Seax

What does seax mean?

Seax (also written sax) is the Old English word for a knife. Archaeologists use it for the larger single-edged knives and short swords of the early medieval period. It is often said that the Saxons took their name from the seax, though historians debate that.

What does a seax look like?

A seax has one cutting edge and a thick, straight back. On many, the back runs straight and then angles sharply down to the point, giving the "broken-back" shape most people picture. Others have a back that curves gently down. The handle was usually wood, horn or antler fitted over a long tang, often with no guard.

Seaxes were carried in a leather sheath, usually worn horizontally across the front of the belt, edge up.

How big is a seax?

Seaxes came in every size:

• Small knives, with blades under about 15 cm, were everyday tools carried by many people.
• Larger seaxes, with blades of 20–35 cm, were working knives and weapons.
• Long seaxes, with blades over 50 cm, were short swords.

The Seax of Beagnoth

The most famous seax was found in the River Thames at Battersea and bought by the British Museum in 1857. Dated by the museum to the 10th century (some scholars say late 9th), it has a 551 mm blade and is 721 mm long overall. Its blade is inlaid with silver, brass and copper wire in geometric patterns. One face carries a 28-letter version of the Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet, the futhorc, and a man's name, usually read as Beagnoth. It is one of the most complete records of that alphabet to survive.

Did the Vikings use the seax?

The seax is most strongly linked with Anglo-Saxon England and the Germanic peoples of the continent. Viking-age Scandinavians carried single-edged knives too, and some seax-type blades are found in Scandinavia, but the long seax is mainly an Anglo-Saxon and continental weapon. On UK courses, a "Viking knife" usually means a simple forged knife in the style of the period, often with a seax-like straight back.

Making a seax today

A small seax is a good first forged knife: a single edge, a straight back and a simple handle. Larger seaxes and pattern-welded blades are more advanced. Many forges run Viking or Anglo-Saxon knife days where you forge a seax-style blade in a day.