Viking Type M Axe with Etched Norse Design (Dane Axe)

Petersen's Type M is the classic “Dane axe”. Introduced around 950 AD, it was used so widely that examples are found from England to Russia, and it stayed in service into the 13th century.

Old Norse sources never called it a “Dane axe”; they used the broader term breiðøx, “broad axe”. The “Danish axe” label comes from later English and Latin chroniclers, appearing as early as the reign of Harthacnut around 1040, when Earl Godwin of Wessex gave the king a ship crewed by warriors bearing gilded Danish axes.

Type M's development is tied to the spread of mail and helmets among Viking elites: a bigger, broader blade was needed against better-protected opponents. Archaeologists consistently find Type M axes in graves with other high-status equipment such as spears, shield bosses, swords and riding gear, and decorated examples carry engraved crosses, punched patterns and even silver or gold inlay. Named axes of this type appear in the sagas too, including Hel, carried by King Olaf Haraldsson and later his son Magnus the Good at the Battle of Hlýrskógsheiðr in 1043, and Rimmugýgr, wielded by Skarphéðinn in Njál's Saga.

Both faces of the head are etched with Norse knotwork. The C60 high-carbon steel head sits directly on the haft, secured with a heavy rivet and a steel wedge for a tight, lasting fit. Knotted, riveted bands of vegetable-tanned leather and a spiralled leather grip finish the haft.

Rated Battle Ready. It ships unsharpened, so it is safe to handle and display as it arrives, and it can be professionally sharpened if you want a working edge.

Specifications

• Overall length: 32 1/4″
• Edge length: 6 5/8″ (point to point)
• Weight: 3 lb 1.2 oz
• Head: C60 high-carbon steel, etched
• Haft: Carved hardwood with leather bands and grip
• Mounting: Riveted, with steel wedge
• Edge: Unsharpened
• Class: Battle Ready
• Culture: Viking
• Manufacturer: Deepeeka, India

Measurements are approximate, as each piece is handmade.

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