Rune Engraved Bearded Hatchet

Every farm in the North had one of these hanging by the door.

The bearded axe, the skeggöx, was a working tool long before it was a weapon. The hooked beard let you choke up right behind the head for close work like carving and notching, and it kept the head light enough to carry all day. Farmers, shipwrights and travelers all kept one close.

Ours start with a steel bearded hatchet head. We engrave the handle with Norse symbols, wrap the grip by hand, and run a lanyard through the heel. Two styles, one of each:

• Vegvisir, Black Wrap: the Icelandic wayfinder stave, said to keep the bearer from losing their way even in storms they don't know, with a bind rune below the black leather grip.
• Valknut, Green Wrap: the knot of the slain, the three interlocked triangles carved on stones tied to Odin, with runes up a rough, weathered handle and an olive wrap.

Engraved and wrapped by Midgard Artistry. Steel head, wood handle, cord lanyard.

Each one is one of a kind. Sold as a display piece and camp tool; give the edge a pass on a stone before you put it to work.

Pairs With: Rune Sets · Viking Round Shield