ABSTRACT
Numerous sources offer information on Viking weaponry. The annals and chronicles of royal courts and monasteries in western Europe record the violent acts committed against Christian communities by armed warriors from Scandinavia. Old Norse sagas and poetry on the other hand praise the art of the warrior and not least his weapons, many of which are described and named in poetic terms (Falk 1914: 47–65; Drachmann 1967). Contemporary illuminated manuscripts, stone carvings and the famed Bayeux tapestry created in the late eleventh century provide further insight into the world of the warriors and the tools of their craft. However, precise technical descriptions or accurate depictions of individual weapons are rare. Modern knowledge of Viking Age weaponry is largely derived from the many weapons recovered over the past two centuries – swords, axes, spears and lances, bows and arrows as well as the much rarer wooden shields and defensive body armour. Descriptions of Viking activity indicate that Scandinavians also had experience in using large constructions for direct attack or siege warfare, although the physical remains have long since vanished.
