What I did this last year: Part 1 - Babayaga's Warknife

I realized the other day I haven't posted anything in a year.  Partly it's internet fatigue, and partly it's being busy.  I've also found I like Instagram (hopkins_forge) the best for sharing my work as it's quick and easy.  But occasionally I do like a longer, more thoughtful format...
What have I been doing for a year?
I finally finished a long term side project - Babayaga's Warknife

It's what I would call historically-based fantasy, or maybe a history-based extrapolation.  I started with the basic form of baltic warknives, pulled in a few historical patterns and shapes, and then swirled it all together with whatever came out of my fevered brain.
The result is a 22" blade, 32" overall.  This may seem awfully big for a knife, but it falls easily within the size range of authentic seaxes.

The handle is bog oak with a moose antler spacer in the middle.  I'll never carve bog oak again - it has the terrible combination of being both chippy and soft at the same time.  The fittings are bronze and there are 3 silver medallions inlaid in the handle.

My inspiration for the piece evolved out of reading the Mongoliad series of books (various authors).  It's the kind of weapon I imagined a volva (like Babayaga) might carry.  Not a weapon meant for battling armored opponents, but something for self-defense in a time/world where everyone carries a knife of some sort.  I think of it as a Rus wakizashi.

I did more than this in a year, but I think I'll split it into a series of posts.