Viking warfare – weapons – 5/
Survey of weapons used by Vikings and their opponents is described in Norse Warfare: A Portrayal of Combat, Raids, and Plunder in the Viking Age by Martina Sprague.
This is a continuation of a series of posts describing various aspects of warfare in the Viking era explained in the book.
Offensive weapons
Book provides interesting background on weapons of the time.
Swords were used for slashing or chopping and not thrusting. Thus they had a blunt tip.
They were typically 3 feet long and 4 inches wide.
Weight would be in the range of between 3 up to 4½ pounds.
That would make the Viking swords longer, wider, and heavier than a Roman Legionaire’s gladius.
Heavy two-hand battle axes were difficult to use at very close range. In addition, they required sufficient swinging room, so you could not use them in a shield wall. It had a longer reach than a sword or a light axe.