Viking Weapons & Armor

The Viking Age ran from the raid on Lindisfarne in 793 to the Norman conquest in 1066, and the weapons of those three centuries are the most collected of any period we make. The sword was the prestige piece, the axe was what most warriors actually carried, the seax hung from every belt, and the round shield and simple helmet were the armor of a people who fought in the open. This page gathers every Viking weapon and piece of Viking armor Battling Blades makes. The horns, tankards, pendants and rings that share the theme live in Viking horns and drinking mugs.

Our Damascus and 1095 high carbon pieces are hand forged. A few swords and one axe are made in stainless steel and are marked as such on their listings. Steel, hardness, tang construction and dimensions are stated on every product page and vary by design, so read the piece you are buying rather than assuming from the family.

Browse by type

Viking swords

Ulfberht and Carolingian patterns, Petersen types, the Gjermundbu sword, the spatha the Norse inherited from Rome, a 24 inch companion sword and the 50 inch Viking King. From 17.5 to 52 inches overall. The Viking swords collection has the full buying guide, and the custom Viking sword builder lets you choose steel, length and fittings.

Viking axes

Bearded axes, the long-hafted Dane axe, a double-bit battle axe, throwing axes and hand axes, from 16 to 50 inches. See Viking axes.

Seax

The single-edged knife every free Norseman carried, here from an 18 inch belt seax to a 50 inch great seax. See seax knives.

Viking armor: helmets, shields and the suit

The Gjermundbu helmet in steel and in leather, the Norman nasal helmet, the Fenrir round shield with its iron boss, and the Valhalla Vanguard suit, the leather armor of the Norse warrior worn over a padded base. Norse armor was never plate: a helmet, a shield, leather and, for the wealthy, mail. The wider ranges are in helmets, shields and full suits of armor.

Bundles

The Ulfberht bundle pairs a sword with an axe, shield and helmet; the Viking sword bundle adds a stand, maintenance kit and sharpener; the five-sword bundle is the whole rack at once.

Choosing a Viking weapon

Sword or axe first

If you want the piece a Viking chieftain would have been buried with, it is the sword. If you want what the men behind him carried, it is the bearded axe. The two look best together, which is why the bundles exist.

Steel

1095 is the traditional monosteel, typically finishing around 56 to 58 HRC, and takes an antiqued finish that suits the period. Damascus is layered high carbon steel forged and folded so the pattern runs the length of the blade; it is the closest modern equivalent to the pattern-welded blades the Norse smiths actually made, and the Ulfberht inscription itself was a mark of crucible steel that most smiths of the age could not match. Both are high carbon and want to be kept clean, dry and lightly oiled. Stainless pieces need less upkeep and are marked on their listings.

Historical patterns

Ulfberht refers to the inscribed blades of the 9th to 11th centuries. Carolingian describes the Frankish hilt style the Norse adopted. Petersen types are the 1919 classification of Viking hilts by shape, still used by museums. Gjermundbu is the Norwegian grave find that gave us the only complete Viking helmet. Each listing names the pattern it follows.

The famous Viking swords article explains the types and the great finds, the Viking sword buying guide covers what to check before ordering, and Viking armor and weapons covers the wider arsenal.

Frequently asked questions

What weapons did Vikings use?
The spear was the most common, then the axe, then the seax knife. Swords were expensive and carried by the wealthy. Bows were used at sea and in sieges.

What armor did Vikings wear?
A round wooden shield with an iron boss, a simple iron or leather helmet, a padded or leather jerkin and, for the few who could afford it, a mail shirt. Plate armor came centuries later. The Valhalla Vanguard suit here is the leather kit; the Gjermundbu helmet and Fenrir shield are the steel.

Did Vikings really wear horned helmets?
No. No Viking Age helmet with horns has ever been found. The image comes from 19th century opera and painting. The Gjermundbu helmet, a rounded steel cap with a spectacle guard, is the only complete example we have.

What is an Ulfberht sword?
A sword bearing the inlaid inscription +VLFBERH+T, made between roughly 800 and 1000 AD. About 170 survive. The best of them were forged from crucible steel far purer than anything else in Europe at the time, which is why the name became a mark of quality.

What is a seax?
A single-edged knife or short sword carried by the Saxons and Norse, from a few inches to the length of a sword. It was a tool as much as a weapon and hung horizontally from the belt.

Are these sharpened?
Each listing states how that piece is finished. The steel is hardened either way.

Can they be engraved?
Yes. Blade, axe head and scabbard engraving and etching are done in our Illinois workshop. See the engraving options on each listing.