Apologies for Necro-ing an old thread, but I was digging through other old threads and found that one of these three (the one with the broken tip) had been discussed 11 or so years before it came into my hands!
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=452
We really are just caretakers of these blades; we do not own them, rather we have the privilege of holding onto them for a time.
Have fun, and stay humble,
Leif