Viking sword The Viking sword was the primary weapon of the viking and main type of sword used in North Western Europe during the Viking Age . Although called " Viking sword " , this style of sword was not exclusively limited to Vikings and was used by other people . Morphology . The Viking sword was the primary weapon of the Viking . It was a development of the Roman spatha , evolving out of the Migration Period sword in the 8th century , and into the classical knightly sword in the 11th century with the emergence of larger cross - guards . The Viking swords were pattern welded which gave the blade extra strength as the core was made of springy iron and edge of hard steel . Of particular note is the " Ulfberht " subset , which used steel of higher purity and carbon content than its peers in the region that may have been imported in ingot form from the middle or far east . Blade length varied from 71 to 84 centimeters . Early examples have single , deep , wide fullers running the full length of the blade . Later examples have multiple narrow fullers . A fuller reduces the weight of the blade without compromising its strength . This weight reduction would allow the wielder to swing faster and harder strokes . Later swords also had more tapered points for increased effectiveness against chain mail . All have short single - handed hilt s with pyramid , lobed or cocked - hat style pommels . Pommels were made of iron and were heavier than on the earlier Migration Period sword , acting to counterweight the blade . Ulfberht Variants . Of the thousands of Viking swords that have been recovered , 171 of them , all made between 800 and 1000 AD , bear the inscription " + ULFBERH + T " or " + ULFBERHT + " . Some of these Ulfberht swords were made of remarkably high - quality steel for their day . The steel had very few impurities ( or slag ) , and unusually high carbon content , making it stronger , more flexible , and less brittle than most contemporary steel . Steel of this quality must be made in a crucible and requires much higher temperatures than European blacksmiths of the time were capable of producing at their forges ; there is no evidence that Europeans could make crucible steel themselves until the Industrial Revolution 800 years later . Historians suggest that the Vikings made these swords from high - quality steel ingots from Central Asia which they acquired on the Volga trade route , which the Vikings are known to have used from the early - 800s to the mid - 1000s . However , there are no records of importing central Asian steel inguts and Ulfberht sword steel is different from the steel made in central Asia . Ulfberht swords do not have distinctive wavy pattern or extremely high carbon as other sword from that region . Allen Furrer duplicated a Ulfberht with bloomery steel like that of Viking age Europe and a clay furnace like that in Asia . No other weapons or armor made or used anywhere in Europe before the Industrial Revolution are known to have been made from this superior material . Ulfberht swords were truly exceptional . The Ulfberht swords made from this crucible steel would have had superior performance in battle . They were extremely rare and valuable , and would have been prized possessions of the most elite Vikings . Historians suggest that the Ulfberht - inscribed swords that were not made from crucible steel were probably contemporary fakes , trading on the reputation of true Ulfberht swords . The exact meaning or origin of the word Ulfberht is unclear . As these swords were made over a 200 - year period , it is not possible they were all made by a single craftsman who was signing his work . The cross that appears twice in the inscriptions may be a reference to the Catholic church , as certain church officials of the time included such crosses in their signatures .