2024 Author: Adelina Croftoon | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 02:08
The Viking swords, bearing the name "Ulfbert", were made of such pure metal that it puzzled archaeologists. It was believed that the technology for making such a metal was invented only 800 years later, during the Industrial Revolution.
Approximately 170 examples of Ulfbert swords have been found dating back to 800 - 1000 AD. A documentary film produced by NOVA and National Geographic, entitled Secrets of the Viking Sword, was first shown in 2012 and drew attention to the mysterious sword and its composition.
In the process of forging iron, the ore needs to be heated to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit so that it turns into a liquid, allowing the blacksmith to remove impurities (slag). Carbon is also added to the alloy to make the brittle iron stronger. Medieval technology did not allow iron to reach such a high temperature, so slag was removed by crushing - a less efficient method.
Ulfbert steel (left), medieval steel (right). The difference lies in the homogeneity of the Ulfberta steel, which contains almost no slag.
The Ulfbert sword, however, has almost no slag and has a carbon content three times greater than other metals available at the time. It was made from what is called crucible steel. Furnaces, invented during the Industrial Revolution, were believed to be the first tools to heat iron to this extent.
Modern blacksmith Richard Farrer from Wisconsin told NOVA about the difficulties of creating such a sword. Farrer is portrayed in the documentary as one of the few people on the planet with the skills necessary to attempt to make the Ulfbert sword.
“Getting it right is the most difficult task I've ever had,” he said, adding that the Ulfbert's maker appeared to have magical powers. "Being able to make weapons out of the ground is pretty powerful." And making a weapon that can bend without breaking, remain sharp and weigh very little is something supernatural.
Farrer spent many days at painstaking work making such a sword. He used medieval technology. The slightest flaw or mistake can turn the sword into a piece of scrap metal. He announced his success at the end with relief rather than joy.
It is possible that the material and technology for making this sword came from the Middle East. The Volga was a trade route connecting the Viking settlements and the Middle East, it opened at the same time when the first Ulfberts appeared, and the last Ulfberts were made when the trade route was closed.
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