VIKINGS

VIKINGS

1. TACTICS

   • Vikings would create a wedge formation, with their best men, or berserkers, at the front of this wedge. They would throw spears and shoot arrows, and rush this wedge through enemy lines where they could engage in hand-to-hand combat.
   • In preparation for battle the younger warriors would draw up in line, with their shields overlapping in a 'shield-wall' for better protection. The older veterans formed up in support behind them.

2. ARMOUR

   • HELMETS
     • Only the wealthiest Vikings could afford helmets, as they were expensive. Despite popular culture, there is no evidence that Vikings used horned helmets in battle as such horns would be impractical in a melee, but it is possible that horned head dresses were used in ritual contexts.
   • CHAINMAIL
     • Probably worn over thick clothing, a mail shirt protected the wearer from being cut, but offered little protection from blunt trauma and stabbing attacks from a sharp point such as that of a spear. Expensive mail armour was also seen as cumbersome and uncomfortable in battle. Given that Vikings on a raid tried to avoid pitched battles, it's possible that mail was primarily worn only by the professional warriors going into battle.
   • CLOTH & LEATHER
     • The case for non-metal forms of armour remains inconclusive. It is likely that the average Viking fought whilst wearing ordinary clothing, with the shield as the only form of protection. Quilted cloth (a gambeson) is conjectured as possible options for lower-status Viking warriors.

3. WEAPONS

   • RANGED
     • BOW
       • The bow and arrow was used both for hunting and in battle. Arrowheads were typically made from iron and produced in various shapes and dimensions and depending on the weight if the arrow, had an effective range of at least 200 metres.
     • SLING
       • The Viking age sling was without a doubt the easiest for the manufacturer to produce, simply consisting of a rope and sometimes a leather cup to assist with the loading.
   • MELEE
     • SWORDS
       • The Viking Age sword was for single-handed use to be combined with a shield, with a double edged blade length of up to 90 cm. Swords were very costly to make, and a sign of high status.
     • SPEARS
       • The spear was the most common weapon of the Scandinavian peasant class. Throwing spears were constantly used by the warrior class; despite popular belief, it was also the principal weapon of the Viking warrior, an apt fit to their formations and tactics.
     • AXES
       • The most common hand weapon among Vikings was the axe. Vikings most commonly carried sturdy axes that could be thrown or swung with head-splitting force.
   • SHIELDS
     • The shield was the most common means of defence. Vikings often reinforced their shields with leather or, occasionally, iron around the rim. Round shields seem to have varied in size from around 45–120 centimetres in diameter but 75–90 centimetres is by far the most common.