The history recognizes the Vikings as one of the greatest warriors with the most advanced and developed weapons, armor and methods of war. The reputation of the Vikings states that these were one of the most brave, strong, technical and dangerous and this reputation is obviously supported by the various historic facts about their weapons and warfare, which will be described in the next paragraphs.
First it should be stated that the Vikings were the true sea masters, as their fleet has become one of the most famous through all the years and ages. Their famous wooden longships, well-known for their swiftness, were equipped both with oars and sails, therefore, such design and the manner of construction of these ships allowed the Vikings to mount continuous piratical raids on the foreign lands, the lands of the Europe’s West and the territories of the British Isles, full of gold from the Christian churches, were one of the favorite territories for them to invade. If described more in detail, the remains of the ships of the Vikings, found on the territories of the modern Denmark and Norway, show that these ships were usually built of the overlapping wooden planks with the full size of the ship varying in length from 36m to 17.5m. The average speed for these ships was estimated of 10-11 knots with the assumption that the short bursts of speed were also possible for them. The ships could hold 25-60 warriors per average size of the ship; however, the larger exemplars of the Viking ships could hold up to 100 men, and even more. Obviously, the place for their weapons, horses and provision was included. Nevertheless, Vikings used these ships more for the transportation needs, as the records state the real battles on the sea were rare and even these were fought near the seashore. In such battles, all the ships were roped together to form the lines and cover the enemy fleet with the arrows. Consequently, each side was forced to start a hand-to-hand combat for the Vikings always wanted to take the enemies’ ships aboard and not to destroy them.
As for the offensive hand weapons, it was stated in the laws of the period of the Late Vikings that every free man was supposed to have his own weapon ; moreover, the magnates were supposed to provide the free men with the weapons. The three main types of the offensive weapons for the Vikings were the sword, the spear and the battle-axe; however, as it was stated previously bows and arrows were also frequently used. In addition, the weapons of the Vikings were not only supposed to be the battle tools as the swords, spears and axes were also the symbols of the warriors’ status in the society and showed their wealth, as well. Needless to say, that the richest Vikings could afford themselves to decorate their weapons with the precious metals. Among all the others type of weapons, the Vikings’ spear was the most frequently used weapon in the battle, usually consisting of an iron blade attached to staff made of wood, usually of ash.
The length of this spear varied from two to three meters and in the battles its main purpose was to throw and/or thrust an enemy. The historical records state that the strongest and the most skillful warriors were able two throw two spears with both of their hands at the same time and even catch a spear while it was in flight, hurling it back, as well. On the contrary, the swords were very expensive in manufacture; therefore, this weapon could have been affordable only for the rich warriors. The blades of the swords were generally double-edged with the length slightly over the 90cm; although, the further examples of the one-edged sabers became also common and widely used. The Vikings wore their swords in the scabbards made of wood, usually leather-bound. The blades of the early ages were welded in a particular weld, a blacksmith’s technique that allowed forging together the strips of iron and steel, adding the hardened edge. The further blades were made of the homogeneous steel, most probably imported from Rhineland and started to be marked with the different inscriptions like ULFBERHT or INGELRII; moreover, it was common for the craftsmen, blacksmiths and swordsmen to give the specific names to their swords, as they believed these weapons had had the same soul as the people had . Eventually, the cheaper examples of the close-combat weapon were the battle-axes of the Vikings that were mostly the two-handed weapons, but the examples of the one-handed battle-axes were also found by the archeologists.
The defense of the Vikings consisted mostly of the shields of the specific material and shape. The most commons examples of the shields had the round shape with a hole in the shield’s center big enough to contain a hand-grip made of iron. The hand, which was supposed to handle the shield, was protected by an iron boss, usually of a domed form. Most of the shields were covered with leather, as well. The legends and unconfirmed records tend to state that the shields were sometimes covered with some patterns or even covered with the pictures of the images of the Vikings’ mythology. It was about the start of the 11th century, when the kite shields were introduced to the Vikings, which offered more protection to the warriors’ legs. As for the armor itself, the mails were also expensive in the manufacture; moreover, the fast and agile techniques of the Vikings’ combat had more use of the leather armor, usually made of the reindeer skin. The heads of the Vikings were not usually covered with the helmets, as the helmets were also expensive and only the leaders could afford themselves to wear them. Obviously, the helmets with horns that we are used to associate with the Vikings, had nothing to do with the Vikings themselves.
Finally, the last section of this project is devoted to the tactics of the Viking warriors. Historical records confirm that the Vikings have never had any professional army; moreover, the military discipline and the tactics were of the most primitive possible. The military formations consisted of the warriors among the lords, as all the young men started their combat teaching with the lessons of hunting and raiding. As the young men knew that they could have been given a chance to join the military force of the lord and take part in the raids with him only if they prove that they were the worthy warriors. Every battle of the Vikings started with a throw of a spear towards the enemy line as a sign of honor and gratitude to Odin and afterwards, the both sides launched their arrows, missiles and spears towards each other . The structure of the battle contained of the youngest warriors drawing their shields towards and above them, forming a wall of shields that was protecting the warriors from the distance weapons and there are the respective historical proofs like the records of the Battle of Hastings . Once the waves of the different attacks from the distance ended, the hand-to-hand battle usually continued the battle, and the end of it was put with the death of a leader of any side.
Summarizing all the mentioned above, the Vikings were one of the most skillful and fearless warriors of the times, which allowed them being prosperous, respected and influential among the foreign lands and territories.
Works Cited
Ager, Barry. Viking Weapons and Warfare. 29 03 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/weapons_01.shtml. 14 11 2014.
Bray, Olive. Hávamál. The Words of Odin the High One. n.d. http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/havamal.html#lovers. 15 11 2014.
Holman, Katherine. Historical Dictionary of the Vikings. Oxford: The Scarecrow Press, 2003. http://www.cultorweb.com/eBooks/Storia/Historical%20Dictionary%20of%20the%20Vikings.pdf.
PBS Online. Secrets of the Viking Sword. 25 09 2013. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/secrets-viking-sword.html. 15 11 2014.
Reading Borough Council. The Battle Of Hastings - Scene 2. 2014. http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/bayeux27.htm. 14 11 2014.
Vikingeskibsmuseet. The five Skuldelev ships. n.d. http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/index.php?id=1404&L=1#.VGfCyPmsVyU. 15 11 2014.
