The science of metalurgy, fascinates us to no end. We have no plans on dropping anchor into the world of black smithing, but seeing shows such as Secrets Of The Viking Sword, give amazing insight into where we are today in high tech alloys and raw metal materials.
Watching Richard Furrer of Door County Forgeworks craft an ancient style of blade from raw materials is truly good television. One aspect that we continue to be boggled upon though is how they knew what materials to use and where to mine for them. It is easy to think that we are much wiser in our modern age, but to see a sword such as the +ULFBERH+T come to life, it can be safely assumed that our ancestors were equally adept in many ways.
"The Vikings were among the fiercest warriors of all time. Yet only a select few carried the ultimate weapon of their era: the feared Ulfberht sword. Fashioned using a process that would remain unknown to the Vikings' rivals for centuries, the Ulfberht was a revolutionary high-tech tool as well as a work of art. Considered one of the greatest swords ever made, it remains a fearsome weapon more than a millennium after it last saw battle. But how did Viking sword makers design and build the Ulfberht, and what was its role in history? Now, NOVA uses cutting edge science and old-fashioned detective work to reconstruct the Ulfberht and finally unravel the "Secrets of the Viking Sword."
Link to original post on Nova
Find out more about Door County Forgeworks
Watching Richard Furrer of Door County Forgeworks craft an ancient style of blade from raw materials is truly good television. One aspect that we continue to be boggled upon though is how they knew what materials to use and where to mine for them. It is easy to think that we are much wiser in our modern age, but to see a sword such as the +ULFBERH+T come to life, it can be safely assumed that our ancestors were equally adept in many ways.
"The Vikings were among the fiercest warriors of all time. Yet only a select few carried the ultimate weapon of their era: the feared Ulfberht sword. Fashioned using a process that would remain unknown to the Vikings' rivals for centuries, the Ulfberht was a revolutionary high-tech tool as well as a work of art. Considered one of the greatest swords ever made, it remains a fearsome weapon more than a millennium after it last saw battle. But how did Viking sword makers design and build the Ulfberht, and what was its role in history? Now, NOVA uses cutting edge science and old-fashioned detective work to reconstruct the Ulfberht and finally unravel the "Secrets of the Viking Sword."
Link to original post on Nova
Find out more about Door County Forgeworks
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| Illustration of the +ULFBERH+T sword |
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| Richard Furrer working on the inlay of the +ULFBERH+T sword |
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| Richard Furrer drawing out the sword |
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| The original +ULFBERH+T sword in detail |
