Vikings didn’t wear two-horned helmets, making themselves look like bulls, and they didn’t carry giant battle axes into war. They carried light-weight, fast-moving longaxes that could drink your milkshake from all the way across the room. Hurstwic offers some photos and description of the Viking axe.
Tag Archives: Viking
Friday Fight: Shield Wall
This shows three clashes between reenactors at Ravensborg, near Knox City, Missouri, in 2012.
Friday Fight: Quick Duel
Too bad the tall guy didn’t land his blow about nine seconds in. He almost had it won.
Friday Fight: Live Steel Combat
We used to share many videos from a couple Viking era combat reenactors, who worked hard to demonstrate the real fighting skill of the Viking while avoiding injury. If you search our blog, you’ll find many Friday fights. This one is a great example, an unarmored man versus a fully armored man. Who will win?
Viking stuff on a winter night
Andrew Lawler, at National Geographic, writes what I consider a very fine article about slavery in the Viking Age. For years I’ve been arguing against the current fashion for portraying the Vikings as peaceable but misunderstood businessmen. That’s both historically obtuse and insulting to a culture that took pride in its prowess with arms. I’m particularly annoyed by the trope that says, “Well, you know, most of them weren’t warriors but peaceable tradesmen.” I suppose you could say that, if you consider the slave trade a peaceable occupation.
“This was a slave economy,” said Neil Price, an archaeologist at Sweden’s Uppsala University who spoke at a recent meeting that brought together archaeologists who study slavery and colonization. “Slavery has received hardly any attention in the past 30 years, but now we have opportunities using archaeological tools to change this.”
Of course the Vikings were hardly alone in trading and keeping slaves. Other cultures that did much the same thing were… pretty much everybody.
I just get annoyed by the “peaceable tradesmen” line.
In other Viking news, there’s new Russian film that looks very intriguing:
This is an epic about Vladimir the Great, who made the Russians Christian. Like all great historical epics it’s probably stuffed with baloney, but it sure looks good. I can find some fault with the costumes, but this trailer just sings. It could be the good Viking movie we’ve waited for so long. Hope it comes out soon with English subtitles.
Friday Fight (sort of)
This comes from the Åland Saltvik Vikingmarket in 2009. It’s far more demonstration than the fights we’ve seen in Minot, ND. They aren’t playing by the same rules, but there’s some appeal here. It’s a crime they cut the video too soon.
Friday Fight
Sons of Norway demonstrate fighting with axes. I think they need some dance music, the way they sway around.
Friday Fight: She’s Mine!
Do you remember the good ol’ days when we posted a video of live steel combat every Friday? I’m pretty sure we shared this first one back then. It’s two years old from the Høstfest. Lars quickly dispatches Philip Patton, who looks as if he can’t fight in this video:
Philip shows he can fight here:
The woman over whom they are fighting (not really) is Kelsey, who has a Høstfest video of her own from this year’s festival. Have you browsed her store? She has some great clothing there among other good things.
Friday Fight: Boarspear
It occurs to me a bit late that today is Friday, and we used to feature a live steel combat video on Friday, and you know Lars is out today, on a Friday of all days, so maybe the vikings have recorded some new fights. Oh, look. They have.
Friday Fight: Will the Spear Prevail?
It’s Friday, a good day for a fight.