I understand the Oseberg reconstruction team then sailed South and plundered the British Museum and the Louvre. When asked why, the scientists explained they were going for "authenticity".

Big plus for mentioning the importance of wetstones.

I'm just a lowly welder. But in awe of their ability to forge iron hot enough to create these awesome mighty fearsome weapons.

Im on a team that has made a 100 accurate replica of the Oseberg shown here and now we are making the Gokstad ship. We Will be done 5 - 6 years

Fun fact... There is records that a sharpening stone was used as a weapon in war. It was a large stone.

the intertwined art on stone carvings and metal work always make me wonder about how much more inscriptions and art that was probably carved into wood that we will never know about, and the historical and mythological events they may have described the metal work is so much more complex than the stone carvings, and since wood is easier to work with than either of them, i bet we have lost some of the most complex and amazing artwork humanity has ever produced

2:14 "Vikings went to war equipped to kill". As opposed to whom? No other army had done that before? Tha facts man.

The Viking fighting axe is very similar to hewing axes used to square logs and timber. Quite similar. A bearded axe and adze were integral to boat building. The iron age provided the technology to make larger boats. The tools {axes} they used to build boats were instantly utilized to raid and pillage.

Dude just think how incredibly amazing it would be to build a Viking ship, from start to finish, completely the way they used to do it and sail it on the seas! I can't wrap my head around it.

This is fascinating! Thank you so much for this beautiful documentary!

The wood carvings are some of the most exquisite I have ever seen.

38:50 - The Vikings did NOT "Capture" Constantinople. Are are they being conflated with the 1204 capture by Latin forces? If anything, the Vikings were very friendly with the Eastern Romans, and even provided Imperial Bodyguards.

I loved the series where the celebrities became how people lived in certain times. Would love to see it done in different times again. That was excellent.

Love how ornate the ships were and the fact that both half of the ship is identical, split in half like a mirror from the same stock wood.

Both the Oseberg Ship, at Oslo, and the Roskilde Museum in Denmark are so worth seeing. Next to the Oseberg ship, there are some fragments of textile that really make you marvel at how sophisticated such people must have been. Don't miss them. How can we comprehend that such people evolved with such finesse?

33:03 give these two a whole documentary

Excellent documentary 👏👏👏. It filled my thirst for history

"Vikings believed that everything had its place and purpose; there was a deity for practically everything. Their religion was polytheistic, animistic, and pantheistic; in their belief system, even inanimate objects had souls. They held old-world magic in high regard, and there were elements of shamanism in their religion. This list explores the key elements of what Vikings believed." - Lyra Radford

Earned a sub and another notch in the algorithm. Thank You!

This is so interesting. This is the kind of Absolute History episode I really like, second only to watching Ruth & Co. live and work in historical settings.

In all the talk of the modern reproduction of viking ships, no mention of Gerhard Folgero's cross-Atlantic voyage in 1927, or the Hjemkomst's in 1982?

After doing geneology research, which I began years ago, I have found out and need to let others, including the curator at the Oslo Viking Ship museum, know that the female older lady was indeed, my direct ancestor, Asa Haraldsdottir, Queen of Norway, and my 40th great grandmother. She was the daughter of Harold, The Redbeard, born in 743 in Norway and died in 834. LOL, I startaed kayaking in the 1990's, which have a very similar build to these Viking ships, generally, in terms of being able to navigate shallow waters. Also, my skeleton is almost the same as the one of the "older lady" found in the ship! 🙂Also, I have a battle axe, which is very comfortable for me to hold, as well as other classic Norwegian traits, included being "addicted" to being in the water, for all of my life! Reply

Absolute History weapons of the Viking & Ships Listening from Mass USA TYVM 💙

Wood that comes from bent logs can have what is known as reaction wood. The wood on the convex side can be very brittle and crack easily. I would imagine that they had a sharp eye for such features, but must have rejected a lot of wood.

I remember reading a scientific study on Norse swords from burial mounds that actually disagrees with a few of the points here. The scientific teams analyzed the composition of the swords and discovered they were much to brittle to have been used in battle. The teams surmised that the swords were much more likely a status symbol than a battle weapon. I guess it kinda plays into the Viking love for axes theme.

These were farmers and fishermen that were tough and had to be creative just to live. They left their homelands in search of a better life. They took it. And most of the times left no witnesses. Creative and intelligent.

Thank You for the knowledge.

The Vikings are my biggest influence in knife design. I can’t wait to get the forge up and running to start making them.

i really enjoy the roskilde vikingeskibs museum if you ever visit near the area it's a place filled with information about viking history!

31:47 The guy doing the translation is definitely going above and beyond to have a strong warrior's voice! LOL

Nice. But...the Vikings did not "Capture Constantinople."

My grandmother came here from Oslo ,Norway when she was 14 years old. I love learning more about my heritage.

At least in the beginning, not many Viking Warriors had Swords. Swords were very expensive, and the first raids were done out of pretty much desperation for resources. The most common weapons were axes and spears. The outspread use of swords came later. And when it came to armor they used whatever they could get their hands on. In later period the chainmail were much used, once they had resources to get them. But they used whatever they could get their hands on, however they could get their hands on it. They were practical, in the way that they did not just keep using whatever they always used. If they could get their hands on something better, they used it.

Excellent job and a joy to watch!

The Vikings also stripped the dead foes of weapons and armor

Why is the voiceover actor hamming it up and taking the piss?

I had been given to understand that the Norse method used in the Viking age was done using needle and thread. A needle was threaded and the ink applied to the thread and the pattern literally sewn into the skin,the thread was pulled through, and the ink was deposited. The method demonstrated as the Vikings method was one I've encountered amongst Polynesian and western Pacific people. I'm no expert if anyone knows for sure please put it into the comments.

Did not expect to see Kai-uwe Faust from Heilung in this. A nice surprise.

read a book called "Byzentium" that had Vikings that ventured all the way to Central Turkey were they were slaves until they were freed and went back to Scandanavia. It was a great book!!!

I can't imagine crossing the North Atlantic in a long boat. It's been years since I read about it but the long boats didn't come out on top everytime fighting the sea. I believe Leif Ericsson set sail with 22 ships and 14 arrived in Greenland if I'm remembering correctly. I don't think the story mentions if the sailors and families were rescued from the ships that foundered. Life was dear and cheap at the sametime.

Why were Vikings so prolific in battle? Well, I certainly don't want to fight someone whose highest goal is to die in battle 😂

The Warriors wielding them

A simple stick wielded by a master will always defeat, a masterful sword wielded by a simple man

32:00 took me so off guard. That voice actor had a lot of fun lol

You could say “atleast” 100’years before. But let’s be real. The Angles, Saxons, and jutes were basically Vikings about 6 centuries before the first recorded “Norse viking” raids.

i love this channel so much it gets better and better. how do I work for you? I live in Idaho and have recording experience and have been on tv and the radio a few times in my life. Anyway, my name is Sandon Sims and I'm a 9th generation Idahoan.

I had a beautiful stick and poke tattoo done at Kai Uwe Faust’s studio in Copenhagen. Good to see the old sod in his glory!!

Thank you!

As a blacksmith I'm always baffled by how the Vikings forged there swords amazing people so much art went into everything they did

LEGENDS & CHRONICLES. Thank you, I am happy to know the Tree and the Rainbow Bridge. "The Vikings belied in a multitude of realms or home worlds in their universe, nine in total, populated by the Gods, humans, the giants and the sinners. These realms were bonded by the Viking world tree, known as Yggdrasil, which was an ash tree with special powers, its home was rooted in the centre of these Norse realms. The three primary realms were Niflheim, Midgard and Asgard, which we go into a little bit more detail about below. Nilfheim Nilfheim was the world of the mist, and literally translates as the ‘land of freezing mist’. Dark, cold and clouded in said mist, Nilfheim was unfriendly if we were to describe it in a few words. Niflheim was located in the far north, and on the lowest rung of the Norse universe. It was reserved for cold blooded murderers, people who broke the Viking oaths and ner do wellers. Midgard Midgard was the middle realm, the land of mortals in ancient Norse times. This human filled land was linked to the home of the Gods, Asgard by the rainbow bridge. Asgard Asgard in ancient Norse mythology and religion was the home of the Aesir gods, led by the mighty Odin. Asgard itself was home to many realms inside its boundaries including Valhalla and more. Asgard was located in the middle of the Viking world, and on the highest rung of the Norse universe. It was populated by the elite gods the Aesir, including such as Odin, his wife Frigg, Thor and many more."

Axes and hammers are for carpentry work and very durable. Also very effective as impact weapons.

if you have a crew of 30, plus a helmsman and lookout, you have a crew of 32

We have the first Gokstad Viking Ship replica here in the USA. Norway built it and sailed it here in 1893 for the Chicago Worlds Columbian Exposition. My friend Max was key to getting it put away and back under cover from the elements saving it. Before they moved it inside he took me to see it ware they had it sitting outside just under a tin roof canopy for years. I climbed under the cheep fence and went aboard taking many cool pictures.The ship is still intact but needs restoration. Max Hansen has been to Norway and brought it to their and everybody's attention to save it. That is how it got moved indoors. I felt my heritage when I was on that ship.

Wet stones and their proper utilisation is still to me so important to sharpen my tools. I never realized before where this habit came from. Thanks for clarifying it for me. I am partly Norman and Scott’s.

I think my favorite part of this video is how if the person being translated looks wimpy they have a rather refined almost prissy sounding voice in the translation vs if the dude is dressed in armor and holding weapons the voice is a big gruff sounding voice. Really adds to it in some way I cant explain. lol

Those weapons are glorious, perfect for almighty warriors

The courage of the arm that weilds them.

That feeling when you think you're just watching a documentary about Norse sailing and weapons, but then by the end they're even interviewing a guy about the culture's tattooing practices; and not just any guy to boot LOL... Kai Ewe Faust may have just been a tattoo artist back when this was filmed but now he's the frontman of the extremely cool Proto-Germanic historical recreationist Dark Folk music group known as Heilung.

I love it. They thought that the bones of their ancestors made their swords stronger and the bones did. It brought carbon into the mix and therefore the swords were made of steel. Maybe the first steel. Accident, or did their ancient wisdom know something?

The one thing that bothered me in this documentary was when the Narrator say's at 2:11 *víkings went into battle equipped to kill" it kinda explains itself that when you go into battle you kill. What else would you do plant doilies.

Historical significance of the materials recovered from the earth revealed the ages and how they were built and made of.

I’m studying bearded axes to know how to properly use them in Blade & Sorcery VR.

I like how the voiceover sometimes sais totaly different things than the person they are dubbing..

They definitely did NOT "capture" Constantinople. Also, the overstatement of "Vikings" reaching the "farthest steppes of Russia" would mean Lake Baikal region, which they certainly never even approached. They descended the Volga, and much later, the Dnieper.

....no evidence of leather padded armor. Leather would be more used for boots/straps and such. The armor the narrator probably meant was quilted linen (many layers)...super cheap, warm, light, can swim in and offers good defensive properties. A good choice for raiders!

In reference to what the man is saying at 24::45, the Vikings did not have or use Damasc (Damascus) steel. They used pattern welded steel, which is very different, and a person in his position should know the difference, and not conflate the two.

I think Ive heard that "the sword is for play, the axe is for work" was a Viking proverb. The axe was the iconic weapon. The spear was the second most used. But that goes for all cultures on earth almost. They had a god of archery "Ullr" that gave name to alot of places in Sweden. But is not mentioned much among the outflown vikings. Bows where made of a lesser material than down south and where probably used more for hunting.

wow incredible

I think this is a decent topic and one I don't know too much on...but is this whole video about boats or do they get to the metal weapons which is why I'm here? Shows a boat in the background but the focal point is a guy with an axe and sword, so I figured thats what it would start with

BTW, what do you call a 'ceremonial' sword? I know the Norse liked ornate weapons, but I never knew them to have any solely for display.

I've always heard about the Vikings' reputation, but this gives a whole new perspective on their effectiveness in combat. Still, I wonder how much of their 'invincibility' is mythologized by history.

I'm a decendant of these great warriors mup.

Engravings give every tactical advantage

I may be wrong but i believe there has only been one fully in tact Viking Helmet? I saw a tool used for making decorations fro 700-800 A.D. that shows a man on the left with giant horns on it in a very Japanese style helmet and to his right a Ulfhednar. A type of Berserker dressed as a wolf.

Everyone should have the chance to swing a Viking ax against an enemy at least once in their life!

33:00 😂 when he hits the guy on the head. The look on that guy face, like wtf bro.😂

I am a proud "Born Again Pagan" of Viking ancestry.

yes the old argument, chainmail is very expensive, and therefore very rare, because we never find it in graves... yet most tapestries and paintings show armies in chainmail, saga's describe armies in chainmail... maybe, and this is a guess, because it was expensive and difficult to make, (its not, just time consuming) it was saved from the grave? You'll also note that fancy swords are buried in fancy graves, swords that are easily bent... (granted they could be heated and then bent) but rarely do you find utilitarian weapons, the ones that work well got handed down to the grandkids who wear em out and ... recycle them... Also note: rome fielded entire legions covered in armor, yet very few examples have survived, but no one ever questions that roman legions were not armored. Why?

Great Doku but only one tiny mistake, the sworts get bent only of enemies , because on that way they cant fight u in Walhalla with that . Not because of stealing. Greetings from a danish viking.

Tactics and weapons are a small part. The hardy nature of Vikings, relishing the arctic seas blasting over their boats with freezing cold. How did the Viking fight off the cold so well?

How and where did they find the metal to build all the weapons and armor? I’ve always wondered this question.

Trading and raiding, true. Trading dried cod from Iceland to the Levant. Boats traded into the United States, the Kensington stone, and and traded with India for crucibal steel. They founded Russia, fought for the Turks of Constantinople, and settled southern Italy for the Pope.

"Because the Vikings did not use Swords, they used axes to cut the wood" ???? Yeah no shit. Wtf are you insinuating?? That you cut wood with swords normally??

They had to have knowledge of the weather like we have now. Can you imagine those boats in a storm in the middle of the ocean. Hundreds of feet tall waves😳

The only evidence of lamellar, the plates stitched together with leather thongs, from the Viking era, is from Birka. But there is no information if it was actually produced locally or imported.

I'm just here for the "I'm descended from Scandinavia so I'm a viking" comments....😂😂😂

Great video, Lathom house ( Lay thumb) Lathom.

"Imagine if all modern soldiers were be berried with their weapons. The Vikings knew a thing or two, about a thing or two.

Nice👑💎

What a legendary people 😳👿

How long did it take the ship builders of the day, to turn one out?

WHY did the first replica sink?

Vikings were some of THE best (and therefor most expensive) mercenaries of their age, some empires had betallions of viking mercenaries as part of their honor guard.

Vikings never conquered Constantinople. There was a major assault in 860, but it was turned back. The only way they got inside the walls was as members of the Varangian guard, the personal guard of the Byzantine Emperor. And there's no hard evidence that tattoos were commonplace in the Viking age.

1:55 is just worng. hes using leather D-plates based on metal ones from the battle of visby 300 years after the viking age. i recommend editing that short segment out to prevent misinformation like this to continue spreading

I know this is an awesome historical find We all benefit learning from history but all those items are definitely cursed taking a sword from a dead man just sounds bad

So when on the Great Lakes or the ocean one appears to be: a)immune to seasickness, and b) amused by bad weather; the viking DNA is kicking in?

What evidence do you have that the bent swords wear bent to prevent grave robbery? It is possible the bending was for completely different reasons. Like possibly guilty of dishonor or crimes against the wrong people ?

OMG the story of the bearded woman viking warrior/witch is so good!

The English Army at Stamford Bridge was not the same Army at Hastings even though King Harold led both. The later comprised many hastily recruited farm boys totaling a smaller mass than that of the professional Norman Continental Army.