We unfortunately don't have exactly contemporary law sources on the society in Viking Age Scandinavia, but at least Scandinavian (Norwegian) law books from later period (13th century and later) in fact stipulate that 'free' farmers eligible to be conscripted to the naval levy (leiðangr/ leidang in modern Norwegian) should maintain a set of some basic weapons, including the sword in Norwegian case, as I translated and cited before in: Would post-viking era Scandinavian armies and soldiers be organized and equipped any differently than other "western" medieval armies?

The following is the passage in question, Chap. 309 of Older Gulathing Law, law book from western Norway and customarily dated around 1200 (the provenance of the extant MS is from the middle of the 13th century), instruct local officers and magnates to inspect whether the farmer's set of weapons is well-maintained in the assembly held regularly:

'(Very Rough Translation): 'On Weapon (Checking?) Assembly: Everytime the weapon assembly held, officer (årmann) or magnate (lendman) announced it in autumn and the assembly itself shall be held in the spring. All the free and of due age men shall take part in [the assembly], otherwise 3 oras shall be paid. Now the men shall show their weapons as stipulated in the law, namely a broad axe, or a sword and a spear, and shield at least that three iron plates attached it, and the grip enhanced with the iron. If every one of these three people's weapons of free men is missing, the fine of 3 marks for each weapon shall be fined. The free farmer (bondi) shall also provide 24 arrows and a bow for each bench. He shall pay one ora for one missing arrow and 3 oras for bow'.

I find it not so likely that the social regulation on the violence as well as the weapon control was loosened later in the Middle Ages, so I suppose that your blacksmith could bear the weapon he made as long as he followed TPO (i.e. unless he brought the sword in the district/ regional assembly and unsheathed it to intimidate others) and he could afford it (the high quality and embellished sword could be very expensive and time-consuming) (Cf. Price 2020: 319-21).

If you are interested in what kind of weapons and shield the conscripted freemen were expected to maintain and relevant literature in more detail, please also check the linked thread above.

Reference:

• Price, Neil. Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings. New York: Basic Books, 2020.

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