Viking Armour and Weaponry

All the knowledge that we have come to know about viking weaponry and Armour is from archaeological finds and pictorial representation. According to Norse culture, every man was to own weapon, weather it be a sword, spear or an axe. Since battle was the most prestigious thing for the vikings these arms were also a way for a viking to show his wealth and power. A well finished and fine sword or shield will prove that the owner is a high ranking wealthier man. There are many used by the vikings but here are the most common.

Sword

The sword is a one handed weapon used to be combined with a shield or even another sword. Swords were very costly to make, and also showed a status of high power to the wielder. Owning a sword is a matter of high prestige. Not everybody could afford swords and those that did often didn't have enough to decorate them. 

This is an image of a preserved viking sword in a museum. It was well fined and decorated, the owner of this sword was an extremely wealthy man. 

Axe

The axe is the most common piece of weaponry used by the vikings, this is the default weapon used by all vikings who couldn't afford things like swords and spears. There are many different types of axes and some have different uses not just for killing. Archaeologists have found different axes and have interpreted as common tools. This is an image of a Dane Axe, a larger axe used with both hands and was one of the most reliable and common axe the vikings used.

Bows and Arrows

Bows were used for both hunting and for battle. They were made from many different trees and were very effective in battle.These bows were well made and a bow drawn at full force (which would take a huge amount of strength) let an arrow fly for over 250 meters. Arrowheads were typically made from iron and produced in various shapes and dimensions, according to place of origin. Most arrowheads were fixed onto the arrow shaft by a shouldered tang that was fitted into the end of a shaft of wood. This is an image of different types of arrow heads from the 9th-10th century. 

   

Viking Religion and Beliefs

Viking Gods and Religions

Viking's have many gods which they worshiped: Odin, Thor, Loki, Frey, Freya, Idun, Sif, and Hel. These gods were sacred to the Scandinavians until Christianity spread throughout their homeland, converting almost half  of the population to Christ. However the gods still remained as their main religion. Depicted in the Norse religion, Odin was the father of all except Loki who was accepted into the brotherhood another way. The God's lived in Azguard (a world between life and death where the north gods live. Their are eight gods in total but there are three main ones.

Odin

Odin is probably the most major god in Norse religion and is the ruler of Asguard. He also is the father of nearly all other gods, the most famous of whom being Thor. In the religion Odin represents war, battle, victory and death. He can also be typically feared among some of the Scandinavians.

  This is a sculpture of Odin on an old Viking building.

ThorThor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder and lightning. Thor is one of the most famous, respected and is typically the most popular god of all. Like most God's, Thor is the direct son of Odin and is supposedly Odin's favorite child. It is said that Thor patrols the outer regions of Asguard fighting back giants. It is also said that if this did not happen Asguard would be long overrun.

    This is a sculpture of Thor dug up in northern Denmark with the Norse god pulling the famous hammer out of his beard!

Loki

Loki is not a son of Thor but is accepted into the brotherhood of the gods in Asguard. Loki represents Loki is a shape shifter and can merge into many different shapes. In stories, Loki is known to transform into things from falcons to flies and horses to cows.

This is a drawing depicting what Loki is thought to look like.

Viking Myths

Viking Myths

Vikings were have many myths and most people in the world are very stereotypical towards them. The Vikings were believed to have been a murderous, brutal, relentless and bloodthirsty civilization. However due to the recent discoveries found by archaeologists, this may not be the case.

This is a number of combs and brushes
used by the vikings

These brushes and combs were found by archaeologists digging on the coast of Scandinavia. In finding these items they have proved that vikings wasn't just a horrible barbaric race but they were civilized and had no choice to raid and expand their land with the size of their population.

The picture displayed is a piece of jewelry worn by a viking. This shows that vikings did in fact wear these items as a way to improve on their appearance. This also proves that the vikings weren't just pirates and raiders but civilized people working on improving their appearance just like a normal person would do.

This is a piece of Jewelry worn by the Vikings

it displays a viking longship riding over the sunset into battle.

Did Vikings have horns on their Helmet?

One of the biggest stereotypes about vikings is that they also have huge horns on the outside of their helmets that they use in battle. This is the only known example of a complete viking helmet in existence. The helmet excavated on a farm called Gjermundbu in Ringerike, central Norway. The viking helmet was rounded and had a peaked cap combining four metal plates. The helmet also has an extension down from the front to protect the nose with spaces left for eye holes. What was first noticed when finding this helmet is that the helmet had no horns attached to the outside of the helmet, thus proving the myth that vikings all had horns on their helmets false. 

                                                                                                                        

Who are the Vikings

Who are the Vikings?

The vikings existed around the 8th to the mid 11th century. This Scandinavian civilization had originated in northern Denmark, Sweden, Norway and expanded across much of Europe. The word "Viking" means raider or pirate, which is exactly what the vikings are known for. The vikings were exceptional warriors and fighters who raided most of the European coast and even got as far as Russia or North America. 

However they never raided anything outside the North Atlantic ocean. Possible reasons for the extremely explosive and rapid expansion of the vikings land outside of Scandinavia could be from: Their rapid population increase and the shortage of land, political pressure, personal gain/enrichment and also the land in which they called home was not fertile at all, making it very difficult to farm, grow food etc. 

This is a reconstructed Viking longhouse

which is still standing strong today.

http://archaeology.about.com/od/vikings/qt/vikings.htm 

However, it is known to the archaeologists that the vikings could not have begun raiding let alone settling along the European coast outside of Scandinavia without first developing amazing boat-building skills and and highly effective navigation techniques. This tells us that the vikings were a very intelligent and skillful civilization with immense advancements in the area of travel and navigation.