Viking Two Handed Swords? - History vs. Fantasy

Рет қаралды 113,378

3 жыл бұрын

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The idea of a burly Nordic warrior / barbarian angrily swinging a large weapon in both hands is popular in fantasy and historical fiction, and people sometimes commission blade smiths to make a two-handed version of a Viking sword.
Every now and then someone speculates about whether longswords or hand-and-a-half swords might have existed in the Viking Age. There is a particular archaeological find and two interesting pieces in a museum that fuel such speculation.
In this video I talk about whether there is real evidence for them and why in depictions of battles (like on the Bayeux tapestry) you see a few two-handed axes but otherwise only spears and single-handed swords used with shields. There are some practical reasons that I find plausible as potential explanations.
The shield I show here is made by Vaughn Morphett (great work!)
www.hammerandhand.com.au/arti...
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Пікірлер: 735

@senyaborovikov1015 3 жыл бұрын

"If it's cool, it's cool. Just don't claim it as historical. That's all." - Skalldad giving advice to all the sword kids out there.

@metalchemik 3 жыл бұрын

This is the best possible approach! I really love when people have this mindset. At one hand knowing what work and what doesn't, and on the other hand just being able to have some fun even whit the most unrealistic fantasy.

@antlerr 3 жыл бұрын

@Fishy Vagina a video game and your going to accept it as factual evidence come on next you want me to believe the sky is pink......

@antlerr 3 жыл бұрын

@@Leon-bp6kb your a bloody idiot i been up above the clouds how daft are you bubs????? a pink sky hahahaha soo far off your rocker.

@antlerr 3 жыл бұрын

@@Leon-bp6kb even without a single human alive to see the sky is blue and will always be fact kid a fact is always constant nothing changes it.

@antlerr 3 жыл бұрын

@@Leon-bp6kb all over the world same exact sky, same exact stars only stupid humans thinking there bigger then other life and smarter and all that matters in the vast realms heck the world right now is buying what told fear of a virus that has never been isolated so by the medical world itselfs theres no such thing as covid, yet the world still buys the simon told bullshit......... humanity is fucking stupid like you kid.

@robertstegmann9260 3 жыл бұрын

The Gods gave you two hands, and you use them both for your weapon. I can respect that.

@AxxLAfriku 3 жыл бұрын

GAGAGAGAGAGA!!! I want to cut my toe nails... NEVER! I am the feet KZfaqr. Thanks for being a fan, dear eob

@baltazarriosdelbarco4230 3 жыл бұрын

@@AxxLAfriku what

@not-a-theist8251 3 жыл бұрын

Nooooooooooooooo😂😂 classic

@burgir250 3 жыл бұрын

i rather use my other hand to perform rude gesture

@keeganowens8949 3 жыл бұрын

@@burgir250 Haha. I see you are a fellow Inigo user, yes?

@rahimhunter5132 3 жыл бұрын

'No, the Vikings didn't use two handed swords.' *gives side eye to AC Valhalla*

@iCatCloud 3 жыл бұрын

a game that is very inaccurate. :)

@user-un5xj1wl6p 3 жыл бұрын

AC's accuracy went downhill after the reboot with egypt

@ajayavsm7476 3 жыл бұрын

@@iCatCloud tbh not as inaccurate as most other "viking" games, but the default armour and NPC outfits are shit, and also it has really weird time period inaccuracies, otherwise it's a pretty solid game which does a good job of portraying Viking culture.

@CarrotConsumer 3 жыл бұрын

@@user-un5xj1wl6p The games were never accurate. AC1 was the best of them though.

@andredulac4456 3 жыл бұрын

Ok, so viking didn't used swords with two hands... but what about a two handed sword in each hand ?

@theodoreshisler9713 3 жыл бұрын

There is something that endlessly delights me about the "Short answer: no; long answer: nnnoooooo" joke.

@kiarakal8669 3 жыл бұрын

I seem to share your pleasure in that 😂😂

@michealdean3750 3 жыл бұрын

Kind of doubling up on the idiots out there, because they will always be just that, idiots.

@anthonyromanelli1392 3 жыл бұрын

My favorite part about AC Valhalla’s two handed swords is that they are not two-handed, they’re one-handed swords that were blown up to 150% size so the handles are thicker than a regular sword blade and they look like foam paddles

@gamer2101 3 жыл бұрын

Lmao. That is so true

@AlecFortescue 3 жыл бұрын

That game is so garbage with it's visual design.

@reptiloidmitglied2930 3 жыл бұрын

I came to the conclusion to abondon the historical setting and how the older Assassins' Creeds depicted history and just see them as fantasy. Works for me.

@Guythatyoudontknow 3 жыл бұрын

@@AlecFortescue origins looked so good comparatively.. where on earth did they go so wrong

@andredulac4456 3 жыл бұрын

Is it still a two handed sword if you use it with one hand ? :p

@gilzvit9112 3 жыл бұрын

When I studied the battle of Hastings, If I remember correctly, Harolds Huskarls are the ones described with the Dane axe. Seeing that they were the retinue of the king and the nobles, I think they were eligible to wear more armor than the fyrd and with that have more freedom to use a two-handed weapon. I think they would go in the front when the cavalry and Infantry came, and hid in the shield wall during archer fire.(During that particular battle)

@gilzvit9112 3 жыл бұрын

@Berserking Bishop Yea, that's right. Harold put them in the center and at the front of the flanks, he had about 3000 of them. Still fucking terrifying to face them.

@Nala15-Artist 3 жыл бұрын

@Berserking Bishop That's a lot of conflation.

@gilzvit9112 3 жыл бұрын

@Berserking Bishop That's a long post for you? HA. Try me! Wait, weren't the housecarls introduced in Anglo-Saxon warfare through Sven Forkbeard and Cnute the great? That's already the time of the great Northern Empire. I know about Jomsvikings and I think it's not unheard of for Varangians to drop out of the Emperors service to go back to their homeland from which they left usually because of exile. Harald Hardrada is a good example. It's also a little bit tragic how, after the battle of Hastings, many Anglo-Saxons went into varangian service and died en masse at the battle near Dyrrachaeum in the Balkans. They fought Normans led by Robert Guiscard, and Emperor Alexios Komnenos I led the varangians. The anglo-saxons were eager for revenge against Normans after Hastings, but...they overextended themselves, and the Byzantine army could not keep up. The ones who were left after being surrounded fortified themselves in a church which Normans lit on fire. They did the exact same thing that lost them Hastings - they were too eager and overextended themselves, creating a hole in their defense. I think that the Anglo-Saxon may have won the battle of Hastings if they maintained discipline...and who knows what history would look like!

@gilzvit9112 3 жыл бұрын

@Berserking Bishop I know, had to check up to remind myself. :) It was a similar cause for both battles. Well, If nothing, it does potray those Anglo-Saxons as courageous and formidable warriors, who were also driven by passion, something that doomed them in those battles. (Not only housecarls)

@ramanspeedballof930 3 жыл бұрын

@Berserking Bishop just fyi, referring to the people of Great Duchy of Lithuania as "Lithuanians" is not entirely right.

@dennisvandoorn6127 3 жыл бұрын

Also, in the viking age, iron and steel was pretty expensive. This goes double for the germanic and scandinavian people, because they didn't have much iron in the ground. If you had the resources, it would be a better idea to invest it into armor rather than a two handed sword

@kyle18934 3 жыл бұрын

Or two swords, better for two people to have swords than one

@Gilmaris 2 жыл бұрын

The viking age saw a huge spike in iron production compared to previous eras. Iron was not rare by any means, but a sword is a complex construction, and the longer the blade the greater the risk of something going wrong. It would demand all the more skill from the swordsmith, and it would be a lot of extra work for very little payoff. An axe head, on the other hand, is much simpler.

@erikjarandson5458 2 жыл бұрын

There was (and is) plenty of iron ore in Scandinavia. Swedish and Finnish steel still have some "brand recognition". While not Scandinavian, Finland was crawling with Vikings and Viking allies. During the Viking era, most Scandinavian iron was made from bog ore, of which there's plenty, and which makes perfectly good iron.

@davidp6913 2 жыл бұрын

A good, solid axe also uses far less time and effort xD

@nkyfong Жыл бұрын

Plus a two handed sword wouldn't work with their shield formations.

@okankorad57 3 жыл бұрын

hey, appreciate the extra effort on the editing.

@atrior7290 3 жыл бұрын

According to Roland Warzecha, head instructor of the DIMICATOR fencing school who focuces heavily on viking age fighting, in "viking" sword and shield fighting, the shield is supposed to be your main weapon, the one you fence and bind with. The sword is used to exploit gaps created by the shield. That makes a lot of sens and could explain why those swords didn't had a lot of hand protection and often had quite beefy / heavy blades if they weren't used to fence and bind. And that would explain why no 2 handed versions existed, if you have no shield, you can't effectively bind against someone who has one. So that would seem like a dumb idea in period considering that cutting into a viking shied would juste get your sword stuck in it. (Axes are a different story because they allow you to still bind with the ennemy's shield without getting stuck, and spears give you enough range and speed to metigate the disadventages of not having a shield (in melee only, arrows are always a concern). Two handed swords wouldn't give any adventage significant enough to be justified when most oponents are using a shield)

@exlibrisas 3 жыл бұрын

What kind of coffee did he drink today? His editing is fire!

@Edwardin1989 3 жыл бұрын

Cocaine is one helluva of drug...

@leanderkielgas8630 3 жыл бұрын

pure roasted spite

@squidmanfedsfeds5301 3 жыл бұрын

The three Skalls looked really well done

@DraculaCronqvist 3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you tackle this topic again. Personally, much like yourself, I do not mind the Fantasy-Viking with the Two-Handed Swords a la Skyrim, but that's fantasy. It only gets irksome when people claim it as historical fact.

@Leubast 3 жыл бұрын

The weird thing about Skyrim is that it makes since for there to be 2-handed swords in Oblivion and Skyrim is set I think 100 years after Oblivion, so it would still makes since.

@DraculaCronqvist 3 жыл бұрын

@@Leubast Not what I meant, really. The point I was making was that Elder Scrolls makes no claim to historical accuracy, since all the people and cultures therein are only inspired by real-life people and cultures. The Nord might have a culture and ethnicity heavily based on Scandinavians, but they are not Scandinavians. They're fantasy people, so anything not befitting historical accuracy as far as the Norse are concerned is completely acceptable. But other games, like Assassin's Creed Valhalla do lay claim to historical accuracy. They claim that we are dealing with the people from the Viking Age, with the Danes, Norse, Swedes etc. of that time - and yet, they are nothing like the real Norsemen were.

@Leubast 3 жыл бұрын

@@DraculaCronqvist I was just saying it's kinda funny to think about.

@filmandfirearms 8 ай бұрын

@@Leubast Two handed swords have basically been a thing as long as swords have. However, doctrine meant they barely saw any use, since shield and sword was better in pretty much every way and only very rich people could afford the armor to offset the lack of a shield. So, unless there was a massive economic boom meaning more people could suddenly afford great armor, or gunpowder came about, rendering shields largely worthless, then there would be no reason for two handed swords to become more ubiquitous, whether 100 years have passed or 1000

@fredsuper6792 3 жыл бұрын

That short answer long answer bit had me rolling. Nice job 😂😂😂

@tsk9277 3 жыл бұрын

I noticed the phrase "copper alloy" in the forum post, Metatron is fuming in the background.

@erwinspaan7754 3 жыл бұрын

There is also a Metatron rant on the word ceremonial......

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

@@erwinspaan7754 "ceremonial" is archaeologist speak for "don't have a damn clue, but can't say that in a scholarly paper." "Fertility ritual tool" is archaeologist speak for "we know *exactly* what this is, but *absolutely* can't write 'dildo' in a scholarly paper!"

@yamiyomizuki 3 жыл бұрын

It's entirely valid to say copper alloy. You can't always tell if what you have is brass or bronze just by looking at it and historically they weren't always too fussed about what the alloy was, so it might be some weird hybrid of brass and bronze.

@neurofiedyamato8763 3 жыл бұрын

@@yamiyomizuki Well they can specify that.... Often times they call everything copper alloy rather they know the exact composition or not

@Cormano980 3 жыл бұрын

Megatron is using lasers from his eyes and high powered guns

@planescaped 3 жыл бұрын

If you have two hands for a sword you'd be better off wielding a dane axe. If you don't want a dane axe, then a shield is a must!

@Ironpine27 3 жыл бұрын

Bah, as long as it can split a skull, it's good. ... That includes shields you bloody arrow magnet.

@shawnwolf5961 3 жыл бұрын

Not if I am covered head to toe in full plate. Then give me my favorite polearm, a halberd!

@shawnwolf5961 3 жыл бұрын

@@Ironpine27 Oh yeah for real. Stuff like that is how legends/myths are born!

@matthias1031980 3 жыл бұрын

@@shawnwolf5961 yeah but plate was much later

@matthias1031980 3 жыл бұрын

@@shawnwolf5961 and omg I would everytime take a halberd over any other weapon in plate too. It's like a Swiss army knife for knights on foot.

@andrewsock6203 3 жыл бұрын

Even more rare is the illusive three handed sword. 😉

@TylerB-my1kr 3 жыл бұрын

yea it's only illusive because I've hid hid it in my trousers for so long 😆

@eyeballpapercut4400 3 жыл бұрын

isn't it "elusive"

@andyknightwarden9746 3 жыл бұрын

@@eyeballpapercut4400 it is.

@campbelld.1426 3 жыл бұрын

Or illusive because it is an illusion that does not exist?

@dicorockhimself 3 жыл бұрын

@@campbelld.1426 No they exsisted one of the horse slayer sword from Japan that would take 2 guys to weild (zanbakto I think is how spell it?) Though its like the only one ive herd of

@Tyme_Whyrlwynd 3 жыл бұрын

Last time I was this early, Skall was still throwing pommels.

@szpazdy6847 3 жыл бұрын

Who says he still doesn't? 😁

@DefaultString 3 жыл бұрын

sadly, the pommels from wiking swords cant be unscrewed - so you have to throw the whole sword instead :D

@ceoofwarcrimes4600 3 жыл бұрын

@@DefaultString what is a sword but a pointed pommel

@cynicalpsycho5574 3 жыл бұрын

06:41 Holy smokes Skal! That editing is slick!

@user-un5xj1wl6p 3 жыл бұрын

What do you mean? That's just the Skall Tiplets doing shieldwall synchronised dancing.

@RyzawaVT 3 жыл бұрын

If shields are still being used today in the form of a riot shield, I think it's safe to say we humans love feeling at least somewhat safe in battle.

@filmandfirearms 8 ай бұрын

Riot shields are purely for defense. They completely eliminate any offensive capability. If you look at military or armed police, they rarely use shields because they're so heavy and don't provide all that much protection relative to just taking cover. Now, they will still use them in tight spaces where the enemy doesn't really have much of an alternative but to shoot straight at the front of shield, but even then, it isn't in every instance

@rehm402 8 ай бұрын

And it’s totally scutum like!!

@sevenproxies4255 3 жыл бұрын

As a Scandinavian, I can't say that I've ever associated long, two handed swords with vikings. Vikings using shields is pretty iconic in the artistic representations of them. So if they use a sword, it would have to be one that permits using a shield alongside of it. In general though, the archetypical image of a viking is one armed with a bearded axe and a shield. It's the first thing I usually think of when someone says "viking".

@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache 3 жыл бұрын

Two handed swords simply makes you look cool

@themanwiththebabyhands4650 3 жыл бұрын

Who needs a shield when you look cool

@jaketheasianguy3307 3 жыл бұрын

1 handed sword is cool too. Looking at Polish swordmen spin their sabre around each cuts is a beautiful scene to look at

@Omar-pu7fd 3 жыл бұрын

Not youuuuu

@ObsoleteVodka 3 жыл бұрын

They are the "red makes you go faster" of the middle ages

@genbeuden2114 3 жыл бұрын

Godamn, anime videos, some video games videos, some workout videos. And even skal's video ? You really are everywhere

@marcturmel924 3 жыл бұрын

Glad to finally see the Skalla brothers reunited!

@whatTheFup 3 жыл бұрын

The even longer answer: Skall holding a deep "NO" for 10 minuts

@stampsu 3 жыл бұрын

6:45 This is getting out of hand! Now there are three of them

@irgendwer3610 3 жыл бұрын

I like this video format, similar to the bone armor video. Its informative, not too long, the research is there and it answers interesting questions even if the answer is already obvious. Also its not boring

@danilonascimento9866 3 жыл бұрын

This is the type of content I like him more. He speaks with passion

@guywithdacap4713 3 жыл бұрын

6:43 OMG! The Skalla-wall. They are so in sync, even the spartans couldn´t peril their formation! *literal shivers

@disky01 3 жыл бұрын

"Hop in your virtual longship and raid the isles of learning" is a flagrant stretch of the use of metaphor and I'm here for it.

@TheSonOfTheDragon 3 жыл бұрын

While vikings didn't use two-handed swords their descendants, the gallowglass, did introduce the claymore to Scotland.

@TheSonOfTheDragon 3 жыл бұрын

@Lassi Kinnunen 81 Especially since parts of Scotland and Ireland were founded by vikings and Scandinavian settlers. I'm half half Scottish half Scandinavian so I'm kinda obsessed with the subject.

@irgendwer3610 3 жыл бұрын

by that point they were already very scottish but fair enough, you got a point

@keeganowens8949 3 жыл бұрын

There are several problems with your statement. First off, the galloglasses were in no way related to the vikings. Remember, viking is a profession, not a culture. It's roughly equivalent to a pirate. The gallowglasses were mercenaries, not pirates. Secondly, I can find no evidence that the gallowglasses used the claymore, which entered common use in the 1600s, while the first mention of gallowglasses is, if Wikipedia is correct, which it often isn't, is 1259. In addition, I don't see how this is relevant, as a claymore is not a two-handed sword. However, you are correct in a way, as the gallowglasses are reported to have occasionally used two-handed swords.

@TheSonOfTheDragon 3 жыл бұрын

@@keeganowens8949 By vikings I meant Scandinavians, the gallowglass are descended from Scandinavians. Just because they showed up at in 1259 doesn't mean they couldn't have introduced the claymore latter, and if the claymore isn't a two-handed sword then what the Hell is it?

@ilikestew5719 3 жыл бұрын

Dunmaglass

@marz6770 3 жыл бұрын

Last time I was this early, Pommel comments were still funny.

@justanotherbrickinthewall2843 3 жыл бұрын

Stoneage?

@duragdan2000 3 жыл бұрын

I always heard "hen and a half sword" and now I want to see one of those!

@aaronsirkman8375 3 жыл бұрын

Who has that much chicken to waste on a sword? We need some for dinner, come on!

@not-a-theist8251 3 жыл бұрын

Lol that Matt Easton reference😂😂

@NikozBG 3 жыл бұрын

Oh I missed that. Can you give a timestamp?

@VosperCDN 3 жыл бұрын

@@NikozBG 0:45 should do it, right at the very start during the promotional bit.

@Galvantez 3 жыл бұрын

Skall was full o' beans in this video, I love it!

@mf8279 3 жыл бұрын

Not to mention that in the late iron age, metallurgy was still in its infancy compared to the middle ages and that there were no pikeformations on the battlefield that needed to be hacked up by zweihänders :)

@johndododoe1411 3 жыл бұрын

Pike formations don't need metal!

@mf8279 3 жыл бұрын

@@johndododoe1411 But zweihänders do

@Heylon1313 3 жыл бұрын

I found the point about the 2nd row axemen hooking the opponents' shields down very interesting! I wonder how much this was actually done, it sounds quite effective.

@fableblades 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for featuting my client's sword, Foler Frykt. You're right, these swords have been popular and have formed a considerable part of my portfolio of past commissioned works. I think many who like them were inspired by the movie 13th warrior. Demand for them has waned, but 10 years ago I was getting lots of requests for them. They are still an enjoyable form, despite the complications. They impart that feeling off power and pride when in hand; like many two handed swords do 😃

@hallofguns8174 3 жыл бұрын

I will agree that the Vikings almost certainly did not use two handed swords. However, what about three handed swords?

@Seelenschmiede 3 жыл бұрын

Since good swords were very expensive, I can't imagine what a bigass long sword would have cost...

@aubreyackermann8432 2 жыл бұрын

Way to convince the entire battlefield you're compensating, too

@jabberwocky9968 3 жыл бұрын

Skal, did you already make a video on whether or not double bladed battle axes (as popularly depicted in fantasy) were historically ever used?

@greggs1067 Жыл бұрын

He did, quite a while ago. I can take a look to see how easy it is to find.

@eurasiaacaci.-110 3 жыл бұрын

People nowadays often forget that poeple of the past like us dont want to die

@georgepapadopoulos3734 3 жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed that video.I must say that it's been a while since Skall provided such an excellent video but it was surely worth the wait.Thanks again and keep it up..!

@F1ghteR41 3 жыл бұрын

I can appreciate an unhealthy amount of editing that went into this video, but what I found really great is Skall's creative and sincere approach to advertisement.

@showsvod4234 3 жыл бұрын

Sick editing today Skall! And the video is entertaining and informative as usual, keep it up^^

@carlfabian4640 3 жыл бұрын

Skallgrim: and this is the even longer version. But first a word from our sponsor! Me: No, that IS the even longer version!

@mjengel84 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Skallagrim! All the pictures, personal swords, and research really brings the historical period alive.

@Tobias5036 3 жыл бұрын

I really liked the editing in this one skall. Cheers!

@natmorse-noland9133 3 жыл бұрын

Really digging the step up in editing! 👍

@jwrine3631 3 жыл бұрын

This editing is awesome! Very entertaining!

@biggiouschinnus7489 3 жыл бұрын

The two handed Byzantine swords you showed look fascinating! I wonder what context they were used in. Perhaps a weapon for a dismounted cataphract?

@dr05guitar 3 жыл бұрын

Man I love all your backdrops in this one!

@malahamavet 3 жыл бұрын

1:13 I actualy like this analogy

@incredibleburns 3 жыл бұрын

Nice to see some experimenting with the editing. Great video!

@sempi8159 2 жыл бұрын

Glad this video popped up again! I missed this originally!

@rumpelpumpel7687 2 жыл бұрын

thx for another great video. very informative, liked the schemes of handle developement over time. havent really seen much about that before. Quite interessting. Also you have some really beautiful backgrounds in this video. cheers

@MaltGambit 3 жыл бұрын

Great vid! Would be cool to see a video about indigenous warfare with some input from the Mi'kmaq since you live here in Mi'kma'ki :). It would probably involve an excessive amount of research though but hey, an L'nu can dream I suppose. Mi'kmaq vs Mohawk was a frequent occurrence up until we made peace (Wabanaki and Iroquois confederacies). Oh, and if you like D & D there's an indigenous game called "Coyote and Crow" you could check out, super cool concept I think you'd enjoy from an alternative history standpoint.

@cyrilgigee4630 3 жыл бұрын

I actually looked up Coyote and Crow after reading your comment, and the universe premise really grabbed me. As horrifying as it is to contemplate an alternate universe where I'm Bri'ish, it's also very interesting, and I'm not sure if there's ever been a TTRPG made about an alternate, colonialism-free Americas until now. I always love to see fantasy expanding into untapped territory. Even just from the Kickstarter page I feel like I can detect some genuine passion behind this project, so I'll be trying to keep an ear out for more about it. Thanks for the recommendation!

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

I don't think Coyote and Crow is doing late pledges, but I did back the KS. I'm quite looking forward to the setting!

@junichiroyamashita 3 жыл бұрын

Check out Malcom P L ,a channel focused on native arms and armors.

@cyrilgigee4630 3 жыл бұрын

@@junichiroyamashita I'm excited now, so if it turns out to be an unknown channel with 3 videos with terrible audio quality that hasn't uploaded in 2 years, I'm gonna be mad at you.

@junichiroyamashita 3 жыл бұрын

@@cyrilgigee4630 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/msl3eqaov7CuYp8.html better use this link then,since it is impossible to find otherwise.

@youremakingprogress144 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. Your screen presence and delivery of lines are at the top of your game. Some of the other KZfaqrs talk too fast or seem less organized in what they want to say.

@sevenproxies4255 3 жыл бұрын

Defining swords reminds me of when Baldrick tried helping Edmund Blackadder with coming up with a definition for a Dog. His deadpanned reply was "Not a cat". Ergo, a Long Sword is... "Not a short sword" 😁

@YrnehLrak 3 жыл бұрын

Upped your editing on this one. Really liked the style.

@Skallagrim 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. It's very time consuming so I can't do it all the time, but I do like how it turned out.

@sylvain7277 3 жыл бұрын

Very interesting. I like your historical stuff I like the background music too

@alexm2537 3 жыл бұрын

Another excellent video! Love your content. Keep it up my friend, You're awesome!!

@yoursexualizedgrandparents6929 3 жыл бұрын

"Did they use two handed swords?" What people should actually be asking: "Why would they?"

@kollekciorozsdas6110 3 жыл бұрын

@Rostislaw Hilt But because of the blade is smaller the force is gathers on the smaller blade

@yoursexualizedgrandparents6929 3 жыл бұрын

@Rostislaw Hilt Not necessarily, at least not the second half. We're not talking 15th century knights in full plate armor here, a two handed sword would leave you at such a bad disadvantage in this context.

@RoulicisThe 3 жыл бұрын

@@yoursexualizedgrandparents6929 And two-handed weapons in general tend to leave the fighter more exposed, especially to projectiles since you don't have a shield. There are some shields that can be used together with two-handed weapons, but viking shields aren't amongst them.

@amf9797 3 жыл бұрын

@Rostislaw Hilt Real life doesn't have Fire Emblem weapon triangle, I could see a longsword being better at dueling since it's more agile and easier to maneuver, but just as Skall explained in this video, on the battlefield two handed axes were more useful.

@victoriazero8869 3 жыл бұрын

@@yoursexualizedgrandparents6929 Indeed. As can be seen with the Landsknetch and general scottish buggery, zweianders and claymores are effective tool of war in the age of armor proliferation, where even the cheapest man of arms have munition grade iron plate armor. Can't say the same with age of (chain) mail.

@ethanveillion1184 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks skall I really enjoyed this:)

@lucasgabriel4 3 жыл бұрын

I'm watching you from Brasil, I love your work and I see you since 2016

@stevendepauw3742 3 жыл бұрын

Loved the backgrounds :D

@mnk9073 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome video as always! The whole "arrows penetrating shields while on your back"-problem might not be as significant as we like to assume since we sometimes get led astray by the amazing videos of Tod showing how longbows manage to pierce shields with ease and forget how much punier the bow was for a long time before reaching the apex of the welsh longbow (not useless mind you, just used with the idea to hit unprotected areas of which there were many rather than punching through obstacles like helmets, breastplates or shields)...

@gwennblei 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video once more, it was cool to hear your thoughts on the topic, thanks :)

@thekintheb621 3 жыл бұрын

i love the new editing

@shaidrim 3 жыл бұрын

Great speculation on dane axe and shield wall! I liked it a lot

@Psycho_Badass 3 жыл бұрын

Ad: Do you know what is the main turn on on women? Confidence? No, it's... (Skipped the ad) Skallagrim: a Shield!

@sunnmringenriksheim7812 3 жыл бұрын

You've stepped up your editing god Sir.

@davidtomes2298 3 жыл бұрын

Good video, man. I enjoyed that.

@gozer87 3 жыл бұрын

I think the Dane axe and the hewing spear fill the niche in early medieval that longswords fill in later periods. I was sooo excited when I saw the ceremonial swords in the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen. Then I saw they were 16th century bearing swords. Still excited, but for LARP and cosplay opportunities instead of reenactment.

@mauryknudsen5397 3 жыл бұрын

I am so glad you made this video. I've been working on worldbuilding with a Viking inspired culture where one of the heroes uses a longsword with both hands. The great thing about worldbuilding is it's your own fiction so you can do whatever, but I was curious if that ever was a historical occurrence.

@KonguZya 3 жыл бұрын

Right, in fantasy you can have vikings or other barbarian types have two-handed swords as valuable trade objects or trophies taken from other cultures with more advanced metallurgy.

@garrisonglaittli6428 3 жыл бұрын

very good video skal.

@skjaldulfr 3 жыл бұрын

In Harald's Saga it says he has a two-handed sword at Stamford Bridge, in 1066. That was a head-scratcher for me when I read it.

@PavelSemin 3 жыл бұрын

I hear the version, that it was just very difficult to make long sword in vikings age. But after progress with smiths we get more advanced armour, and more advanced weapon also

@alicelund147 3 жыл бұрын

I think that is correct.

@101Mant 3 жыл бұрын

More advanced armour means you don't need a shield as much and can free up the hand, and more advanced weapon making means you can make a longer sword more reliably.

@PavelSemin 3 жыл бұрын

@@101Mant I mean you can't just make reliable long blade with material available to vikings. And also with that material and technology, you can make advanced armour as well

@bartoszkominek6046 2 жыл бұрын

Thank You for Your work! Its brilliant!

@eckhardson 3 жыл бұрын

@Skallagrim: My club occasionally participated (before the modern plague, that is), in Viking Age reenacment events that inluded simulations of line/formation battles. Around 12:30 you mention hooking with a long axe. We always had teams of one axe and two spears in the second line. While the front lines clash, the axe hooks a shield and two spears thrust in the gap at the same moment, from left and right of the axeman (or woman). Works like a charm ;)

@neilatkinson174 3 жыл бұрын

Skall, if you havent already done it I would love if you did a discussion like this on flamberge swords in history. Much love

@argentaluna013 3 жыл бұрын

Great video! Hello from all of us out in PIne Grove, NS - Marina and family

@ulfhedtyrsson 3 жыл бұрын

I'm making one right now. It's still like 8 pounds lol. But yeah, in actual battlefield conditions you're going to need and want a shield. Unless you have full plate or something that's big yet light enough to strap on the forearm and leaves your hand free and light enough to use. But still it would have to be so large it would be awkward

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

Shield? Yeah, those get heavy. But if you're talking about a sword, 8lbs is awfully heavy. That Chinese blade Skall showed is 3lbs.

@YondaMoegi 2 жыл бұрын

Analyzing fantasy tropes/designs and comparing them to reality is both fun and informative. I enjoy latest videos a lot

@C0ldIron 3 жыл бұрын

In my time larping we would regularly use the "battle buddy" system for large scale combat. A sword and board player would take the front and focus on defense while two handed weapon welders would be in the rear striking from above sides. It didn't function exactly like the ax use you mention but it was the same combat theory and when I had a good partner I was nearly unstoppable.

@julianmehlmann2996 3 жыл бұрын

Liked the pronounciation of Zweihänder. Its good.

@dantrog 3 жыл бұрын

That T-shirt is fantastic!

@manofthemon1689 3 жыл бұрын

Huh, I didn’t get this video as a recommendation even though I watch all your vids. I saw this while scrolling down your channel.

@szymon657 3 жыл бұрын

great video!

@chrisortiz8077 Жыл бұрын

I have no idea why I've been watching skall for like 2 yrs now, I'm not even particularly interested in swords lol. Just something entertaining and relaxing about his content.

@ivaraspling8711 3 жыл бұрын

love your videos keep it going

@martinsvamberg5283 3 жыл бұрын

Someone had fun editing :D

@DanceswithBlades5 Жыл бұрын

Talking about Axes behind the shield wall reminds me of just HOW GOOD the Long Axe (In Universe Dane Axe) is as a backline weapon in Battle Brothers. Bringing all the power of an axe while having budies infront of you to defend you from archers.

@TiredTransbian 3 жыл бұрын

Also, long blades require a relatively large amount of high quality steel, something a viking would likely not have access to. An axe blade uses very little steel, making it much more economical than a sword.

@EpiscopusArlien 3 жыл бұрын

Talkin about two-handed broadaxe+shield combo - it was pretty popular in Varangian Guard of Byzantine, lot of textual sources mention it.

@YondaMoegi 2 жыл бұрын

And the editing with memes and snippets from movies is fun too

@corro202 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome video.

@Csatadi 3 жыл бұрын

Long answer is very funny :D 0:20

@VlogCandyMinus 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Skall, I'm a big fan! I really enjoy your videos that go into discussion of technical appications and combat techniques of weapons. Im sure you get "zombie apocalypse" hypothetical questions all the time but in such a scenario other humans would undoubtedly be the biggest threat. If you were just an "average joe" only able to grab something quick and common (shovels, steel pipes, 2x4's, baseball bats, meat cleavers, butcher knifes, machetes, hammers, etc.), how would you fight against someone with a sword or a weapon actually meant for fighting? What techniques might be applied? Additionally what would be some suggestions for simple modifications you could make to these tools to make them more effective weapons in combat?