Six things you should know about Scandinavian knives

They have become a cult among the rangers, made their way into the ranks of hunters and fishermen, and charmed discerning collectors with their looks. When it comes to Scandinavian knives, always different in their own way from the others. Their clearly defined lines, precise contours and drawn curves seem to carry a rigorous, mathematical model.

This does not mean, however, that they are monotonous, dull and predictable. Cutlers, blacksmiths, carvers and artisans have long been able to decorate them in the finest detail – with the refinement of royal jewels. Whether simple or ornate, they always carry their historical legacy of the stormy, Nordic nature.

1. The knife that belongs on your belt

You won’t find them in the wooden hutches by the stove; you’d look for them in a desk drawer or stuck into a beam for nothing. Scandinavian knives have always belonged on the belt. To the place where they are ready to help when working, moving, hunting or grazing. Together with the holster they form an inseparable pair, always perfectly matched.

The Northmen have never been peasants, who keep the farm in the yard and only go out into the fields behind the house or in a team. From time immemorial they have been bound to the land in which they move. The knife is a tool for hunting and processing meat, the knife is a tool for firewood and shelter, the knife is a tool for cooking and food processing.

Add to that crafts where natural materials need to be processed and you’re in the picture. Each knife may have a slightly different cut height and tip shape for its specialty, but each is versatile enough to fulfill its mission. That’s where their strict, unchanging shape comes in.

2. Two sizes, two shapes

Small Scandinavian knife puukko for small jobs, big knife leuku for big challenges. If you run from Finland to Sweden to Norway, you will encounter these two formats everywhere. The Pukkoo has a blade length of 7 to 12 centimetres, which is expected to be not only perfectly sharp but also tough. One’s knife must be fine and sharp to separate the meat from the skin, but at the same time it must split the chips for the fire.

The Leuku has a blade length from 15 inches upwards and is a versatile “cleaver” for larger jobs. It replaces an axe when chopping poles for a shelter, it will cut a hole in frozen ice on a lake, and at other times it will take the place of a butcher’s knife when butchering game for drying.

It is not uncommon for knives to be made in matched pairs, in a common, shared sheath. A consistently learned handstroke will reach for a smaller knife one time, a larger one another. As needed. That no other shape is thought of in Scandinavia is evidenced by the fact that even the bayonets of war rifles have this typical shape.

3. The material of the blade is crucial

How to determine if a Scandinavian knife is really worth it? Legend has it that it must be able to cut reindeer bones without the blade snapping off. In ancient times, the iron on the blade of knives was smelted from limonite ore, which gave them unusual strength and toughness.

Today the standard is 80CrV2 carbon steel, which is extremely tough. On more luxurious pieces you can also find blades made of laminated (layered) steel, either stainless or carbon. You can find it most often on Helle knives or craft and collection knives.

4. Handle made of natural materials

If the temperature drops below – 30 °C outside the Arctic Circle, the handle of the knife must not endanger the palm of the hand in any way. You will rarely find metal guards and pommels, and you will not encounter rope braids or mineral decorations. The base is layered birch bark or wood with a typical, curly flint. The complement is bone or antler.

The knife must fit in the hand without slipping. The simple, almost barrel-shaped handle guarantees a perfect grip. At first glance, the simple handle is tuned for power cutting, but also for gentle, sensitive manoeuvrability. Just as well handled by the carver, it can be wielded with equal confidence by the hunter.

If a knifemaker hands you a finca with a stabilized wood handle today, know that it is a knife that Northerners are unlikely to reach for. Wood saturated with resin is cold and chilly, no longer a natural material.

5. Cutting with a poisonous blade

A Scandinavian cut goes to zero – just like a razor blade. It has to pass effortlessly through the grain of the wood, it has to get effortlessly lengthwise and crosswise through the frozen flesh of the game. It does not tolerate the facet, which in other knives serves to increase the durability of their blades.

Even so, a hint of it can be found on some mass-produced blades. If you want a blade to perform to its full potential, you’ll need to hand-hone it to get to the perfection you’ve always dreamed of. It is the simplicity of sharpening that can completely engross newcomers to the world of knives.

With high cut, you don’t need aids to keep the plane and angle. You are copying the surface with a stone, and you are only watching that you don’t sand one side more than the other. The rest is just rhythmic drudgery that always brings great pleasure.

6. Setting on the thorn

No other knives have a handle with a thorn so typical as Scandinavian knives. A steel mandrel runs through the handle to the end cap, which, by threading or unthreading the mandrel, holds the handle unmoved in its place.

There is a good deal of frugality behind this, but also foresight. A handle so fitted can be replaced by another anywhere in the field if damaged. Whether you assemble it from slices of bark with holes punched in the middle, or burn a hole in solid wood with a mandrel to fit.

By knocking the end, any loosening of the handle can be solved, by knocking the end, the handle can be disassembled and replaced. Without modern epoxy adhesives, without the smell of glued rivets, screws and complicated fasteners.