Vikings carried their swords in scabbards, worn over the shoulder and always accessible to the right hand. More Viking men carried axes or spears. Battle axes had long handles, were light, well balanced and deadly. Battle axes had a variety of head shapes with a cutting edge from 3 to 6 inches. Later axe heads were much larger, from 9 to 18 inches long. The long handle allowed the warrior a longer reach in a fight. Axe heads as well as swords were richly decorated.
The Mammen axe dated to even had gold and silver inlay. Spears were probably the most common weapon, taking the least amount of iron to make. They could be thrown or used to thrust at the enemy. Spear heads came in a variety of shapes and sizes from long and thin to spear heads with a wing shape near the shaft. Spear heads were also made of iron and many were decorated. Bows and arrows were also used in battle.
All Viking men would carry a round shield for protection. For much of the Viking Age, owning a sword was considered a special honor and a sign of high status. They were so valued that they were passed down from generation to generation. Vikings who could afford to wear armor used helmets, metal armor made of chainmail, and a type of armor called lamellar, which consisted of iron plates sewn together. Lower-status Vikings also used layers of quilted cloth, such as linen or wool, to protect the body during battle.
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Advertisement Advertisement. See Norse Mythology vs Christianity learn more. Given its weight and the fact that it was essentially a woven coat made from iron, chainmail may have been disdained by many Vikings who would have felt that the burden of wearing it outweighed its benefit.
Considering that battles during the Middle Ages raged for hours on end with non-stop action between combatants, shouldering an extra 30 pounds would certainly have been physically draining. Another consideration is that the most common weapons wielded by the typical Viking warrior were:.
Unhindered movement of the arms was crucial to properly swinging and controlling these implements. Common Viking armament also included round, wooden shields that would have been held with one hand, so freedom of movement was important for defensive purposes as well.
Besides, since the vast majority of Viking forces were essentially foot soldiers, the ability to move and maneuver freely was of the utmost importance. It is also worth noting that not only was chainmail heavy to wear, it could also become unbearably hot during the summer and early autumn months, which is when many Viking raids and military campaigns took place. By several accounts, in a cruel twist of fate King Harald and his men left their chainmail behind because, on the day of the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the weather was particularly hot in England.
Most Viking warriors probably went into battle armed with nothing more than an axe or a spear and a round shield made from ash or pine with which to defend himself. The fact that the Vikings dominated Northern Europe for over two centuries with such humbly-armed forces is a testament to their:. For those Vikings who did wear armor but did not have the status or the means to acquire chainmail, they chose from several less expensive and more readily available options.
Researchers have found archeological evidence that aside from chainmail, the Vikings also used another form of metal armor. This simple metal coat, known as lamellar armor, was discovered in Birka, Sweden. It is believed to have originated in the Byzantine Empire modern-day Turkey or the region that is now Russia.
Viking mercenaries are known to have served in these areas centuries ago. Lamellar armor consisted of small iron or steel plates that were linked to each other with leather laces. Overlapping rows of these metal scales would form a coat of armor that could be worn over clothing, such as the tunic worn by most Viking men. While not as effective against enemy weapons as chainmail, lamellar was the next best option. Another form of armor worn by some Viking warriors was made from pieces of padded leather or thick, quilted cloth like wool or linen.
While these types of armor were reserved for the common Viking man, they did offer a moderate degree of protection against the slashing motions of bladed weapons like swords and axes. Leather armor of the reindeer variety was even mentioned in the Viking poem Saga of Olaf as being worn by the protagonist Thorir Hund.
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