Belegarth

I need to build some new swords and I am thinking about decorating one of them to look similar to the mythical Nordic blade, Lævateinn.

Anyone have any information on what this sword would have looked like?

Honestly, it probably just looked like a sword. In a lot of myths, these great legendary weapons looked just like their mundane counterparts with runes etched into the sides. The only appearance it has is from modern video games.

Also, consider the fact that its translation and the mentionings of it have it called a twig. This doesn't necessarily preclude it from being a sword, but some folks think it might have been a staff or wand.

If you want it to look like a sword that people would think would be Laevateinn, put a gray cover on it with red Futhark runes up the side.

Caleidah wrote:Honestly, it probably just looked like a sword. In a lot of myths, these great legendary weapons looked just like their mundane counterparts with runes etched into the sides. The only appearance it has is from modern video games.

That would make sense. I'm so used to fancy video game weapons that I haven't looked at it that way.

Caleidah wrote:Also, consider the fact that its translation and the mentionings of it have it called a twig. This doesn't necessarily preclude it from being a sword, but some folks think it might have been a staff or wand.

I was actually aware of this from the Wikipedia article, but thanks for bringing it up anyway in case I didn't know. The sword vs. staff argument sounds like it might be a heated one.

I think it's a sword because I remember reading somewhere that the Fire Giant Surtr used Lævateinn to sever the roots of the "world tree" Yggdrasil to cause the end of the world in Norse mythology. I find it more believable to sever the roots of a tree with a large indestructible sword sharpened to a molecule-thickness edge than with a staff or wand of any kind. I haven't studied Norse Mythology much though, so there could be many things pointing toward it being a staff that I'm not aware of.

Caleidah wrote:If you want it to look like a sword that people would think would be Laevateinn, put a gray cover on it with red Futhark runes up the side.

This sounds like a great idea. I'm not sure why I didn't think of adding runes. That would really make this sword, regardless of whether I go with the plain semi-historical representation or design a decorative fantasy version. Thanks for the tip.

Know where I can find some good, accurate sources of information on the study of Nordic Futhark runes? Though I vaguely know what they are, I'm not exactly familiar with them.

Taxfrog wrote:http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Futhark+runes

I said "good" and "accurate" for a reason.

On second thought, nevermind. It's just a nerd stick.


I'll post a photo when this sword is made.