Texts - Valsgarde 5 (video)

"The spokesman handed him a hilted weapon,
A rare and ancient sword named Hrunting.
The iron blade with its ill-boding patterns
Had been tempered in blood.  It had never failed
The hand of anyone who had hefted it in battle, …"
Béowulf, an Anglo-saxon epic poem, verses 1457-1463

In 1930, archaeologists excavated mound No. 5 at the Valsgärde burial site near Uppsala in Sweden. An unknown man was buried at the end of the seventh century AD in a roughly 10-metre-long boat, together with burial effects which, besides other things, also included one of the most magnificent archaeologically discovered swords ever found in Europe. It was most likely a luxurious status symbol of an unknown ruler; apart from being a symbol of power, it might have had a cultic function in the society of that time. In 2019, Patrick Bárta made a replica of this amazing work of art - Sword (174).

The hilt is decorated with deep engravings on the whole surface and set with garnet inlays. All in all, the sword includes 74 cabochon-cut garnets and 109 facets mounted into the pommel using cloisonné work.

As a model for the unpreserved blade, Patrick used a contemporary sword excavated in the famous British burial site at Sutton Hoo. In the fuller of the blade, made of four rods, straight and twisted pattern welding is used alternatively, surrounded on both sides by edges made of tempered welded steel.

To make a replica of the Valsgärde 5 sword took over 1200 hours of work. Just cutting the garnets and fitting them in place took Patrick about two months alone. It is definitely the greatest work of craftsmanship this Czech sword maker has produced so far.