Historic Replicas

Growing up a football fan, I always associated Vikings with the NFL squad from Minnesota. In their iconic purple and gold uniforms, it’s easy to associate Viking with regality and majesty, which is far from the case. The term Viking typically refers to a sect of Scandinavian people who dominated the North Atlantic area from the 8th to 11th centuries. In fact, the Vikings were one of the most ruthless groups of people the world has even seen.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, many people had an idealized view of the Vikings, but in recent years their historical stock has plummeted. Today, we associate them with stereotypical items like a Viking battle axe or horned helmet (which is historically inaccurate) and, of course, their myriad unsavory deeds. Many of these views, however, are simple hyperbole, and the true nature of the Vikings may never be objectively expounded.

We are entering into the time of year when you don’t have to be a diehard football fan to be interested in the NFL. With just a handful of teams left in the race for the Lombardi Trophy, cities that still have a team left in the playoffs are galvanizing their citizens to support their squad. Nowhere is this more evident than in Minnesota.

Although the city has hosted what will be their only playoff game of the season, the Viking fans showed their unwavering support. Not only were loyalists decked out in purple and gold attire, but there were also several members of the crows donning a variety of Viking replicas. Even if fans are still coming out of the woodwork late into the season, it is exciting to see people show such enthused support.

In a very real sense, Vikings were a precursor to our modern-day version of terrorists. The Vikings rose to power shortly after a major plague outbreak decimated much of Europe’s population. The kingdoms that remained in England, France and much of the rest of Western Europe were small and comparatively weak. They didn’t yet have the major fortifications and embattlements that would protect against an onslaught.

The Viking swords were sharp and formidable, but their real secret to success involved water travel. Their boats featured shallow hulls, allowing them to pass quickly through rivers and far into the interior of England. There they would collect plunder and perform serious acts of violence on peasants and royals alike. In the end, European kingdoms were forced to band together and build better castles for defense.

Viking society was built around the Viking battle axe and the Viking swords, and a man’s social status was dependent upon his skill and bravery in battle (well, that and the amount of loot he brought home from a raid!).  It makes sense, then, that the Vikings had their own dueling rituals, and embraced the duel as a natural part of their justice system.  The Vikings’ concept of a duel would do much to influence ritualized combat in later societies, in that they were one of the first cultures to make it a legitimate course of action for those who felt they’d been wronged, like a law suit today.  The Viking duel, or Holmgang, could be used to settle virtually any dispute, whether over money, honor, or the love of a woman.  The Viking world was strict and unforgiving when it came to matters of war; once challenged, a Viking had to accept, or risk being labeled a coward and stripped of his social standing and self-respect.  He might even be declared an outlaw!  The winner could legally claim everything the loser owned, even his wife and children.  A few skilled warriors even turned the Holmgang into a kind of con game, challenging other warriors who’d done nothing wrong and killing them to botain their property.  Nevertheless, some aspects of the Holmgang display an uncommon sense of fairness.  Unlike later European quarrels, in which only members of the ruling class could have a legitimate duel, any Viking could challenge another regardless of social standing.  That meant that even the poor and downtrodden had the means to stand up for themselves.

The Viking Age was a time of transition.  It marked the emergence of Europe from the chaos following the collapse of the Roman Empire to the relative stability of the Middle Ages. Combat was a way of life for the Vikings; most Vikings were warriors, and many made their living almost exclusively from raids on neighboring peoples.  A Viking’s weapon was a central part of his identity.  The spear and the battle axe were the Vikings’ weapons of choice, being inexpensive and easy to produce.   Only very wealthy Vikings could afford swords, and as such they were highly prized, even sacred.  Viking swords were a transition between the short blades of earlier times and the imposing broadswords of the Middle Ages.  As Viking swordsmiths began to master the use of steel, the blades grew in length, until the average Viking sword was between two and a half and three feet long.  Like the Japanese katana, a well-made sword was constructed from alternating layers of low and high-carbon steel.  The former provided flexibility, the latter strength and a sharp cutting edge.  The Viking sword was double-edged and perfect from both chopping and stabbing motions.  It was light enough to wield with one hand, which left the other free for the Viking’s round wooden shield.  Sword and shield were a truly deadly combination, and the elite warriors who used them had a supreme battlefield advantage.

The Vikings were an infamous force that invaded and pillaged every village and town that they set foot in.  And they are famous for their battle skills as well.  They have an array of weapons that they use to fight with other soldiers or just scare the townspeople. The Viking battle axe is one of the widely used weapons then.

Now, there are some people who enjoy collecting Viking battle axes.  They are just replicas of original pieces but they look just as good as the real thing.  These axe

The Viking replicas on our site are detailed reproductions of the weapons of an ancient and intriguing culture. Today I thought I’d take a look at one of my favorite stories from middle school social studies class:  Leif Ericson, the famous Viking explorer.  Ericson’s story is one for the history books, and it’s not surprising that school children still know his name and his famous Viking helmet.  He was the first known European to cross the Atlantic and make land in North America, approximately 490 years before Columbus made his famous voyage. 
 Leif Ericson was born in Iceland around 970 AD. His father was Erik the Red, who discovered and settled Greenland after being exiled from Iceland when he killed two of his neighbors in a dispute.  It was probably a good thing he left; after being exiled, anyone in the Iceland colony was legally allowed to kill him.  When he returned three years later, he convinced hundreds of Vikings to resettle with him in the newly discovered land.

There are hundreds of legends surrounding the Vikings of old; legends of Gods, powerful heroes, and terrible beasts.  One legend surrounding Vikings of Nordic and Scandinavian heritage is that of the berserker.  Myths and controversy surround the name given to the most powerful warriors of the Viking army.  It is said that these warriors were so terrifying, so fearsome, that before each battle they would work themselves into a screaming frenzy, and then unleash their fury upon their foes.  Berserkers felt no fear, no pain, and were unstoppable unless killed.  Adorned with their Viking helmet, spears and swords, a unit of berserkers could turn the tide of a battle. 

It’s been long disputed in the academic that these terrible warriors were built up as possessing fearsome, even supernatural powers, but truly they were just the most skilled and experienced veterans of an army.  Whether it’s true or not, the lore behind berserkers has been long celebrated in fantasy. 

The Vikings were one of the dominant cultural forces in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.  Like the Romans, the Vikings lived in a heavily stratified society. They lived according to a caste system resembling India’s.  People were born into a group that determined their rights, professions, and social standing, and slaves were on the bottom.  The Vikings depended on slaves to work their land and perform other labor, but generally didn’t accord them the same dignity and respect that some Romans did.  Viking raiding parties captured slaves throughout Eastern and Western Europe, both prisoners of war and peaceful villagers.  The Vikings were more than slaveholders. 

Wielding Viking axes, they went on countless raids for slaves and treasure, and while they weren’t as organized than the Romans, they were no less well traveled; Viking swords and Viking helmets have been discovered in archeological digs throughout Europe.  They expanded their territory and created colonies and settlements far and wide.  Slaves often found themselves far from their homelands; at the turn of the first millennium, in fact, the Vikings ran the largest slave market in the world in Dublin.  Slaves were integral to Viking society, so much so that they were a part of Norse mythology.  The slaves were called thralls, and according to legend, they were descended from a God of the same name.  Many cultures have used religion to justify slavery.  The Vikings went one step further and incorporated slavery into their creation stories; for them, slavery was a God-given institution, and had been since the beginning of time.  

The Ancient Vikings of Scandinavia are commonly perceived as little more than a bloodthirsty horde of barbarians, raiding villages and monasteries, stealing the gold and other valuables and pressing any survivors of their vicious attacks into slavery.  While it’s true that the warriors who expanded into Western Europe have a well-documented legacy of violence and brutality, the Vikings also expanded East. There is considerable archeological evidence, much of it in the form of exotic coins in long-buried treasure hoards, that the Vikings traveled as far East as Persia, India, and the Byzantine Empire! 

Most of our modern images of the Vikings come from the written accounts of monks in England and France, and it’s not a very pretty picture.  The Vikings were pagans, and were usually there to swing their Viking battle axes, kill the monks and steal their gold.  The Arabs of Baghdad left some written accounts with a more moderate view, and if they’re to be believed, these Vikings were less interested in killing and conquering than trade and exploration.   They brought furs, amber, and occasionally Viking swords, and traded them for coveted silver coins.  From time to time, they established settlements along the rivers and intermarried with the local population.  As we sift through the sands of history, seeking insight in the past, we do well to remember that most ancient cultures were as diverse and multi-faceted as our own. No one account of a people or place can give us the whole story.