Weapons of the Viking WarriorBetween the late 8th and late 11th century Viking warriors had a massive impact not just in northern Europe, but across a huge arc from the western Mediterranean round through northern Europe and the Baltic to the Middle East and Central Asia. Their success depended in part on their skills in battle, their unique sense of strategic mobility, and on the quality of their weapons and equipment. Written by an expert on early medieval weaponry, this book examines the weapons of the typical Viking warrior, dispels some of the myths of the popular image, such as double-headed axes, and considers the range of weapons that actually underpinned the Vikings' success including bows and arrows. Drawing upon contemporary literary and historical accounts from the North Atlantic to the Arab world, surviving examples of weapons and armour, and practical experimentation and reconstructions by modern weapon-smiths and re-enactors, this study casts new light on how Viking weapons were made and used in battle. |
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10th century accounts Anglo-Saxon archaeological evidence archery armed arrowheads arrows attack axe-head battle Birka blow boar-snout bows BY-SA Byzantine combination common contemporary cross-guard Cultural History decoration defend draw-weight edge effective Eirik Bloodaxe fighting knife force formation Frankish Frankish blades front rank Gjermundbu Gjermundbu helmet grip head Hedeby Hedmark HEMA hilt hilt fittings hilt types hólmgang Ibn Miskawayh impact individual knives Kormáks saga lamellar armour large axes late Viking Age later leather longbow meant metal missiles Museum of Cultural Museum of Denmark Norway opposing shield-wall Oslo pattern-welded penetrate period pommels pre-Viking probably protection raiding re-enactment reflect relatively replica Roman saga scabbard Scandinavian shaft shape shield shield boss siege socket spearhead suggests Sweden sword blades sword hilts throwing spears typically Ulfberht upper guard Varangians Viking Age Viking combat Viking society Viking swords Viking warrior Viking weapons Viking world warfare weapon graves weaponry weapons and armour