Viking Warriors Essay

359 Words2 Pages
Viking Warriors The Vikings were some of the greatest warriors in history. But even though the Viking name is very well known, most people know little about the real Viking warriors. Many people still think of horned helmets and barbaric brutes. But the reality is that they did not wear horned helmets and were a very civilized society. The Vikings lived in a very difficult time period. It is important to realize that the stories of plundering and pillaging were common for the time. It was not just the Vikings doing these acts. These things were done by all the Viking Age warriors. Also much of the history about the Vikings was written by their enemies, which gives much of it a great bias. The Vikings didn’t just plunder and pillage towns; they were also involved in many great scale battles. A few examples are when Sven Forkbeard conquered England in 1013. His son Cnut the Great later conquered England in 1016. The Rus (Swedish Vikings) attacked Constantinople in 860. In 974, Emperor Otto II of Germany attacked Denmark, but failed to conquer them. Vikings also conquered Ulster and founded Dublin. Viking Weapons The Viking Spear: The spear would have been the most used weapon by the Vikings. It was very effective and cheap to make. The Viking Axe: The Viking axe was a very dangerous weapon. Typically used as a one handed weapon with a shield but the Vikings also had two handed axes, these could cut right through armour. But even if the one handed axe didn't cut through the armour it would still give blunt damage. The Viking Sword: Only the greatest of warriors would have had a sword. All Viking swords were single handed and would have been used with a shield. Contrary to what many believe, Viking swords were very light, often around 2lbs. The blade had a fuller which lightened the blade. Most swords would be so well balanced they would
Open Document