+VLFBERHT: name? Brand? Invocation?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by urbanspaceman

Hi Jim. When it comes to un-resolved markings on blades you are my first port of call and I bow to your encyclopedic knowledge on the subject.
However, I am often bewildered by your detailed responses, so please forgive my questioning your response regarding Christian symbology... I am actually still bewildered - but I haven't had my coffee yet, so I will try again later.

My apologies Keith, my poorly framed comments indeed are worded in a bewildering way. Actually, while of course being well aware of 'Viking' swords, my 'knowledge' on them is pretty much at kindergarten level. I have for many years wanted to learn more on the subject, but quite honestly it is formidable to say the least.

So wanting to have a go at it finally, I have been 'cramming' as it were for weeks to at least get some idea of the kinds of questions I should try to focus on, and what resulted was what you well describe as bewildering dialogue.

I am still studying, going through many sources, but there has been so much debate and consternation on the subject matter, it is hard to establish any well defined resolution.,

What I was trying to say is that the 'cross' seems to have been a mark which indeed had ecclesiastic use with the 'names' and invocations found on these blades of 9th-10th centuries.

Since these blades were virtually all made in Frankish regions (now Germany and Bavaria) it seems well established they traveled into Scandinavian regions through trade and of course many were used by Vikings of these varying regions.

If any of these 'Viking age' swords were made outside the Frankish domain I have certainly not yet come across that exception.

What I was saying is that while Scandinavian regions, particularly Vikings, were not Christianized in these times, the cross appearing on blades, as well as other Christian symbology such as invocations such as IN NOMINE DOMINI , DIC= DOMINUS IESUS CHRISTUS; NED=MOMEN ETERNUM DEI.....
would not preclude Viking use.
These markings rather than seen as religiously oriented would have been seen as markings of high quality.......or further, indicators of ',magic' much in the sense of the futharks of runic alphabets.

I hope this makes any more sense, its getting clearer to me

[Jim McDougall]

Lee, thank you for coming in! and I have been going through your amazing book trying to get a better grasp on this esoterica, and it gets more fascinating every run I have at it!

As we have discussed and you well note, while the theory of the use of the Eastern crucible steel being used for the remarkable blades of the ULFBERHT genre being the source for their strength and soundness...the truth may be closer to home.
It appears that perhaps the Franks realized that the small furnaces used in smelting the bloomery steel used could not produce the heat and time required to absorb adequate carbon. By adding a second step the carbon content was increased.
Obviously this simplification reveals my limited grasp of metallurgy, but what I have read notes that most of the Frankish blades we are discussing have remarkable carbon content, far higher than contemporary blades elsewhere.

The note on the variation in placement of the + in the ULFBERHT inlay on many blades does suggest a different shop, using the renowned name much in the manner of the centuries later ANDREA FERARA mystique, among others. The instances of ME FECIT occurring with other names occurring such as INGELRII does lean toward makers or shops as opposed to suggestions of invocations, which in some degree might have had some bearing.