Difference between revisions of "Child Warrirors"

Revision as of 20:30, 11 September 2023

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.

This article was conceived after reading 'Women and Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North' by Leszek Gardela ^{[Gardela 2021]}. We thought it would be interesting to see what evidence we had for other possible unusual warriors. Our intent is to add additional sources as we find them and this is very much a work in progress.
Initially as we're gathering the evidence we may cite some sources that are ambiguous. This is all part of the process.

Art

Literature

Archaeological Graves

Scotland, Sutherland: Durness, Balnakeil

Status-

Type- Viking child burial (aged 11-13)

Find date- 1991

Bodies-

Dated to-

Museum-

Publications-

• Graham-Campbell, James, and Batey, Colleen E. (1998) Vikings in Scotland, an archaeological survey. Edinburgh University Press. p.140-142
• Low, Batey & Gourlay. A Viking Burial at Balnakeil, Sutherland. n.d.
• Redmond, Angela Z. (2007) Viking Burial in the North of England. A Study of Contact, Interaction and Reaction between Scandinavian Migrants with Resident Groups, and the effect of Immigration on Aspects of Cultural Continuity.. British Archaeological Reports: BAR 429 p.76 ^{[Redmond 2007]}

Grave goods

• Sword
• Spear
• Shield
• Ringed pin, Beads, Strap end

Norway, Telemark: Rualand, Mogen

Status-

Type- Viking boy's grave

Find date- late C19th

Bodies-

Dated to-

Museum-

Publications-

• Peirce, Ian (2002) Swords of the Viking Age. The Boydell Press. p.86

Grave goods

• Sword

Type: M

Overall Length: 47.7cm, Blade Length: 38.5cm

Weight: 409g

• Axe
• Spear
• Shield

Sweden, Birka: Bj 977

Status-

Type- Viking boy's grave

Find date- late C19th

Bodies-

Dated to-

Museum-

Publications-

• Arbman, Holger (1940) Birka 1 Die Graber: Tafeln. [The Graves: Plates] Birka, Kungliga Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien Taf.4.1,27.2
• http://kulturarvsdata.se/shm/context/html/1161

Grave goods

• Sword
• Shield
• Arrows
• Buckle, Weight, Brocaided tablet weave

Sweden, Gotland: Hellvi parish, Ire

Status-

Type- Viking boy's grave (10 - 12 years old)

Find date- ?

Bodies-

Dated to-

Museum-

Publications-

• MATTHIAS S. TOPLAK. THE DEAD AS RESOURCES: THE UTILIZATION OF DEATH AND BURIAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL IDENTITY AND LEGITIMACY IN VIKING AGE SCANDINAVIA (2018)

Grave goods

• Sword
• Spear (1)
• Spear (2)
• Riding Equipment
• Dog & Horse

"When comparing the size of this boy and the measurements of the sword, it is obvious that this boy would not have been able to swing this weapon and was certainly no warrior fghting in batle." ^{[Toplak 2018:p71]}

Other Possible Child Burials

England, Derbyshire: Repton, Mound 50

Status-

Type- Duel Cremation, Female & Child

Find date- ?

Bodies- Female & Child

Dated to-

Museum-

Publications-

• Richards, Julian D. (2004) 'Excavations at the Viking Barrow Cemetery at Heath Wood, Ingleby, Derbyshire' in The Antiquaries Journal, 84, pp 23-116. p.91

Grave goods

• Sword
• Shield

Other Possible Child Sized Weapons

References