Spears, like their sword counterparts, saw common use both in battle and in common, cultural context. They carried strong cultural connotations and, like swords, varied widely across the viking world in terms of typology (Petersen, 1919). Though one may assume that spears were considerably “lower” on the social ladder, due to their cheaper cost of production (vis a vis their lower material cost), there is actually evidence of spears as symbols of status – even among the gods. 

It is hypothesized that spears were recognized as symbols of Óðinn, the “chief” god of the Norse pantheon (Gardela, 2022). In myth, Óðinn is seen with his own spears, as well as his warriors, the valkyrjur (valkyries). Spears are also shown as symbols of identities in some viking sagas as well. One example is the atgeirr wielded by Gunnarr in the Brennu-Njáls saga. Spears even have further possible “mythical” or “magical” connotations. It is suggested that spears may have sometimes been crafted with the aid of human sorcerers, imbuing them with power.

Outside of their cultural context, spear’s physical design varied across time and space in the wider viking world. They are classified in two “base” forms,  with more subtle changes further breaking them up into separate types (Petersen, 1919). The two base forms are the “leaf” type and the “angular type”:

(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, vikingage.org)

These two types are further differentiated by the more subtle aspects, like blade length, angle of the point, etc.

(Petersen, 1919).

The above chart also illustrates the relative time period that these spears were most often found.

In constructing spears, most of what is known is about the spearheads themselves, as the wooden handles they were attached to have not survived into the present day. However, one can gather from ancient sources that the shafts were about 7-10 feet long and usually made of ash or some other hard, short-grained wood. As well, the socket connected to the spearhead implies that the shafts were about 1’ in diameter.

Citations

Archer, G and L. (2020). Spears – The Viking Age Compendium.

www.vikingage.org/wiki/wiki/spears

Gardeła, L. (2022). Miniature Spears in the Viking Age: Small Symbols of Óðinn? Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 74, 396–430. https://doi.org/10.7146/rt.v74i.132113

Kristján Eldjárn. (1953). Jan Petersen. De norske vikingesverd. Skírnir, 127(1).

“Viking Spear.” Hurstwic. Accessed February 26, 2024.
https://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_spear.htm.