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.