Axes

Axes
Viking Age Axe Typology
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Viking Age Axe Typology
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This article's completion rating is 1 out of 5. Article planned for future work. No real progress to date.

This article's completion rating is 1 out of 5. Article planned for future work. No real progress to date.

Viking Age Compendium articles on Knives and Axes:

Wargear

Seaxes

Langseaxes

Norse Style Knives

Axes Overview

Axes found in Britain

Viking Age Compendium articles on Knives and Axes:

Wargear

Seaxes

Langseaxes

Norse Style Knives

Axes Overview

Axes found in Britain

Axes can be both weapons and also tools. Many may have been used as both.
Petersen used the following to determine the typology:

• The shaft hole lobes - can be long or short, more or less pointed, or cut clean, upper and lower lobes can be of different length, they can be directly opposed to each other, or offset, one further forward than the other.
• The width behind the shaft hole - The older types have a long and wide portion behind the shaft hole.
• The blade - can be more or less curved outward, more curved out below than above, and even be sloped in relation to the shaft hole section.

I am currently unaware of any evidence for throwing axes from the Viking Age (AD 793-1100). A type of axe called a 'Francisca' was specifically designed for throwing. It dates to the period AD 400-550. ^{[WHEELER 1935]:p.141}. Wheeler suggests that it evolves into the bearded axe of the Viking Age ^{[WHEELER 1927]:p.24}.
It has been suggested that small axes such as the Mammen Axe, from Mammen in Denmark, may have possibly been thrown [CITATION NEEDED].

A strip of waste leather with a slit cut down its center tucked through the belt. The axe is dropped through the two slit holes. Ideally leather should be thin enough to snap if a firm tug is made upon the axe handle.
Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

• 11 finds of calf skin strips with a slit at each end have been found at York and dated to the C10th / early C11th (15715-25). ^{[MOULD, CARLISLE & CAMERON 2003]:p.3401}
• Similar finds have been found in Hedeby and London. ^{[MOULD, CARLISLE & CAMERON 2003]:p.3401}

Discussion
Although the exact use of these strips is impossible to deduce and Cameron suggests uses such as a method of knife sheaf suspension or a way of making a longer daisy chain style of leather strap.
We never see axes suspended from the waist in manuscripts. Even so it is felt that some mechanism for wearing an axe at the waist must of existed as just simply tucking the axe through the belt would have been hindering to movement and not secure.

Edge protectors of wood have been found in Hedeby, Denmark ^{[WESTPHAL 2006] [SCHIETZEL 2014]:p.579}