Secrets of the Viking Sword

Door county artist blacksmith Rick Furrer reinvents and tests the long lost technical details of making a signature Viking sword. His quest is helped by international archeaometallurgists and the latest scientific analysis of surviving ancient blades.

From the DVD cover:

"Feared throughout Europe, the Vikings were the most ferocious warriors of the Middle Ages. Especially fearsome were the select few who wielded a formidable weapon: a light, razor sharp, virtually indestructible sword with its makers name ULFBERHT, inlaid along the blade. But who Ulfberht was, where the sword came from, and how it was made remained secrets for more than 1,000 years."

"In Secrets of the Viking Sword, NOVA launches an epic scientific detective story to discover the answers. Under a microscope, the Ulfberht emerges as a stunning technological breakthrough unequaled until the advent of 19th century steelmaking. Challenging a master Wisconsin swordsmith to reproduce the sword using the original recipe, NOVA grants viewers a stage-by-stage look at the extreme demands the process places on its maker."