The Tritonia. A faithful recreation of an historical sword named after its find site, an area now known as "Tritonia" in the medieval part of Stockholm, Sweden. An archaeological excavation at the site yielded the remnants of a pier, and this extraordinary sword.

It was still in its scabbard and remarkably intact when it was awakened from its sleep in the muddy clay of the medieval shoreline (missing only part of one arm of the cross-guard, a section of the point and the organic portions of the grip). The original sword is now on display at the Museum of Medieval Stockholm, Sweden.

The Original Tritonia Sword

The sword is a stunning eyecatcher and presented many interesting challenges during the process of reconstruction. It was obviously made by a master of the craft and combines awesome cleaving power with agility and speed.

Despite its hefty weight it is smooth and responsive in handling. Its blade, tang, cross and pommel were skillfully forged with a good eye for beautiful proportions and a deep understanding of the dynamic qualities of a broad slashing sword of such imposing dimensions. A distinguishing feature is how the distal taper is designed to give support and stiffness to the thin cutting section of the blade.

A very similar sword with the same broad blade and spherical pommel is seen in a sculpture in the “Easter Shrine” of the Cathedral, Constance, dated to 1300, depicting a soldier sleeping by the tomb of Christ. Weapons like these were effectively wielded from horseback and were popular during the later part of the 13th C and the first half of the 14th C.

The sword made in the workshops of Albion is a direct result of a project for the Museum of Medieval Stockholm. Swordsmith Peter Johnsson was commissioned to forge an exact reconstruction that was to be exhibited alongside the original.

The knowledge gained during this project is now resulting in a faithful and highly realistic reconstruction made by the skilled artisans of Albion. No effort is spared to make the swords true to the original not only in dimensions but also in performance and aesthetic details.

The blades are hand-ground and finished to a high satin finish. Each blade is individually heat treated in Albion's Shop for maximum flexibility and cutting performance. All of our blades are thoroughly tested to destruction to ensure that they are as durable (or more) than a period original (see the results of one such testing session here.).