Fighting axes of Vikings. How to make a Viking Ax

The ax is one of the most common types of cold steel in antiquity. He was much cheaper and more practical than a sword, the manufacture of which took a huge amount of deficit iron, and in combat effectiveness, he was in no way inferior. An ideal example of such weapons is the Viking axes, which will be discussed in this article.

Where did the battle axes come from ?

Thence did the military and economic knives come in time? Ancient axes on their modern "descendants" were very remotely alike: forget about pieces of honed flint, fastened with ropes to the shaft! Where more often they had the appearance of a drilled cobblestone, planted on a stick. In other words, from the very beginning, the axes were not at all a chopping, but a crushing type of weapon.

And this is justified. Imagine a relatively thin, chipped flint plate: what will happen to it if the owner hits the shield, tree or stone? That's right, you can say goodbye to the weapon, since this mineral is very fragile. And this is in the midst of the battle! So kamenyuka, planted on a solid shaft is a much more reliable weapon. And the ax in its modern form could appear only after the mankind has mastered the basics of metalworking.

Basic information

Contrary to the widespread misconception, the Viking axes, even the most threatening in appearance, were never heavy. The maximum is 600 grams, not more. In addition, the shaft was never encircled by iron! First, metal used to be very expensive. Secondly, it weighted the ax, and a massive weapon in a long battle could lead to the death of the owner.

Another misconception of modernity is "the ax is the weapon of commoners". Like, all the "self-respecting" Viking leaders used swords. This is from the category of Hollywood myths about Vikings. The ax is much more practical, simpler, it's not so pitiful to lose it in the heat of battle. A good sword of "good" iron was so expensive that archaeologists have so far been able to find only single copies of such weapons.

This is confirmed by the graves of military leaders and high-ranking "inhabitants" found. They sometimes found whole arsenals, among which there were many axes. So the weapon is indeed universal, it was used by both ordinary soldiers and their commanders.

The appearance of two-handed axes

But the favorite "toy" of the northern peoples was the legendary ford, he is a two-handed ax on a long pole (that's what the Viking ax is called, by the way). In periodicals it is often called "Danish ax", but the name is not too true, as it does not fully convey the very essence of this weapon. The "starry hour" of Brodachs came in the 11th century. Then people who are armed with them, could be met from Karelia and to Britain.

In full accordance with the ancient sagas, the Vikings simply adored giving their weapons sublime and epic names. For example, "friend of the Shield", "War Witch", "Wolf of the Edge". Of course, this attitude was awarded only to the best and most qualitative samples.

What was the difference between two-handed axes?

The view of the ford blades was very large and massive, but the impression is only partly true. The blade of such axes was considerably weakened during manufacturing to save precious weight. But the "ax" itself could indeed be large: the distance from one tip of the blade to the other often reached 30 cm, and this despite the fact that the "working organ" of the ax for the Vikings almost always had a significant bend. Such weapons inflicted terrible wounds.

The arms for a reliable swing had to be big ... and they really were like that! The "average" brodax, rested with a pole in the ground, reached the standing warrior to the chin, but more often "epic" patterns were also encountered. These axes were an extremely powerful weapon, but still they had one serious flaw. Since the shaft had to be held with both hands, the warrior automatically remained without shield protection. That is why the "classic" one-handed axes of the Vikings occupied the last place in the life of the latter.

The Influence of Viking Weapons on the Military Work of the Slavs

A lot of such weapons were found during archaeological excavations and on the territory of our country. Especially a lot of these are the ford-wrecks, and the most characteristic are such finds for the Leningrad region. Approximately in the XII-XIII century, the situation in those parts becomes less "tense", and the list of standard weapons is gradually changing. Viking axes with wide blades are gradually "transformed" into a relatively innocuous economic inventory.

By the way, according to historians and archaeologists, it was during the period of maximum distribution of fordocks in Russia that a real "boom" for the development of Russian weapons thought of those years occurred. Combat axes in Russia, created under the influence of the Varangian, absorbed all the best from European, Asian and Scythian samples. Why do we pay attention to this? It's simple: the evolved Russian axes will later attract the descendants of the Normans.

Combined models

It was Kievan Rus who gave a second life to the combined variants, with a striker on the shoe. Such weapons were very much quoted at the time by the Scythians. It is these axes in the 10-11th centuries that the Vikings "will take to their hands", and from this country these weapons will begin their march through the countries of Western Europe. It should be noted that initially the Vikings used a pecker with a simple, round or mushroom-shaped section.

But already in the 12th century, battle-axes in Russia acquired a mint of a square form. This evolution is simple enough to explain: if initially the military people were wearing mail armor and other light armor, then eventually the armor became more serious. It was required to break through it, and now there were biting bugs and "piercers" with a pronounced faceted section. The most striking representative of the Varangian-Russian axes is Andrey Bogolyubsky's ax. Most likely, he never belonged to the prince himself, but he was made exactly in the historical period described by us.

Weapons of "modern Vikings"

Today, by the way, modern replicas of these weapons are produced. Where can I buy such an ax? Kizlyar ("Viking" - one of the most popular models) is the new "homeland" of excellent weapons. If you belong to enthusiastic reenactors, then you will not find the best choice anywhere else.

Why not a sword?

As we have already noted, often an ax is perceived by the man in the street as a weapon of a lumberjack and a host, but not a warrior. Theoretically, this assumption has some logical reasons: firstly, it is much easier to manufacture these weapons. Secondly, even for more or less tolerable mastery of the sword it took at least ten years, while the ax was with a man in those days constantly, and the improvement in the skills of its use occurred, so to speak, "without interruption from production."

But this point of view is only partially true. Perhaps the only factor in choosing a weapon was its combat practicality. Many historians believe that the ax was replaced by a sword because of its great weight. And this is also not entirely true. Firstly, the weight of the Viking ax was only slightly higher than the weight of the combat sword (or even less - the mass of the ax itself was not more than 600 grams). Secondly, sword swords also demanded a lot of space.

Most likely, in the historical perspective, the ax lost its place due to success in metallurgy. Steel became more, warriors could be provided with a large number of albeit inferior, but technological and cheap swords, the technology of combat use was much simpler and did not require such significant physical data from the "user". It must be remembered that the fights of that time were by no means an elegant fencing, it was decided by two or three blows, the better prepared man had the advantage, and therefore both the ax and the sword in this respect were weapons of equal value.

Economic importance

But do not forget about another reason for the popularity of the ax. The Viking ax (whose name is Brodach) was also of purely economic importance. Simply put, a fortified camp can hardly be built with the same sword, they can not repair a combat drkkar, do not make equipment, and, in the end, do not cut firewood either. Given that most of his life the Vikings were in campaigns, and at home were engaged in quite peaceful affairs, the choice of the ax was more than justified because of its high practicality.

The ax as a weapon of noble warriors

Judging by the chronicles and finds of archaeologists, this type of weapon was very popular among Scandinavian warriors. So, well-known at one time the king Olaf the Holy was the owner of the battle ax with the expressive name "Hel". So, by the way, the ancient Scandinavians called the goddess of death. Eirik, who is the son of Harald the Fair-haired, had a respectful nickname "Bloody Ax", which quite transparently hints at his preferences in the choice of weapons.

Not infrequently mention the "axes laid out with silver" in written sources, and in recent years, scientists have found many archaeological artifacts, indicating the truth of these words. This, in particular, was the famous Mamenskaya ax, on the surface of which you can see amazing and beautiful patterns, formed by a hammered silver thread. Naturally, such weapons were statutory and emphasized the high position of the owner in society.

The burial of Sutton-Hu also attests to great respect for battle axes, since it was found a lot of richly ornamented axes. Judging by the luxury of this burial ground, one of the most prominent military leaders of the Angles or the Saxons was probably buried there. What is characteristic: the deceased himself is buried "in an embrace" with an ax on which there are practically no ornaments. This is a purely military weapon, so that during life, this man clearly preferred axes.

Sacred meaning

There is another circumstance, indicating the respect with which the northerners were treated to the axes. Archaeological and written sources unequivocally testify that the tattoo "ax" of the Vikings was extremely widespread precisely in the period from 10th to 15th centuries. The weapon was, in one way or another, figured in almost all combat patterns with which professional warriors adorned their bodies.

It is also worth noting that the amulet "The Viking Ax" was no less common. Almost every second cervical suspension had a miniature figure of axes in its composition. It was believed that such an ornament grants the strength, power and mind of a real warrior.

Self-made

If you are a professional re-enactor, the "Viking" ax (production of Kizlyar) can be an ideal choice. But there is such a "toy" is not too cheap, and therefore many fans of medieval weapons may have an idea about the independent manufacture of these weapons. Is it realistic? Is it possible to make an ax of the Vikings own?

Yes, it is quite possible. The basis for the ancient weapons can serve as an ordinary ax, with which, with the help of the Bulgarian, everything is simply cut off. After that, using the same USM, the whole surface is gently ground, on which there should not be any burrs and sticking pieces of metal.

Other remarks

As you can see, it is relatively easy to make an ax of the Vikings with your own hands, and it will not require large expenditures. The disadvantage of this method is that the received tool will have only a decorative function, since they will not be able to carry out the economic work.

To create an authentic sample, you will have to use the help of a professional blacksmith, since only forging will make it possible to get a really full-featured ax, an analog of those axes that the Vikings once fought. Here's how to make an ax of the Vikings.