The Saxe is a large Skandian knife. Originally called the “sea axe”, over the years the words combined to “saxe”. The Ranger Saxe is similar. The blade is 15 inches, nearly a short sword’s size. It has one razor sharp side and a thick, heavy other side. Made by Ranger smiths, it’s strong enough to block a sword without damage.
The Viking seax is a large, single-edged fighting knife used in the early Viking era. Like the Skandian saxe, Vikings adapted the seax design to a “broken-back” shape. Seaxes had wood, bone or horn hilts. Some seax blades matched fine swords.
Saxons were named after their signature knife. They saw knives as so crucial that Saxons buried children with knives sized for their future growth, ensuring their dead kept weapons in the afterlife.
A good chef’s knife depends on hand size. It must sit firmly between thumb and finger. Chef knives measure 6-14 inches, but no single size fits all. Matching knife size to hand size is key.