Paper short abstract:

Pattern-welding has long been understood in terms of functionality and aesthetics. Looking beyond material science approaches, this study adopted an experimental and iconographic approach. Here it is proposed that pattern-welded swords were perceived as more than weapons, but instead as individual entities, beasts of war.

Paper long abstract:

Weapons and warfare in past cultures have largely been understood in terms of modern perceptions of weapon categories and classification systems. This paper proposes that we should revise our approach to weapons by understanding them in terms of the world in which they were embedded.

Traditionally, the purpose of pattern-welding has been discussed with reference to 'functionality' and 'aesthetics' by investigation of their microstructure. During an experimental and iconographic investigation into Anglo-Saxon pattern-welding, it became very apparent that it was inappropriate to approach these weapons using current terminology.

The iconographic study revealed that pattern-welded swords in Anglo-Saxon art were not represented in any naturalised form. Instead, it appears that they may have been represented how they were considered conceptually. By drawing on aspects of materialisation and embodiment, this paper contests the notion of 'sword', and instead suggests that these items were perceived as agents of war. They could be regarded as powerful, magical entities, with their own will, personified (or anthropomorphised) as conceptually individual and separate from the beholder.

A study of the distribution and manufacture process of pattern-welded swords revealed the importance of 'distance', as perceived of geographically and conceptually, in defining their perceived and believed qualities. The results provide an interesting insight into the functional and symbolic qualities of pattern-welding, as well as a world view interpretation of Anglo-Saxon weapons and warfare.