The Sutton Hoo ship burial weapons, Part 4 - The Sword, with Paul Mortimer

The Sutton Hoo ship burial weapons, Part 4 - The Sword, with Paul Mortimer

[@dougerrohmer]

Sue Brunning from the British Museum has a video up where she theorises that the guy was left handed, based on the wear patterns, as well as the difference of design on the top bit. Apparently, the fancier design was facing outward when worn, and the hand rested on top of the pommel which caused wear. Also, in the grave the sword was found on the right hand side of the corpse.

[@buddhapork]

when you showed the blade i actually got goosebumps :-) that is one gorgeous piece of steel!

[@davidfreja7162]

Everything about this sword is amazing and beautiful especially the fact it's Anglo-Saxon. The craftmanship and skill of the ancestors is definitely worth talking about.

[@neanderthor66]

Gold: meh. Pattern-welding: DEAR GOD! LOOK AT THAT!

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

neanderthor66 Same here. Honestly I think the with all the blood gold and bone the form of the blade, the balance, the Sutton Hoo sword reminds be of a over blinged up baseball bat.

[@goblinrat6119]

Philip Dyer Of course it's blinged up. That was the sword of a king, and a king was expected, even obliged, to show his status and wealth. It wouldn't very well do for a king to carry a sword that any reasonably wealthy man could get. Of course, if he ever got into an actual fight, he probably had a much less ornate sword. But what was displayed for people and what he was ultimately buried with pretty much *needed* to be kingly in nature. Otherwise, people might have thought that he was just another man like them, and didn't actually hold special significance. And that's a dangerous way to think.

[@christosvoskresye]

+Goblin Rat It is NOT "a cheap and chippy chopper".

[@goblinrat6119]

christosvoskresye What?

[@christosvoskresye]

Matt Easton commented on how this was a "chopper", and it obviously is not cheap, so it would not be used on one who "sit[s] in solemn silence in a dull, dark, dock, In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock, Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp, shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block! A dull, dark, dock, a life-long lock, A short, sharp, shock, a big black block! To sit in solemn silence in a pestilential prison, And awaiting the sensation from a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!!"

[@whowantsabighug]

Those gold and garnet pyramidal things are gorgeous, all of this sword is, looks like something from Lord of the Rings.

[@scholagladiatoria]

whowantsabighug I think it was this period of arms and armour that inspired the equipment in the original Tolkein books. I think the films would have been better sticking to this level of technology and not trying to make everything late-medieval. Orc arrows against Gondor full plate armour just doesn't really work for me.

[@Usammityduzntafraidofanythin]

scholagladiatoria But the orcs clearly had longbows, which go through plate like margerine (which tastes better than butter).

[@whowantsabighug]

***** Large amounts of mail by itself across someone's chest or back looks very ugly on camera, too busy. That's why they usually cover it with a doublet or something to break it up.

[@xenophon5354]

Usammity What about the orcish bows made you think they were long bows? And it's not just the arrows. It's orcish swords as well. The professional soldiers in full plate armor were practically useless against orcs scampering around in scavenged spikey fantasy nonsense until Gandalf shows up and yells stuff. And then there's the Uruks, again in full plate. And Aragorn strikes one flush in the chest and the thing dies instantly?

[@Usammityduzntafraidofanythin]

Tom Rundell Well the big orc swords are heavy choppers, so of course they can chop through plate armor, kinda like a halberd. Also, you never know, Aragorn might have used some hidden technique.

[@_DarkEmperor]

92 pommels, a lot ammo to throw.

[@bmxriderforlife1234]

clearly they were trying to create what we would now call a high capacity assault pommel.

[@tvman099099]

That is an exceptionally beautiful sword. I'm not usually the biggest fan of the pattern welded look but that is just extraordinary. I shudder to think how much it would set me back to get something like that crafted.

[@fallenstudent1103]

I've seen similar sword on a website for 5,000 euro's by a swordsmith

[@shinkta1]

Wow that is absolutely beautiful

[@kokofan50]

I think the reason why they used red and gold together is just simple because they look good together. Gold is a red metal, like copper, and putting red next to it bring out the luster and color.

[@scholagladiatoria]

kokofan50 Quite possibly, though there are a lot of other stones they could have used in striking colour combinations. Yet they seem to have been obsessed with red garnet and gold. I think those colours must have meant something to them.

[@kokofan50]

scholagladiatoria People go nuts for diamonds today, even though diamonds aren't that rare of a gemstone. So, why couldn't garnets have been the diamonds of the 600s western Europe?

[@5chr4pn3ll]

kokofan50 This is very true. People often seem to try and find "reasons" why people in the past did things, when it might just have been the fashionable thing at the time.

[@Tatti12321]

kokofan50 Didn't the Romans equate purple to be a royal colour? I think I heard this somewhere. Now, maybe garnets were the royal gem because they were in fact rare, I don't know, but I think it would have more meaning to the owner than just, its pretty.

[@kokofan50]

5chr4pn3ll Being fashionable used to be a big deal, when it showed status, wealth, made political statements, showed religious, and so on, so I find fashion to be more than enough reason.

[@CarnelianUK]

There is a huge display of migration era weapons, jewelry and other artefacts in the museum in Cologne when I went a couple of years ago, and like this sword, everything is loaded with gold and garnet decorations, so I think you're right that it had some special significance. I'm pretty sure that one of the displays mentioned the garnet trade as being super important for the area in that era, and that they came from really far away

[@nmarbletoe8210]

+Ben Kirkby The sword and the history give me a new appreciation for garnets!

[@kc3718]

Excellent, the Mercians fought with the East Angles and so the Staffordshire hoard may well be the war booty of the fallen theigns of the kingdom. Such a manly sword.

[@LCORNELIVS]

The gold plates in the grip are there to gleam in the fire light in the dark hall. They are only on one side of the hilt, the side that will be directed at the audience. A lot of the equipment for these people are made especially to be visible in dark dim hall with an open flickering fire as their main lighting. In the dark hall the one with the most gold and silver is the most visible, the most impressive and the most important.

[@suburbanknife-maker9194]

+scholagladatoria I think the modern bladesmith responsible for the reproduction should be credited. That's beautiful work, and a lot of work that goes into craftsmanship of that quality.

[@balisticsquirel]

He said sandwich and i had to pause to go get something to eat.

[@1337CaptainHadock]

i too am devouring sustenance!

[@Tuchulu]

This is AMAZING! Thank you Matt!

[@michaelhok8470]

Thank you for bringing the Sutton Hoo burial sight to my attention Matt. I dont usually comment but these videos have become the catalyst for my fascination with the subject

[@The4Zymns]

Thank you for doing this review! Always been very fascinated in Sutton Hoo. Incredible craftsmanship !! Woah!!

[@justsomeguy3931]

That's one of the coolest looking blades I've ever seen. Great info as always, thanks

[@scottlankton4669]

Really a great Replication of the Sutton Hoo Sword. It wasn't clear to me if Paul Mortimer did all the work or if he commissioned others to make it? Someone mentioned Vince Evans in a comment, did he create this wonderful piece? Ah I see the answer on other comments. Well done Vince! It's always nice when credit is given to those who did this fine work. In 1989 I made the British Museum Replication of the blade and published several articles explaining how I did it. Quite an interesting challenge at the time given the lack of knowledge on the subject. No internet! Kudos on this very well done example and a good video. Scott Lankton

[@masterof1]

That is one of the most beautiful swords I have ever seen. Fantastic work! Cheers.

[@sky4eyes]

this sword is shinning every time someone draw it out is just like telling everyone i am the big boss

[@achromaticcold]

Videos with Paul are awesome, he really knows what he's talking about :))

[@iopklmification]

That fucking fly...

[@christosvoskresye]

+iopklmification It's usually said the other way around.

[@MarekDohojda]

wow that weapon is beautiful! The pattern welding on the blade itself is absolutely outstanding.

[@5chr4pn3ll]

Wow that is a work of art. I really like swords from this era because they are so individual and unique. Later swords are of course very cool but they tend to be a bar of steel when all is said and done. These swords look like they were "crafted". So many different parts and unique features, decorations and details. Very impressive.

[@GermanSwordMaster]

5chr4pn3ll I disagree on that latter part ^^ Later swords are finer and a lot more interesting in their form, talking aestetics of form, taper etc. I also love a fine monosteel. Patternwelded steel looks pretty ugly to me :D interesting, but ugly. So no "bars of steel" at all ^^ actually the early swords feel like such in the hand to me, but i dont fence with em. Also there are pretty posh late swords, like this one (though simple elegance is far more aestetic imo). I cant see a difference in earlier swords looking "crafted" and later ones dont.

[@5chr4pn3ll]

Blank- blade "Later swords are finer and a lot more interesting in their form, talking aestetics of form, taper etc" "Interesting" is a very subjective word, but everyone is allowed their taste.

[@GermanSwordMaster]

5chr4pn3ll Please elaborate your first statement ^^ i dont get it. It seems like you are comparing such posh highest-status-swords to "normal everyday-swords" from later ages. What do you mean by "bars of steel" ? I chose the word "Interesting", because late medieval swords normally have more going on in the thickness and width of the blade, so the term "bars of steel" bugs me. If you like such over-fancy swords; there is one from Maximilian Ist, which is absolutely crazy ornate ^^ "swords from this era" are in no way more individual or unique than later ones. Have a look on Petersens and Oakeshotts works. This example here is not the norm but the exception. Actually nearly all darkage swords look the same to me in blade and hilt with little difference. Nothing like the variety you have later. Like for example the difference between oak types XIV, XV and XVII :)

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Blank- blade 5chr4n3ll statement about is pretty ignorant. It is easy to appreciate a fine pattern welded blade becuase the craftmans his shows up side on. High medieval blades and later then to have more sophiscated use to distal taper, less of a bar of steel in shape than a early medieval sword, which less of a bar of steel in composition.

[@GermanSwordMaster]

Indeed. This has its own kind of beauty of course, not my taste, as i stated, but it has for sure. Its the "bars of steel statement" wich bugged me :D

[@beju0506]

Beautiful piece, thanks for sharing

[@hungarianhillbilly4144]

Matt every time you do a video and I look around your house I am totally Blown Away with her collection of antique sabers you must have a better collection than a lot of the museums. Cheers.

[@Wildeheart79]

Don't forget Matt is also a dealer in antique weaponry so you are also effectively looking at a selection of his stock. I am sure a fair few of them will come and go. Even so though I totally agree, he has some beautiful swords.

[@JohnRaptor]

Wow! That pattern welding is gorgeous!

[@thomaszaccone3960]

As soon as i saw the blade i fell in love. Awesome.

[@LazerBlade-yp1lf]

That sword looks fantastic. I've found my favorite looking sword

[@tjkadar]

Gorgeous recreation. Very nicely done!

[@Cookiesdiefrombehind]

That fly is drivin me nuts

[@kingkuroneko7253]

Yes. I see the fly to and it is annoying

[@petrapetrakoliou8979]

Magnificent sword, thank you! The gold foils with filigree ornament are quite common on 7th century Langobardic and Swedish swords, but usually there are four of them. Also many of the Swedish swords have far more elaborate animal art decorations, which is strangely lacking here, especially those found at Vendel, Ultuna, and Valsgärde which are dated to the same period, but they are in gilded silver. Perhaps the Sutton Hoo sword was made in a Frankish workshop where decoration was not that developed.

[@graveyard1979]

This sword is just gorgeous. Beautiful.

[@nate6466]

Thank you for these. I'm a big fan of your videos, but have been particularly interested in this series. Anything else on the subject or related subjects that you can present will be greatly appreciated.

[@MarkS806]

Seriously one of the nicest pattern welded blades I've ever seen.

[@kurumais]

thats a beautiful piece

[@Shermingtan]

The name Mortimer always reminds me of Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskerville with Basil Rathbone. God I love those old movies..........errr anyway......weapons.....great series!

[@klyanadkmorr]

Return commenting to say these are great videos going over arceological historical sword styles and finds. I go on to Google/Wiki more info.

[@bahamutkaiser]

Dear Lord, that pattern is ridiculous! Pheeeeew.

[@CZProtton]

Yay for the Czech Republic and its garnets! Proud that we are part of the Sutton Hoo burial :) Also, thanks for the videos, Matt, they are awesome.

[@nmarbletoe8210]

+CZProtton It's amazing that your own history is revealed by such a find, and that we all get to share in the wonder. Do you ever see local garnets around Czech Republic, in the ground or in locally made jewelry?

[@CZProtton]

N Marbletoe Yes, you actualy do. Never seen them anywhere in the ground (since they are actualy expensive, someone would dig them up by now) but I am sure there will be some mines where you could find some... And yes, there is a lot of Czech jewelry with garnets in it. I am sure you could find some in the center of Prague.

[@bozo5632]

I just realized that the scha-scha-scha-schwing metal on metal sound at the beginning is hilarious.

[@Anceleron]

Took me forever to find this video again I can't believe it's been 5 years.

[@weareallbeingwatched4602]

It is well known that Caesar's Rome reached England, and left behind many antique methods and features, particularly Londonium was a Roman construction.

[@100dfrost]

Matt, are you sure that is a sword? It looks like a very pretty cricket bat. Great video. Thank-you, Sir. Dante.

[@lystic9392]

I don't know anything about swords really, but that sword is beautiful! I love its style!

[@minuteman4199]

It was a great video, and thanks for doing it, but it would have been nice to see more close up pictures of the scabbard.

[@emptyemptiness8372]

The significance of red and gold is they look fuckn great together, even here in nth east thailand all the gold shops are red and gold.

[@UAPJedi]

Wow what a sword, you wouldn’t miss that in a battle, as swords go it domes come across as a Challenger tank. You’ll certainly know if you were hit with it.

[@christianhalliwell8290]

Could you do a video on the 1998 Merlin miniseries sometime (more specifically on the sword designs in it)?

[@Dhomazhir]

You get to play with all the cool toys.

[@zonk0412]

Amazing recreation! two quick questions... 1# What was the relative ratio of sword length to average height? People were generally shorter, correct? Would a 28 inch blade to them be more like a 32 (just picking a number) blade to us today? 2# was a sword like this meant to "hack" through shields and leather armor? Like a more efficient axe?

[@kevcaratacus9428]

I've been to the actual site of the ship burial & seen the display at Sutton Hoo , but i havnt seen the display in London.

[@13anjowizard]

finally, pulled the damn blade out, and what beauty.

[@Luciffrit]

Something mildly related to this. This is what most video games/roleplay games would call a broadsword. As it is shorter than usual and distinctly wider. On the topic of video games. Faxanadu, an old NES title actually models their longsword after the historical types and doesn't mistake it for an arming sword.

[@christosvoskresye]

This clearly belonged to a fan or alumnus of Florida State University. Garnet and gold are our school colors.

[@Wildeheart79]

Well it must do then because obviously garnet and gold would never be used in another context at any given time in history even in Europe in the medieval period!

[@CedarloreForge]

Brilliant video guys. I was sad to not hear you give credit to the bladesmith who made it though. :/ The blade was forged by Vince Evans was it not? Was the hilt and scabbard made by Paul himself? Brilliantly beautiful work regardless of who made it.

[@kevcaratacus9428]

The staffs hoard is brilliant although it's only the 'bling' gold , silver & garnet inlay basically everything except the blades themselves.

[@georgetsaki9576]

Awesome sword

[@kevcaratacus9428]

Beautiful blade . For anyone thats read Bernard Cornwell books the *Last kingdom* the hero of the story Uhtred names his sword * Serpent breath* this blade is a great example showing why

[@Woedans]

Hej Matt, any chance you might return to this subject? I'd like to see more. Any anglosaxon or Vendel age subject really.

[@Albukhshi]

maybe the garnet arrangement is asymmetrical simply because they didn't have the right shape and sizes for the garnet to have perfect symmetry, or alternately did, but that 2-piece section snapped in two so the craftsman improvised. Further helping this is that if these came from either the Czech Republic area or Sri Lanka, it would have been impossible to control the quality from a distance: this is the migration period afterall.

[@AThousandYoung]

Supposedly the Dragon of Worm Hill was encountered by the Anglo Saxons around the same time as this burial.

[@chitlika]

Considering how far these peoples travveled and traded One wonders if some idiot had bought a baby crocodile or even a Komodo dragon home as a curio once full grown it would be extremely formidable and you'd need a real hero to face it with sword and lance

[@kc3718]

Baboon bones have been excavated from the 6C in the post Roman city of Wroxeter in Shropshire ( far in land and more remote than Suffolk ) and these were traded from North Africa. They've also been found in Ireland and Russia, so traders went far and wide in the Dark Ages/ Early Medieval. Novelty pets for warlords were a status symbol,

[@Blastmaster1972]

Interesting video.

[@markgrice8088]

Do you think the red and gold colours, of gold and garnet were a supposition of the roman legions colours?, the empire the saxons replaced in england?

[@rexcaliburn]

beautiful sword

[@historicalswordsaxeszone509]

Nice!

[@Altrantis]

The blade is amazing.

[@Tipi_Dan]

So gorgeous. May we assume that the original was a ceremonial sword, and not one actually taken to battle?

[@Rasgonras]

I really do wonder if that sword was for pure representation or for actual fighting. I can imagine that it would have been quite costly to lose and quite difficult to clean the blood out of the gold decorations (which may be the reason why they added that garnet to the gold). But I can equally imagine that for exactly that reason, being able to sustain and possibly lose that kind of sword, this sword was a show of wealth and capability. EDIT: I just found a saga mentioning a "life-stone" on a sword. "Now, Bersi owned the sword they call Whitting; a sharp sword it was, with a life-stone to it; and that sword he had carried in many a fray." www.thearma.org/essays/vikingfight.htm#cormac Could it be that garnets were such life-stones?

[@nmarbletoe8210]

+Rasgonras "Life stone" that's a very cool link! Intriguing. I also really dug the vid around 8:00 talking about "peace bands" a sort of a 'safety' on the sword, like it could be tied into the scabbard.

[@deormanrobey892]

I'd assume it was like one of those engraved and plated revolvers of more recent times. Symbolic, but functional in a pinch. It's owner was probably guarded by pikemen and an older trusted man at arms or two.

[@kevcaratacus9428]

@@deormanrobey892 thats a good comparison a blinged up revolver but still functional if needed . Those swords/ daggers were definitely functional & by the amount of gold/ silver inlaid with garnet - pommels hilts & scabbard mounts, which name up the *Staffs hoard* The previous owners most likely died fighting alongside their bodyguard . The general thinking is its all booty taken from the losing side after the battle. I can't remember how many individual weapons theyre from ( I'm sure it'll say if you look up 'staffs saxon hoard ' I wonder if the blades were kept & less precious materials used to replace the pommels etc . Because we get told things like their swords were equivalent to buying a top end car etc . But unless someone finds a bunch of rusted blades in a hole nearby we'll never know for sure .

[@mrdarren1045]

Seems logical to me.

[@renatotoledo]

the pommel on the sutton hoo sword looks exactly the same as the sword on the sttafordshire horde

[@TheBaconWizard]

MOAR!

[@petersmedley459]

That the sword resembles a Roman sword seems to fit well. The helm was modelled on a Roman parade helm and the East Anglian kings of the time (eg Radwaeld) traced their heritage back through Julius Caesar to Woden (yup, I know, imaginative at least!!) so the sword being based on. Spatha would seem logical. With the recreation, have you imitated the wear pattern on the twisted gold wire on the pommel to show that the user was left handed?

[@DaneMurdock]

What is this specific style of sword called? With this sort of handle and blade shape.

[@christopherpardell4418]

Gold is alloyed to make it more durable. A solid gold ring can be bent out of round with two fingers... and solid gold fretting would not securely hold inlaid garnets.

[@richardquinones2959]

dude you should add links to so the people can by the swords

[@TheGimilkhad]

Hey Matt, great video! Could you tell us who made this awesome sword and scabbard? Thanks!

[@scholagladiatoria]

Peter Bacilek It was Vince Evans.

[@TheGimilkhad]

scholagladiatoria Thanks man, you are always so quick to respond :P. Going to check out his website!

[@edthealpinedude8933]

***** between 4000 or 5500 euros

[@edthealpinedude8933]

The bad thing about it is that if I bought one of those...I would never use it, so I´d rather buy an albion (very reliable swords)

[@nmarbletoe8210]

+scholagladiatoria This video with Paul Mortimer maybe my very favorite of all your vids. The discussion is quite illuminating; the possible 'peace bands' and asymmetric garnet details are especially cool. Thx !!!!!

[@RuneChaosMarine]

from the eyes of a jeweler, the pattern on the pummel, is different on each side, because the frame is made after the gem is cut, perhaps they had materials that were not uniform and used what they had.

[@superfluous9726]

Looks a lot like one of my Templ swords.

[@lutzderlurch7877]

Finally!! :D

[@stanneubert4911]

Hilt style is not much different from a later viking age hilt but the later swords would have much sturdier hilts as the crossguard and pommel would be single forgings and not made of riveted plates of metal and bone. Also I know we don't properly call these swords "broadswords" but that is one broad sword blade.

[@disrxt]

I wanted to check out Paul's book "Woden's Warriors: Warriors and Warfare in 6th - 7th Century Northern Europe" but it goes for $3000 a copy! And that ain't even signed!

[@scholagladiatoria]

That's because it is out of print and therefore very rare. He has a new book coming out soon which will contain more information (as well as a small article by me, as it happens).

[@middlehearth6723]

Looks like a proper helmet/ skull crusher to me...looks nice though

[@markstouse3377]

Hi Matt, fantastic stuff but one technical request -- I think it would be easier to hear if you and Paul were mic'ed. Normally not an issue with your videos, but when you have a guest, it becomes an issue. Cheers! Mark

[@EgholmViking]

i instantly think back to the story of Beowulf that i read as a boy, seems like the heft of a blade to cleave a monster :)

[@davidwright7193]

EgholmViking except Grendel was impervious to blades and to kill him Beowulf ripped Grendel’s arm off and beat him to death with the soggy end. Try to cleave the monster with such a blade and you will not cleave to life.

[@simonphoenix3789]

fullers always seemed like a strange thing to me. Its quite a lot of effort to go through for what... lowering the weight a bit? It seems more like an aesthetic thing than anything, but getting an even fuller that looks nice isn't easy, at least unless you have modern electric tools that can breeze through at grinding an even groove. Then again, swords were probably high status items, especially during earlier times, so the people making them likely had quite a lot of skill.

[@Hibernicus1968]

Is it possible, do you think, that those plates at the top and bottom of the grip were repairs to keep a split in the original grip material, whatever it was, from growing worse? Or possibly to fill a space where original material had chipped or flaked away? Kind of like the jeweled collars on the grip of the so-called Charlemagne Saber in the Kunsthistorishces Museum in Vienna.

[@Fishhunter2014]

I think if I ever got the opportunity to be in the same room as one of these objects I'd be too afraid to touch it. Heck, my hands are getting sweaty just thinking about it.

[@eugenemclean2463]

"It's a big chopper" Since it belonged to a king / chief it probably was used and balanced for carring out / administering justice by taking off heads.

[@book3100]

Wow!

[@NoahWeisbrod]

Where can I get one????

[@airborneranger-ret]

What places sell replicas like that?

[@deagnasakaadam7840]

maybe it was for a left hand user the Sutton hoo person may have been left handed.

[@askoseppanen3779]

This sword has had a HUGE amount of work, just the center with pattern welded rods 4 pr side so 8 pattern welded rods each maybe 7 layers of alternating steel and iron.. And this only center sektion huh

[@kingkuroneko7253]

That damn fly in the background is passing me off

[@M139NG]

So thats where the original Lannister sword is. Jamie said they have not had a valyrian steel sword in their Family for generations..It all makes sense now:)

[@andrewkgsmith]

I've really enjoyed these videos about Sutton Hoo. I also like Paul, and would subscribe to his channel if he was on youtube too!

[@hulagu3068]

is this the qvc channel?

[@smokecrackhailsatan]

I think the colors represent something pretty simple. It's on a sword...what do you go to war and see? Blood and gold. Perhaps they just thought it was a striking color combination, as well. Maybe for that season he was in, black and gold were the "in colors" amoungst the nobles....

[@nmarbletoe8210]

+rewtuser I agree red and gold seem especially... warm and living, i guess. Blood and sunlight... and the colors of a fire...

[@JamesW7723]

I would love to purchase one of these for my reenactment costume but I cannot find one like this anywhere! Does anyone know where I can find one or who I would have to contact?