An ancient high-seas design built for the backwoods.

Over a thousand years ago a Norse weaponry designer created the Viking axe. That form has remained recognizable and largely unchanged ever since. For good reason. The Freya /fray-uh/ Viking-style utility axe is a powerful everyday axe that touches on ancient design roots and thrives in the outdoors.

Elmer Roush of Brasstown, North Carolina has one foot definitively in the past. When it comes to designing axes, that is. Freyja—in Norse mythology—is the goddess of beauty and the Freya utilitarian axe is as widely useful around camp as it is aesthetically beautiful. Similar to Elmer's other notorious Viking axe, the Freyr, the Freya is forged of tough 1055 carbon steel for durability and edge retention. It's met with a handle carved of Tennessee hickory precisely designed for durability and ease of use. But where she stands in a league all her own is in the clean lines of the head, crafted for nearly effortless wood splitting.

If you see the Freya coming, no need to worry. Unless you're a sapling in the way.

About the Forged By War program

In 2013, Ryan Johnson of RMJ Tactical, designer of elite, military, tactical tomahawks, approached CRKT with the news that he had been working with a few combat veterans that had returned from war with varying degrees of post-traumatic stress (PTS).

To help work through their challenges, they have been designing and forging steel into custom tools. Drawing from their experience earned in combat situations, they have been creating tools they wished they had available to them in the battlefield.

CRKT cares deeply about our returning veterans and we saw a way to give back to the community that created them. In 2016, we launched the Forged By War program.

These are mission ready tools, designed by veterans, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the veterans' charity of choice.

Mission ready tools that are Forged By War. Learn more at the the manufacturer's website.

Elmer Roush's charity of choice for this tool is the Green Beret Foundation.

*Although we know the temptation is great, we do not advise throwing this specific tool for safety and potential void of warranty reasons.

Specifications:

Blade Length: 3.46" (87.88 mm)
Edge: Plain
Steel: S55C Carbon Steel
Blade Finish: Manganese Phosphate Coating
Blade Thickness: 1.25" (31.78 mm)
Open Length: 19"
Weight: 1.93 lb (0.87 kg)
Handle: Tennessee Hickory
Style: Axe