Ancient Vikings

Bow and Arrow

The bow and arrow was a very effective ranged weapon used throughout the Viking and medieval times. It was common for vikings to soak the arrows in a flammable liquid and then light them, which allows the arrows to burn the houses which were commonly made out of thatch and wood. Most arrows were made of yew, ash and elm. arrow heads were typically made of iron and produced in various shapes and sizes. They were mainly connected to the wooden shaft by a shouldered tang. Some heads were also made of wood, bone or antler. The draw weight of a 10th century bow may have been around 90 pounds.

spears

Throwing spears was very common among the warrior class. Despite popular belief spears were an apt fit for the formations and tactics of the Vikings, and was the principal weapon for a Viking warrior. The spears consisted of a metal head with a blade and a wooden shaft of two to three metres in length, which was typically made from ash wood. The spear head could measure anywhere from twenty to sixty centimetres in length. Two main types of spears were used; the krokspjot was a spear with a winged head and a hoggspjot was a spear with a larger head. The krokspjot was used for throwing, whereas the hoggspjot could also be used for chopping and stabbing.

polearms

A pole-arm known as the Atgeir is mentioned in viking sagas and literature, and is commonly translated to halberd, akin to a glaive(sword) . Gunner Hamundarson in the Njals saga is described as very gently "cutting and impaling his foes on his Atgeir." several weapons have been described as "viking halberds", although none of these were found in graves. Halberds may have been quite rare, or may not have been customary in the funerals of Vikings.

knives

two types of knives were in common use by the Vikings. the more common one was a plain, single-edged knife called the knifr. these are found in most viking graves, as it was the only weapon allowed for everyone, including slaves. smaller versions served as everyday utility tool, while longer versions were likely used for hunting, combat or both. the knifr had a more or less cylindrical handle. the blade was straight with the edge sweeping upward to meet the back in a point. the second type of knife was the seax. the type associated with the vikings is the so-called broken back style seax. this was usually heavier than a knifr, and served as a machete or falchion like arm. a wealthier man might own a larger seax, some being effectively swords. with a single edge and heavy blade, this crude weapon could be relatively simple to reduce. a rather long tang is fitted to many examples, supposing that some could be designed for two-handed use.

swords

the viking sword was a single-handed weapon which was combined with a shield. it sported a double-edged blade 90cm in length. its shape was very much like the roman spartha, with a tight grip, long deep fuller and no pronounced crossguard. the sword was not specific to the vikings, but was of use throughout europe. swords were costly to make, and were a sign of high status. they were rarely used, and many swords found in graves were not large or sturdy enough to have been used in battle, and were probably used for decorative purposes only. swords would be kept in a leather-bound wooden scabbard hung across the right shoulder.

axes

the axe was the most common hand weapon among vikings. swords were much more expensive to make, so only wealthy warriors could afford them. the prevalence of axes in archaeological sites can likely be contributed to the use of the axe as a common tool. several types of larger axes were also developed specifically for battle, with larger heads and longer shafts. larger axes were made to be used to handed, and were called dane axes.

shield

The shield was the most common means of defence. The sagas specifically mention linden wood for shield construction, but grave sites also show evidence of fir alder and poplar. These were not very dense and are easy to carry. These are also not inclined to split, like oak. The fibres of the wood will bind around the blade, preventing it from digging in deeper. In conjunction with stronger wood, vikings would put strips of metal in the wood, making the shield even stronger. vikings would occasionally even reinforce them with leather or metal rims, although this was uncommon.

Ivar the Boneless

Ivar the Boneless (inn beinlausi) as he was curiously referred to, was a Viking warlord and a man of exceptional cruelty and ferocity, he was the son of Ragnar Lodbrok and Aslaug Sigurdsdottir. He ruled over an area covering parts of modern Denmark and Sweden. He had a reputation to be a fierce warrior bordering on a berserker. He also led the great Heathen army in 865. He later died in 873.

Erik Bloodaxe

Erik Bloodaxe was the favored son of Harald Finehair. He became king of western Norway after his father. However, when his younger brother Hakon claimed the kingship with the support of Athelstan of Wessex, Eric was forced tomoved to the British Isles. Once in the British Isles he spent his time alternatively raiding in Scotland and around the Irish Sea, and establishing himself as ruler of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria. His death in 954 brought the independence of Viking Northumbria to an end. His sons eventually succeeded in establishing themselves as kings in Norway.

Gunnar Hámundarson

Gunnar was an amazing fighter, and the saga says that no man has ever been his equal. He was handsome, fearless, generous and even-tempered. He fought equally well with either hand, left or right. His sword strokes were so fast that it seemed like he wielded Multiple swords at once. He could jump more than his own height while wearing full battle gear. It was even said that there was no sport that anyone could hope to compete with him in. His favoured weapon was an atgeir (translates roughly to halberd). Gunner was however the type of man who tried to settle disputed peacefully and avoid bloodshed, but was perfectly capable when it came to trial of arms.

Erik The Red

Most of what we know about Erik The Red comes from Nordic and Icelandic sagas. Although he is believed to have been born in 950 in Rogaland on the southwestern tip of Norway. At age 10, Erik’s father, Thorvald Asvaldsson, was exiled for murder, a method of conflict resolution that would become something of a family custom. Family settled down later in northwestern Iceland, in the Hornstrandir region. He lived there peacufully until an unfortunate landslide caused by one of his Thralls forced him out. After that he lived a life full of conflict and murder.