The Use of Viking Axes: Fact vs. Fiction

When one thinks of Vikings and Viking combat, what likely comes to mind (at least in the public consciousness) is the image of some yelling man holding a double sided axe, ready to charge into battle. However, the public conception of Vikings is sometimes pretty far removed from reality. Consider, for example, the classic problem of horned helmets. There is a popular image that Vikings wore helmets with horns, yet no such helmets are known to exist, nor have been referred to in ancient sources (National Museum of Denmark). After all, horns would just serve to give your enemy a handle to remove your valuable head protection.

As for axes, there are a number of popular conceptions which may or may not be true in reality. For example, the double-headed axe from the example I gave earlier. People often imagine Vikings wielding such battle axes, probably due to their massive heft. They may imagine something like this axe, credited to the ancient Minoans from around 1700-1600 BCE.

Mary Harrsch, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

However, there isn’t any evidence of these axes ever having been used by the Vikings, textual or otherwise. They don’t appear in Petersen’s famous and wide-spread typology of Viking weapons (Petersen, 1919) or in any extant textual sources (Short et al., 2021). This isn’t necessarily to say that no Viking ever used a double-sided battle axes, however they certainly were not widespread, and if they were used at all, it would have been in a greatly limited capacity.

When not considering double-sided battle axes, folks often consider the one-sided axes as having been thrown at their targets. After all, axe throwing has become a very popular event at modern Viking-themed events.

Michael Pereckas from Milwaukee, WI, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

However, much like the double-headed axes, there is little to no evidence for axe throwing as a common practice. However, there is at least some evidence; axes were recorded as having been thrown out of desperation, such as in Olaf’s Saga (Short et al., 2021). In any case, it makes sense that Vikings would not want to throw their axes as their primary option–after all, they would be throwing away their weapon, and in the course of a thrown axe’s rotation, it would only be offensively viable at a few points in its trajectory, as shown in this illustration by William Short:

So, it has been shown that while Viking axe myths may not be entirely based in reality, they have some kernel of truth to them. While the image of Vikings wielding double-sided battle axes and throwing single-sided axes may be ingrained in public consciousness, the evidence suggests otherwise. Horned helmets, double-sided axes, and widespread axe throwing are all examples of misconceptions that lack substantial support in historical sources. Instead, careful examination of archaeological findings and textual evidence reveals a more nuanced understanding of Viking warfare. By reassessing these popular notions, we can gain a deeper insight into the martial practices of this fascinating culture.

Works Cited

Short, William Rhuel, and Reynir A. Óskarson. Men of Terror : A Comprehensive Analysis of 

Viking Combat. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, LLC, 2021.

Petersen, Jan. De norske vikingsverd : En typologisk-kronologistik studie over vikingetidens 

vaaben. Kristiania, 1919.