LANGEID VIKING BATTLE AXE

Fighting against a Scandinavian armed with a battle axe is staring directly at the face of the death, tells an ancient Nordic saying. When we look at this Viking battle axe found on Langleid, it´s easy to understand why.

Lightweigh tbut deathly it is an impressive sized axe that was unearthed in 2011 at the archaeological site known as Grave 8 were it was found also a beautiful sword. Archaeologists thought that owner would be a high class clan member, but no more evidences were found to support this.

The archaeologist Jan Petersen classified this type of axes as M type, used from middle 10thcentury to beginning of the Middle Ages. The Langeid axe was dated in the second quarter of the 11th century so it matches with the Stamford Bridgebattle and the well-known story of one warrior fighting in a bridge against 40 English men. After beating many men, the Nordic warrior and his smashing axe were defeated by a soldier that pierced him with a spear from below the bridge.

Nowadays the original axe is shown at the Oslo University Museum of Cultural History.

The handle is not included.