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When you have an axe, you have a solution to many problems

Remember, it takes a Viking to raze a village.

The most important benefit of the axe I saw was when you were slow sparring. Not only did you hook the shield of your opponent(which he could not do with a sword) BUT at one point you actually hooked his sword, pulled it aside and then stuffed it and his shield under your shield, granting you a wide open hole to attack his head which would have been the end of him. The power to control the opponents weapon should not be overlooked.

"Well bravo, you have successfully attached a table top to the end of your weapon." Great quote

On the handle of mine is carved, "Feed the Ravens". Odin would approve.

I used to be active in SCA, and in battles where we had polearms on our side, I would be frontline with shield and axe, just as it was a great complement to spears especially. You had your spear buddy just behind you, and with an axe I would control the enemys shield and my spear buddy would finish him off, while if he had a sword he couldnt do that back, meaning we got a massive advantage. SCA isnt exactly the most accurate of things in many ways, but it can give some insight I think anyways.

Yes. When you said they were easy to make, you hit the nail on the head. When I was in prison, I made a small axe fairly easily. I broke a piece of a metal off a shelf, made a blade and affixed it to a handle with boot laces. Great protection. Great shock factor. There's nothing like pulling out an axe when someone tries to stab you with a toothbrush.

The sparring in 15:30 I'm not sure if it really means much, but honestly the way they move their shields when blocking and attacking kind of reminds me of a boat in a storm. Rocking first one way, then back, then on again and back. Like I said, probably doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but considering how much the people who used such things sailed, I just thought it was something of a neat little coincidence.

the hook counters the shield and sword nicely, and gives multiple options to break the block and attack quickly. Awesome sparring session.

Roland, I did not realise you did all those illustrations. Excellent work sir. I have been seeing your work online and am always impressed with your use of light and the detail of your art. Inspiring stuff, Vielen Dank

The way you guys were using the shield reminds me of the way Lomochenko (boxer) uses his lead hand to blocks opponents vision to create striking opportunity. Vision is so important in war

a small axe, such as the tomahawk can project a tremendous amount of force very quickly, in close quarters, and can also be used to grapple, and draw the enemy in as well. nothing is so versatile. That's why modern soldiers often choose to carry them when clearing houses in Iraq/afganistan to this day. They also weigh enough that they can be throw, and even if they don't land the right way, they weigh enough to stun for long enough to allow the thrower to access another weapon, such as a sidearm. Also most likely not as lethal as a gun, but faster at incapacitating, so you don't necessarily have to kill the person, an advantage when you need information, or just want to preserve life. also a handy tool for every day life, and can be used to break down barriers, or punch through a wall.

The Axe has many features that give it advantages. This video gives highly valuable information. So few videos on this weapon!!! The shield was used to deflect and redirect the opponent rather then direct blocking like the movies. One of the main points about the axe is its abillity to rip and pull an opponants shield and weapons. So not only was it a killing weapon it was able to control their weapons and shield.

Speaking as a Canadian that spends time outdoors in the winter you need an axe. It even makes game processing easier.

Roland, many thanks. Your efforts bring us closer to the reality of Medieval combat. Reality = Sharp weapons that kill...

This is a tremendous video. It shows an approach in which the main tactics of the fight are to close lines with the shield, and to try to open a line for the weapon. The sword or axe is only used when the opportunity has been created. This is so much more subtle than the Hollywood (or D&D) approach of swing and block, swing and block, swing and block...

A light axe can be used for almost any purpose that a heavier axe can be used for, it will just take more time to do it. I've chopped down large trees with a tomahawk, for example. I don't know diddly about fighting with axes (thank goodness) but I do know quite a bit about carrying them and using them for farming, hunting, and woodcraft purposes, and my main observation is this: you spend much more time carrying your axe than using it, so unless you happen to have a pickup truck with you, you want the lightest one you can possibly get away with, and you will compensate for a lighter axe head by using a longer axe handle (force = mass x speed, and longer handle gives a lower mass axe head more speed and thus more force). This is a complicated way of saying that I think the comments here are wrong when they assert that a light viking axe was only weapon, not a tool. I see no reason that a light vixing "fighting" axe can't be also a very serviceable tool, and in fact, if I were marching in an iron age column over many miles, I'd bet that I'd want a light one even if its ONLY purpose were to serve as a tool. (Note to pedants: yes, I know that technically, force is mass x "acceleration" -- you only experience the force if the mass suddenly speeds up or stops, not if it's moving at a constant speed -- but "speed" is better understood in this context.)

Very informative and so elegantly demonstrated in the mock combat. This whole series has taught me even more about Saxon and Viking period weaponry :-)

thank you for the history. I loved the seax that you showed, too. I am a bladesmith and bring that background to watching the video. I appreciate it.

I really enjoyed the one on one fights, it made me realise how strong someone had to be to fight. I never really though about how strong the left or shield arm would have to be as in your fights it appeared to be doing the majority of the work while the dominant arm, which would naturally be much stronger, was used to attempt to gain a strike. Fascinating video, thank you.

Thank you, great presentation and good to see your mileu 'tests' of the beared axes and compromising the shield/balance + strike. The thrusting (with a slight twisting motion) of axes was one of the most useful axe techniques I have found (research and via practice sparring). One of the most popular techniques and advantages of the of the axe was to disarm/defy the balance the opponent, either by cutting over and pulling back the shield edge then exposing the head/body for a thrust or by capturing the opponent weapon shaft underneath the lower arc of the axe-head (suited to the broad and great axes as it requires two hands to muster the power to disarm effectively) and twisting as you cut over 3/4 angle forth and down to force the weapon out of the hands (or else discolate the wrist of the opponent ... hard to describe this without showing it visually although it is depicted in the icelandic eddas) and once disarmed the opponent is usually off balance and you van then easily follow up with a continuation of the sweeping motion down to the back of the neck.

Axes are great to hook shields to damage an enemy's shield wall coherence, pulling open gaps for spears and other longer ranges weapons to exploit

The Vikings crew should have hired you. All they do most of the time in fights is banging their shields.

Axe and shield seems to be underrepresented in HEMA imho. Thank you for sharing this with us. Fascinating stuff.

Thanks much for that slo mo demonstration of how the axe and shield are used together. Most edifying. I have used many axes as tools and used to throw hatchets and tomahawks for fun. Tool axes are, of course, very different from the weapons. The thin fighting blade is less useful as a tool. it is lousy for splitting wood. You need a thicker blade to force the split. This was very educational. Thanks much.

SIMPLE. BIG AXES HOOK SHIELDS DOWN TO OPEN SHIELD WALLS SO SPEAR MEN CAN STAB INTO THE GAP.

Great information, thanks for helping with the understanding that not everything is a Viking Weapon, but these items had many more practical purposes in daily labor.

This was fantastic. You answered questions I didn’t even realize I had. Thank you.

Thank you for the interesting facts of the Viking Axe and Shield. In the mountains of S. Korea I saw the villagers using old shaped long knives for cutting and small long thin blades for cutting meat and cooking- really like stepping back into time (1965) as I served in the Kwon Chon Valley

This is Thrand, Today is my Birthday and what a pleasant surprise seeing this awesome video pop up in my feed today, I can agree on all points very well done as all ways shield brother! That was a glorious day at Asfolk were we tested Authors historical shield replica out. Love how my sword sticks right in the edge spelling my doom. No one would ever do that intentionally. Hope to see you again soon, would love to do another Asfolk Reunion :D

Loved the thoughtful video. Beautiful movement in the sparring

I always enjoy hearing people talk about things they are passionate about. Everybody has their own interests and hobbies. It is also why watching videos on KZfaq about the same thing you learn about in school is far more entertaining.

Although there is an asymmetry of skill present in the sparring session, the additional control of the opponents shield that your axe offered seemed fantastic! I would have loved it as a Viking too! :D

I would really love to see a fight that you would choreograph in a film or anything I truly believe it be the most accurate thing I would ever see

You sure have some nice items there sir. Some of those swords behind you are great looking. I will check more of your stuff out. I like what I'm seeing & hearing here. Thank you for sharing all of this with us. Well done sir, well done.

Insightful and fascinating as ever. Thank you, Roland!

Great video informative and entertaining!

6:21 most realstic axe sound

Really enjoyable video, thank you 👍⚒⚔

Thank you I have been looking for axe history and this video was very informative

excellent always a pleasure watching your videos.

Ahhhh. Taking the dogma out of tradition, and learning the why while avoiding nihilism. What a glorious time to be alive.

WOW! Most enjoyable ending segment! Fantastic. *subbed* ☇

I always love to see a new video from you, Roland Warzecha, even more so, when you are actually willing to open the comment section for question and answers. Thanks a lot for your precious time!

A general note on this comment section: I am grateful for your interest in my videos. They are but one means of sharing the results of my research into historical combat with sword & shield with everybody who sees value in my work. Any video reflects my knowledge at the time of making. Because I am constantly learning, older videos might be out-dated, and I will eventually unlist them. However, you can still find them on my Patreon pages: www.patreon.com/Dimicator/posts On repeated request, I have re-opened comment sections with recent videos. So you are welcome to leave a comment if you feel you have something substantial to contribute on topic. I very much appreciate being pointed to relevant historical sources. I am not interested in hear-say and unreflected opinions. If a relevant question of yours has been left unanswered, then I might have missed it or the subject was already addressed elsewhere. I only check comments occasionally, so have some patience, please. Personally, I feel that constructive discussion on martial arts only exists in the analogue world, in a salle or a dojo. Please consider that your own valuable personal martial or military experience is inevitably reduced to mere assertions in a comment section. That is the nature of online media. There is zero competence control. This why I tend to shy away from such discussion. I find they are prone to misunderstanding, and generally a waste of time. Time that is better spent with actual research, practice and hands-on discussion. I am always open for the latter, and anyone with a serious interest is welcome to get in touch via private channels. Bad manners, boasting and babbling are a pest of the digital age. They have no place here.

Love Your Description!

awesome illustrations by you!!

Just found your channel and I love it!!! A wealth of info and insight into a period of history I love! Keep them coming my friend you have a new subscriber and fan!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Very interesting. Never viewed the shield like this. People never talk about shieldmanship.

In reading the sagas I've noticed that while most characters carry a shield their choice of side arm varies quite a bit. In additon to swords you also see a lot of axes but also a few short cutting weapons like the sax. It seems that shield technique could be adapted for use with any sharp implement.

Subbed. Great content, plus some subtle rage against the machine in the intro and outro.

Good Job! Very informative.

That is very informative Roland, I got some really large interest over medieval and ancient era warfare more and more due to finding the period much better in how the diversity of armors and weapons and gear was used back then. It's also interesting to me that you mentioned the burial sites, I don't know much about the Vikings in relation to their leaving lasting remains historically, but I find it interesting that you have mentioned they held marks in their weapon to state this individual was maybe a Viking era chieftain, and I find it even more interesting how you told about the use of ropes and bands and cloth possibly for manufacturing said weapons beyond a smithy forging them, that is a similar technique used in other ancient and medieval peoples of the time, such as the Roman legionnaires, the Spartiates and the Japanese Samurai and Ninjas, so as to make it easier to have a initial basis to equip said armor set, and resist a environment of fighting and battles as it was back then.

I was curious if the axe you're holding, during this video, could've been capable of disarming an opponent with a sword by catching the sword's blade between the inside arch of the axe's blade and the handle and quickly twisting the axe? The arch of the backside of it's blade almost looks as though it could've been designed with that possibility in mind. I'm not the most educated on early combat techniques, so do forgive me if my question may come off as ignorant. Love your videos!

Very instructive video. Hope your book release some day. Keep the good work.

Great video...thanks for posting.

With a "draw-cutting" motion you can actually bury your axe pretty deep without getting it stuck. And they must have been known as "destroyers of shields" in kenningar for a reason... Axes were also forbidden in the holmgang - maybe because they weren't seen as "noble" enough weapons, but also maybe they were seen as a "cheat" weapon in a duel where the (difficult) principe it to take turns striking at the opponent's shield in a way that destroys the wood without getting the sword stuck.

The Axe is said to be the number One Survival Tool If given One choice.

Your illustrations are fantastic

Fantastic amount of information

The Vikings were ambush raiders from the sea, a hitherto protective barrier turned into a mortal threat. Same thing happened to the ancient Egyptians, the deserts were a natural barrier until the domestication of the camel/Later horse 5-10k yrs ago. With the Camels came the raiders, the camel is a ship that never a boat ore dipped.

Your combat is different than I thought! Thank you.

I wish I knew about this channel sooner, great job! This is absolutely fantastic.

Thank you. Well done. The actual combat at the end backs up your theory.

I think the weight of an axe is the biggest factor when it comes to determining its use. A war axe should be lighter than a work axe. A heavy headed log chopping axe would be impractical in a battle situation

A sword, an axe, and a knife His sword: 0==(=======> His knife:0===(==========> LOGIC

+9999 internets for the Rage Against the Machine instrumentals at the end, and happy new year to you and yours

I like the way he uses the axe to get the quicker hit against the sword. Just prod a way through the defense, thrust in, hook, and slash as you exit.

Thank you Roland, my bearded axe is my primary, with a dragon carved on the handle by my wife, I wouldn't swap it for a fancy sword ;)

Excellent. First one of yours I have seen. What would be different in a mass battle, because there would be teamwork rather than individual combat?

One MUST have an AXE to GRIND! Thanks for the information!

WONDERFUL stuff!!! Thank you!

I could see a double headed ax being very useful in this type of fight. Hook the shield with one head and attack with the other.

Very interesting. I would say yes, the shield played a HUGE role in combat, though I offer that the primary weapon is still the weapon. You're quiet right, you, by necessity, need at times to employ your shield as an offensive tool. The weapon is more effective that the shield however, in this regard. More, with a shield, the defensive use of a weapon is greatly reduced, you can use the shield for much better protection. So I suspect being large, and blocking both strike lines and vision, a shield would be VERY good, maybe even as good or better than many weapons, at putting and opponent off balance or knocking them down. So I suspect you'd be swapping between non-injurous offensive use, and defensive use, with a shield regularly in combat. Yet that doesn't actually injure or kill your enemy. That is the weapons job. I'd also like to point out, that most art and texts indicate that the arc of axes, was seemingly never addressed by some alternative style, we don't see short tucked in arms suggesting darting small swings from the wrist, or the like. The arc is just the trade off for the power, force of the blow. In a good rhythm, an axes own inertia through the swing, can be channelled very well by a skilled martial artist expert in its use, to follow on to the next blow. Almost like a marching bands leader with the baton, or a fire twirler with their sticks. Whilst slower than a sword or spear this can still be VERY fast. The biggest problem with the arc, and it's a problem for maces, flails, warhammers or morningstars and the like too, is biomechanics. You open yourself up, if you're constantly throwing back, or reaching out, an arm to swing it back through an arc to power a blow. But yet, a shield greatly reduces the risks from this. This is why we seem to see these kinds of 'force' weapons, far more often than not, used with shields, big ones (rarely say with bucklers). I personally feel from my very very limited experience and studies, that this just the basic facts of medieval warfare, there's always a trade-off. In this case you trade speed, guard, for power, and the chance to damage armour (which axes and maces and warhammers did much better at that swords). It also meant more often than not you'd need a shield. But the same goes for other weapons. A long sword class sword, is fast, reasonably powerful, and gives some good reach, but isn't as quick as a short sword or dagger, or as accurate, nor have the reach and protection of a pole weapon, nor have the power of an axe or mace. Short swords and daggers, are finesse weapons, you can get in to the gaps, strike the weakness, fast, and accurate, that's they, but they do not impart anything close to the force of an axe, and you sacrifice range, you need get close. Pole weapons can impart huge forces too, and are fast, and give you reach, but take up both hands, preclude a shield, and need space, if you are to lose that distance between yourself and the enemy, it reduces effectiveness, and if you deploy it defensively, which they can be fairly effective at, you lose offensive capabilities. If you're using a bow or crossbow, you're well away, have the protection of range, and pack a punch, but you're often left with just a dagger, if the enemy close to you, and often are wearing lighter armour types because you need s very good range of movement in your upper body, to either draw and fire, or reload. I think this was also well understood by the dark age and medieval soldiery. That's why I suspect axes being a little slower, and inviting more openings, wasn't the biggest issue in the decision to use one. You gained in other areas what you lost in those, and there was a means of reducing the impact of the negatives (like using a shield). Just joining in the discussion, not saying you're wrong about any of this, I probably am.

Very nice,learned a lot.Thanks.☺

I didnt read through all the comments, so dont hope I'm repeating. With the shield, they were thin, and you would right before impact rapidly move the shield to deflect and open up your enemy to strike back. Also, the point at the axe (at the bottom so to say) was used to grap the opponents shield and pull it away. This was also used in shield walls to hook onto the back of the shoulderblade/neck of your opponent and pull him into, or behind the wall to deal the killing blow. This was sometimes done by the 2nd row of "weaker" warriors with their weapons

I love the axe its something I use all the time and I can still defend myself if need be

I suppose axe was more effective then sword against man in chain mail. Not to cut through, but to break bone or damage muscle underneath.

Good point about precision stabbing maintaining a lot of checks on berserkerish sudden onslaughts, thus encouraging a very precise careful combat versus lots of clashing of weapons and shields. It makes sense to test theory on well armored and very powerful combatants with the ability to power through versus engage in fencing-like combat, especially if accompanied by lighter more agile fighters and methods, i.e. massive war hammer, double handed axe or sword, heavy mace smashing through while stabbing swords and spears lurk nearby.

Great video!

You talk here about the significance of the shields thickness (or lack thereof) in a fight. I was recently reading Egil's saga and there is a passage where a party of norwegians fight a force of Kvens in Finmark, there is an interesting note there that says that the Norwegians won because they were bearing stronger shields. I have checked in 2 English translations and they both read the same, do you think that the construction of a force's shields could be enough of a factor to change the outcome of a battle like the text suggests? i know you mostly focus on fighting in a duelling context but you have a lot of experience with accurate reproductions and originals which i am sadly lacking.

This is very interesting. Thank you. I think that it is also important to consider that the great benefit in fighting in an army or even in a band of men is the benefit of close order combat, where a body of men push through or push down resistance and where they seek protection from each other -essentially the reason why rugby teams have forwards. This fighting was in open order and the conclusions are legitimate but decisive battles are rarely fought in open order. The axe is a multi use tool and it was certainly used in close order too. When you are protected by the shields of your fellows, you can afford to lift you arm, in fact you need a tool that lifts above the enemies' shields and which may have the ability to strike down on heads or shield rims (where you are going with the grain and so are unlikely to stick), so that you can open up a weakness for others with pointy weapons. I think there may also be mileage in the things I have suggested above. The axe truly is a multi tool that predates and has outlived the sword.

That was really fascinating great video! Especially how shields were used as part of the offensive rather than purely defensive.

You may be right. In Bali and the lesser Sunda islands they still have perisaian contests--the weapons are square shields woven from bamboo strips and a rattan cane or whip or even a thorny branch. The head is protected with a cloth helmet and the upper body is naked. Winner is who draws first blood, literally because a good whack on ones naked ribs or back causes bloody welts. Sometines there is a knob at the end of the cane which can land with bruising force. So the contestants don't fool around showing off gladiator moves, it is business. What they do is locking shields and kind of Roman wrestle to force their opponent in an vulnerable position to whack him (sorry, only boys do it). Another source was Pieter Maritz, a Boer who rode with the Zulus to observe British battle tactics. He described that the Zulu used their shields too to dominate their opponent to create a space for the stabbing assegai. In this way they could subjugate the other tribes. And if the British were as sportive as the samurai they would have brought their Saxon and Norman weapons and go shield to shield--but they were just not cricket.

Interesting, but I'd have liked to have it made sense with the common notion of formation combat rather than 1v1. As we know battles were fought in formation with shields, short arms and pole-arms and lasted for several hours, I like the idea of using the axe as a hook to allow fellow spear-men to thrust and stuff like that, but the fact that combat lasted so long makes me think that breaking shields is still a plausible use for secondary weapon.

I am completely in love with the look of the axe in thise last sparring matches. It looks like the best of both worlds of a light axe like a tomahawk and a longer axe, like the ones for splitting logs.

Thank You for posting this.

any knowledge on spears that you can share with us? :) love your videos, thx for making them.

Really cool stuff. I have a question, was cleaving through helmets with swords as shown in period artwork actually possible, due to weaker metal than we have today, or is it just something the artists did for dramatic effect?

I find the slow motion sound of axe and shield collisions very soothing

Excellent presentation, and you have cleared up a major misconception about Viking weapon use. (I especially liked your comment about "attaching a tabletop to your sword...quite picturesque!)

A lot of what you cover seems to relate to one on one combat. I'm curious how sheild binding techniques would apply in formation combat with large groups.

a couple of questions: 1) what about blunt weapons - maces, flails, morning stars - how do they fare in duels/against shields or armor? 2) is it possible that axe was popular because it potentially delivers the damage 'behind the corner' and poses a risk to the defender when trying to simply parry/block it? 3) size of weaponry and thickness of armor has probably mostly to do with the weight - fatigue and ability to control it efficiently - so is there an evidence of actual combat intruments reflecting this? like most weapons being made for smaller and weaker (malnourished) soldiers and maybe a few of heavier ones for stronger and bulkier combatants?

another amazing video, thanks!

Great episode! I have been to Nurnberg a couple of times but was not aware of the Germanic National Museum. I will visit it the next time I am there.

Dear Roland. The cuts you use in training seem to be very light. Are you doing test cutting with swords? Can this type of light cut be damaging to an opponent?

If thrusting with the haft tip regularly happens with axe fighting, wouldn't it be a good idea to add a small metallic spike (or a blunt cap) at the tip? Did people in medieval period toyed with such an idea?

I love Viking axes and particularly bearded axes. They're simple and elegant but very effective and lethal.

This is an amazing video, good job.