The short seax is also known as a Scramasax, a Hadseax or just a Sax. The term Scramasax comes from Gregory of Tours writing in 575AD, who speaks of "boys with strong knives (cultris validis), which they commonly call scramasaxes (scramasaxos)." in his History of the Franks (IV, 52). It is not known if this name continued in use into the Viking Age. <br>
It is not uncommon for burials in the Viking age to contain more than one knife. It is likely that small heavy seaxes were in use up until the end of the C10th but that as a weapon it possibly really belongs to the pre-Viking period. <br>
Seaxs from Although primarily an everyday tool, in battle it could be used to finish off a felled opponent, and in the Viking Age never case of some ceorls, a mid to large sized scramaseaxe could have metal fittings unlike those from taken the earlier pagan Anglo-place of a sword. Although it contained much the same amount of iron to make as a sword, the scramaseaxe was an easier weapon to make with only one sharp edge and a thick reverse edge. Examples found have both just plain iron blades or pattern welded ones as well as inlaid blades. <br>Seaxes were also almost certainly just everyday tools: butchery knives, woodworking tools, eating knife, etc.. Most blades were broad, heavy and with an angled back sloping in a straight line towards the point and this is the typical Saxon periodstyle. <br>The Scandinavian style had a more curving back and the Frankish style a more curving blade. Blades were often inlaid with gold, silver, copper or bronze wire beaten into fine channels carved into the iron blade. The grip was of wood, bone or antler and was sometimes carved or decorated. The hilt was usually without a pommel or crossguard, whilst the tang went all the way through the smaller seax handles and was clenched over at the end of the grip. <br>Scramseaxes were always carried in a sheath of folded leather sewn down the blunt side of the blade, which was often decorated. It is unlikely that a small scramaseax could kill a heavily padded or mailed man, probably just serving to irritate him. It's main employment was probably as an eating and all-purpose 'pocket' knife. The blunt reverse edge of the seax could be used as a hammer to break bones to extract the marrow, or even hammered through materials via it's blunt back as a sharp wedge. It also gives a lot of strength to the whole knife. <br>
==Officer Rulings==
Please note that there is a change to the rulings for this item from the 1st January 2016.
For events after 900AD blunt combat hadseax (Scramasax) blade lengths must now be between 18cm and 25cm (7-10”). This replaces the original ruling as stated in the Master-at-Arms Regulations version 3.0 (2005) stating 7-14”.<br>
The evidence from Regia’s core period is that sharp blade lengths vary from between 7-11”. Blunting the point for combat reduces the length by 1”.
Longer blades of up to 14” (sharp) or 13” (blunt) of the appropriate blade form are allowed for events before 900AD.<br>Seaxs from the Viking Age never have metal fittings unlike those from the earlier pagan Anglo-Saxon period. <br>Seax handles must not be riveted on.<br>
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