Ulfberht swords

Ulfberht swords
Ulfberht swords
	+VLFBEHT+ inscription on the blade of a 9th-century sword (Germanisches Nationalmuseum FG 2187) found in 1960 in the Old Rhine close to Friesenheimer Insel, Mannheim
Type	Sword
Production history
Produced	9th to 11th centuries
Specifications
Mass	avg. 1.2 kg (2.7 lb)
Length	avg. 91 cm (36 in)
Width	5 cm (2 in)
Blade type	Double-edged, straight bladed, slight taper
Hilt type	One-handed with pommel, variable guard
Head type	Acute distal taper, and point

The Ulfberht swords are a group of about 170 medieval swords found primarily in Northern Europe,^[3]^[4] dated to the 9th to 11th centuries, with blades inlaid with the inscription +VLFBERH+T or +VLFBERHT+.^[3]^[5] The word "Ulfberht" is a Frankish personal name, possibly indicating the origin of the blades.

^ Treasures of German Art and History in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, 2001, p. 23.
^ Viacheslav Shpakovsky, David Nicolle, Gerry Embleton, Armies of the Volga Bulgars & Khanate of Kazan, 9th–16th centuries, Osprey Men-at-Arms 491 (2013), p. 23f.
^ ^a ^b Moilanen, Mikko (2018). Viikinkimiekat Suomessa. Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura. pp. 169–175. ISBN 978-952-222-964-9.
^ Cite error: The named reference Williams, 2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Wegeli (1904), p. 12, fig. 3.; Stralsberg (2008:6) classifies the "correctly" spelled inscriptions into five classes, 1. +VLFBERH+T (46 to 51 examples), 2. +VLFBERHT+ (18 to 23 examples), 3. VLFBERH+T (4 to 6 examples), 4. +VLFBERH┼T+ (1 or 2 examples), 5. +VLFBERH+T (10 examples), with a sixth class of "misspellings" (+VLEBERHIT, +VLFBEHT+, +VLFBERH+, +VLFBER├┼┼T, +VLFBERTH, 17 examples) and a seventh class "not definable" (31 or 32 examples). Stalsberg (2008) explains the numerous misspellings in the inscriptions by the "use of illiterate slaves in the smithy".

[1] Treasures of German Art and History in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, 2001, p. 23.

[Kazan-2] Viacheslav Shpakovsky, David Nicolle, Gerry Embleton, Armies of the Volga Bulgars & Khanate of Kazan, 9th–16th centuries, Osprey Men-at-Arms 491 (2013), p. 23f.

[:0-3] Moilanen, Mikko (2018). Viikinkimiekat Suomessa. Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura. pp. 169–175. ISBN 978-952-222-964-9.

[Williams,_2007-4] Cite error: The named reference Williams, 2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] Wegeli (1904), p. 12, fig. 3.; Stralsberg (2008:6) classifies the "correctly" spelled inscriptions into five classes, 1. +VLFBERH+T (46 to 51 examples), 2. +VLFBERHT+ (18 to 23 examples), 3. VLFBERH+T (4 to 6 examples), 4. +VLFBERH┼T+ (1 or 2 examples), 5. +VLFBERH+T (10 examples), with a sixth class of "misspellings" (+VLEBERHIT, +VLFBEHT+, +VLFBERH+, +VLFBER├┼┼T, +VLFBERTH, 17 examples) and a seventh class "not definable" (31 or 32 examples). Stalsberg (2008) explains the numerous misspellings in the inscriptions by the "use of illiterate slaves in the smithy".

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