on average. A very wide and shallow fuller runs down each side of the blade, fading just before the point (which is rounded). The grip's length is consistent with earlier Viking swords, averaging about . The cross-guard is about wide, is square in section, and it tapers towards the tips. In some rare cases, the cross is slightly curved. The tang is usually very flat and broad, and it tapers sharply towards the pommel. 10th century Norsemen referred to this type of sword as gaddhjalt (or "spike hilt"), referring to the strong taper of the tang rather than some visible characteristic of the pommel. The pommel usually takes either an oval Brazil-nut form or a disc shape. In 1981 Oakeshott introduced SubtypeXa to include swords of similar blades that have narrower fullers, originally classified under type XI. Type XI Swords of this type were in use . It presents similarly to TypeX, with a short grip and a fuller that nearly runs the blade's entire length. In comparison, however, the blade is distinctively longer and more slender, and it tapers to an acute point. The fuller is also narrower. The shape of typeXI blades is more suitable for slashing from horseback. Though it tapers to a point, it is generally too flexible for effective thrusting. SubtypeXIa presents a broader, shorter blade. Type XII Typical of the High Middle Ages, these swords begin to show greater tapering of the blade and a shortened fuller, features which improve thrusting capabilities while maintaining a good cut. The Cawood sword is an exceptionally well preserved typeXII specimen, exemplifying a full-length taper and narrow fuller, which terminates 2/3 down the blade. A large number of Medieval examples of this type survive. It certainly existed in the later 13th century, and perhaps considerably earlier, since the Swiss National Museum in Zurich possesses an example that has a Viking Age–type hilt but clearly a typeXII blade. The earliest known depiction of a typeXII sword in art is in the statue of the Archangel Michael in Bamberg Cathedral, dating to . The Maciejowski Bible () depicts other examples. Subtype XIIa (originally classified as XIIIa) consists of the longer, more massive greatswords that appear in the mid–13th century, which precede the later long-swords and were probably designed to counter the improved mail armor of the time. Single-handed transitional typeXII swords have a grip about in length. Type XIIa has