guards!
Swords Help Date Viking Sites
One of the most valuable aspects of Viking sword classification is its use in archaeology. Since each sword type was used during a specific time range, finding one in a grave can help date the entire site. A Type H sword often means a 9th-century burial, while a Type Z sword likely points to the late 10th or 11th century.
This method, introduced by Jan Petersen and expanded by others, turns swords into chronological markers for the Viking Agemaking them essential for understanding the past.
References and Further Reading
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Petersen, Jan (1919). De Norske Vikingesverd (The Norwegian Viking Swords)
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Wheeler, R.E.M. (1927). London and the Vikings – Wheeler’s British Viking sword typology
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Peirce, Ian (2002). Swords of the Viking Age – Detailed catalog of Viking swords with typology overviewvikingage.orgvikingage.org.
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Geibig, Dietmar (1991). Beiträge zur morphologischen Entwicklung des Schwertes im Mittelalter – Geibig’s sword blade typology
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Jakobsson, Mikael (1992). Krigarideologi och vikingatida svärdstypologi – Study of Viking sword hilt distributions across Europe
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Androshchuk, Fedir (2014). Viking Swords: Swords and Social Aspects of Weaponry in Viking Age Societies – Recent research on Viking swords, including updates to typology chronology.