Einar Trollkarl: making swords for play, not war
Einar Trollkarl, Wrath || Kylo Ren’s Medieval Longsword, padauk, black walnut. Entered in Maker of the Year Awards, presented by Hare & Forbes.
A childhood interest in historical weapons evolved into a full-time professional passion for making swords and weapons… Wooden swords are Einar Trollkarl’s ‘love letter to the world’ – made not for fighting, but as a homage to craftsmanship and a symbol of gratitude ‘for a life that did not need a sword’. Wanting to know more, we asked Einar Trollkarl (who goes by an alias) to fill us in on some of the background to his creations.
Where do you live? How long have you been making these swords and related weapons?
I’m in Canada, on the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario. I made my first sword in 2014, virtually on a whim when the idea hit me so clearly I couldn't not: a good wooden sword, built the same way the real ones are: blade that continues into the tang, crossguard mortised onto the base of the blade, a pommel capping the end of the tang, and leather wrapped about the grip for comfort.
The plan was never to turn it into a business, I just wanted one for myself. Friends saw that first one and asked me for their own in new styles, and once I started posting pictures of these first pieces online, the same thing kept happening.
The Ancient Chinese Great Guan Dao, beech, red oak. Modelled on the famed weapon of G
Where does your interest come from?
I’d say it was from my forever fascination with arms and armour, meeting my lifelong obsession with just making stuff, crossing over a wish I’d held since childhood to be a swordfighter. I’d say they all came together nicely.
Are they used for play? Or purely decorative?
These swords are indeed used for play, and even as I aim to make them as beautiful as I can, they have always been built fully functional. The bare minimum is excellence for technical training, but I do also offer an extra tough build option that grades them for hard full speed sparring, where rather than a single plank of wood, the blade is laminated in two or three layers of impact grade hardwood and pressed together with wood glue, making that blade shatter-proof and exceptionally strong.
Knives by Einar Trollkarl: ‘A small build batch completed and ready to scatter out into the world’.
Do these swords have a special meaning for you?
If I may indulge a little, these works do indeed also hold some meaning for me – I find them a nice way to recreate and celebrate these objects of beauty, while robbing them of the ugly jobs they were originally created for. They still have the strength to hold a line from being crossed, but in a way that allows one to say ‘when hostilities are over, I still want to be able to talk to you.’ It’s a balance I find personally significant, and the lesson that I take from history.
‘Where the magic happens, and is immediately vacuumed up. The messy shop where the big dust-kicker tools live, and gets cleaned probably three times a year, is in the garage.’
Who buys and uses these swords?
My patronage has been exceptionally difficult to pin down, actually. Many worlds seem to collide here – some are collectors, some practitioners, some into cosplay and LARP, some D&D players, others are parents who want something safe to fight their kids with, others the occasional individual seeking to honour a tie to their heritage. Many from all groups are movie and fantasy enthusiasts. Basically, nerds. My tribe.
‘A quiet night in....’
Are the designs your own, or based on historical examples?
The designs are largely based on historical pieces. They are my love letter to the world and its countless incredible ages and cultures, but also sometimes pieces are just me having fun in my design software. In either case, I do spend a few hours agonising over every line and curve and proportion, material thicknesses and joinery techniques.
‘One of my most challenging pieces was this Chinese Oxtail Saber, and the scabbard that needed to fit perfectly on a sword whose widest point was near the point rather than the base. This project fought me for every inch, but from it I felt the truly greatest level ups.’
Do you make editions or one-of-a-kind pieces? Or to order?
I have since the very beginning made myself available for custom projects, which were largely how I grew the shop.
Many of the pieces in the shop were once first time commissions, adding another civilization to the repertoire. But occasionally, a request comes in for something extra unique, either a vision – like Kylo Ren’s lightsaber re-imagined as a medieval longsword – and sometimes it’s an artist’s own design sought to be made in real life. I especially love those.
Sword detail – ‘leather wrapped about the grip for comfort.’
What woods do you use?
My favourite woods for this line of work include both domestic and luxurious foreign hardwoods. Staples include ash, maple, hickory, walnut – good, tough and beautiful stock. Hard maple is my particular favourite, a calm and flowy grain like organic marble, it makes especially beautiful blades, but regrettably it is lower in impact resistance, so I reserve it largely for short blades and decoratives.
My more premium selection includes purpleheart, jatoba, padauk, cumaru, and wenge. This collection showcases bombastic colours, is spectacularly tough, with density and weight that is just extra satisfying in the hand. Wenge makes exquisite hilt fittings, bringing a hard colour contrast that is just breathtaking.
Riverleaf Katana, a Japanese Samurai Sword
Is this your day job?
I honestly truly don't know if I can call this a job, it’s too strange, and my commute to work is just a few flights of stairs; but yes, I pour everything I have into this.
What’s the next sword on your drawing board?
Sorry, I don't do spoilers. ;)
Einar Trollkarl’s Wrath || Kylo Ren’s Medieval Longsword is entered in the Art & Objects category of Maker of the Year Awards, presented by Hare & Forbes. See his Maker of the Year entry here
Maker of Maker of the Year Awards, presented by Hare & Forbes, is open to makers around the world. There are six entry categories and a prize pool valued at more than A$20,000 including A$11,500 cash. Entry is now open via www.makeroftheyear.com.au
