Warriors

Dressed to Kill: The Viking Warrior

This article is from Jim Cornish's Website: http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/v_drakkar.htm

Homemade Weapons
The Vikings did not have military uniforms. Unless a Viking warrior was chosen to fight in the king's army, he was responsible for making his own fighting clothes and weapons. Hence, like ordinary Viking dress, the type and style of a warrior's clothes varied from place to place across Scandinavia. Despite this, there were some similarities.

One similarity was practicality. A warrior's clothes was designed to allow him to fight without anything getting in the way. His clothes had special features to protect him from the blows of enemy swords, arrows and spears. And like most clothes, it kept him warm while traveling to the next raid.

Outer Clothing

The average Viking warrior wore a one piece outer jacket usually made of leather. The jacket was both tough and warm. Beneath it, he wore a linen or woollen tunic. This tunic often hung lower in the sleeves and around the waist hem than the jacket. The tunic was usually colourful and nicely decorated. Wool socks and goatskin or calfskin shoes were worn on the feet. A silver Thor's hammer, a good-luck charm, hung from a chain or leather strap around the neck.

Some Viking warriors had an extra piece of protection. It was wire mesh covering called a birnie or chain mail. It was heavy, very time-consuming to make and expensive to buy. Consequently, only the King's warriors wore it.

The Helmet

A Viking warrior's head dress was a helmet made either of leather or metal. Both fitted snugly on the head. The last thing a warrior would want was a loose helmet blocking his vision. Metal helmets were conical in shape and were mainly worn by the king's warriors.

Some leather and metal helmet designs often included a reinforcing strip of metal along the center seam. This piece extended down over the nose for additional protection. Some designs included a goggle-like protection around the eyes too. Whether it was made of metal or leather, Viking helmets did not have horns as often pictured in movies, cartoons or fictional books. Horned helmets would have been extremely cumbersome in battle.

Viking Weapons

Weapons were a very valuable part of the personal belongings of all free Viking men. Each warrior likely owned a spear, an axe or two, a sword and a knife. Of these, the sword and axe were the most important. They were most often used in close fights. A Viking man carried a sword everywhere he went, even to the toilet.

The sword was the most valued weapon of the Viking warrior. It was made of iron and often decorated with runes (characters of the Viking alphabet) and other carvings. Both, its owner believed, brought good luck and protection in battle. The handle or hilt of the sword was decorated with gold, silver and copper. The blade was double-edged. This meant it was sharpened on both sides so it could create a deadly wound in whatever direction it was wielded. The tip of the blade was sharpened to a point and was used for thrusting an enemy.

While the sword was the Vikings warrior's prized possession, the weapon identified most closely with him was the battle-axe. The Vikings were the only fighters across Europe to use an axe. There were two types; one that could be thrown and one that was wielded by the warrior. The latter was quite heavy and had a handle up to 1.5 metres long. Both axes were feared by their enemies. One blow was usually deadly because of the power behind its swing or throw. A well-placed hit with the battle axe meant instant death.

The battle axe and the sword were used in hand-to-hand combat with an enemy. The spear was often thrown from some distance away or used for thrusting an opponent standing or charging nearby.

The only long-range weapon available to the Vikings was the bow and arrow. It was not used as often as the other types of weapons. The Vikings liked to fight up close, hand-to-hand. When the bow was used, specially trained warriors did the work. A skilled archer could hit a target 250 metres away. Vikings sagas record that the bow string was actually made of women's hair spun into a string.

The spear was yet another weapon in the Viking arsenal. It was thrown from a distance or thrust at an enemy close-by. Like all Viking weapons, the spear was decorated with runes. The metal tip was leaf shaped and very sharp. With a well aimed powerful thrust, it could pierce almost anything.

The smallest Viking weapon was the knife. It was held in a sheath and hung on the right side of the warrior's belt where he could quickly grab it for battle.

The Viking warrior's shield was round, made of wood and trimmed with leather. It had a round metal bump in the middle of the outer side to protect the hand that held it from behind. Most Viking shields were round, however triangular shaped ones were found in some parts of England.

The Viking shield was decorated with simple patterns and painted in bright colours. Shields protected warriors from strikes by swords and arrows. The shields were placed in racks or tied to the sides of the longships as they left or entered and departed a harbour. While at sea, the shields were stored on board to keep them from falling into the sea. A Viking warrior without a shield was an easy target for an enemy archer.

Combat Methods

The Vikings practically invented the blitzkrieg or surprise attack. There would be no warning before they struck. They sailed quickly into a port and then robbed, and killed everyone in their path until their raid was finished. Then as quickly as they arrived, they departed. The battle was often over before the enemy had a chance to react.

If the Vikings faced an enemy waiting on shore for their attack, the first battle tactic used was fear. Their dragon-headed ships, blood-red stripped sails and berserker warriors probably frightened even the bravest enemy. This tactic proved so successful, the government of Paris paid the Vikings in silver coins not to attack and gave them part of France, now called Normandy, as their own land.

The Vikings had a reputation of being fearless fighters. When not outnumbered, they fought hand to hand combat. When in trouble, they often formed a tight circle and defended themselves to the end.