Today we take a look at two original seaxs from the the early medieval period that reside in the Oakeshott Institute Collection, and show off reproductions of these pieces we've made for an event called Vikingfest that will occur the first two weekends of October, 2025 at the Dakota County Fairgrounds in Minnesota. This promises to be the largest Viking-themed event in the United States with food, vendors like Arms and Armor, antiquities from the Oakeshott Institute and others, reenactors, and all kinds of awesome activities, including plenty of mead. Come check it out and say hi to us.
An 8th century seax from Aachen Cathedral, with partial sheath
The seax is an iconic fighting knife (or sometimes sword) of the Germanic peoples of Migration Period Europe. These are typically quite stout and rigid, with a long handle and no cross guard. Usually of pattern welded iron construction, there were various styles used by the Saxons, Franks, and Norse, among others. The two examples we examine today are a bit under two feet in length and a quarter inch thick, making them quite substantial weapons.
A custom seax based on the bottom seax pictured below
Two 9th-10th century seaxs in the Oakeshott Institute Collection being measured and traced for reproduction.
As always, our swords and other weapons are entirely made by us, by hand, at our shop in Minneapolis, MN. Sword blades are hand ground of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. All of our products are made to look, feel, and function just like the historical originals on which they are based. Arms & Armor is dedicated to quality and authenticity. For over four decades we have worked with museums, collectors, and scholars around the world to develop a deep understanding of European weapons; knowledge we use to make products that exemplify the finest qualities of the very best historic pieces. When we select historic items to reproduce, being pretty isn't enough, they have to move with grace and beauty, and beg to be used when in the hand. These are pieces that feel as good as they look, and that work as well as they feel. Our mission is to craft items that recreate the look, feel, and function of the best historic originals
To commission a custom piece please email us at aa@arms-n-armor.com
You can also check out all of our amazing handmade products on our website.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985