The Armour Archive

Mord

Before anything else happens, I'd like to finish with shields... But I'm divided if I should discuss the Bayeux Tapesty or not. The Tapestry of the battle of Hastings is thought to be sponsored by the Normans, who were "feudalists" (this word and the ideas behind it have recently been dism...

Mord

I do not deny that the Franks, Merovingian or Carolingian, had mail (or some sort of body armor), and I have not discussed the Anglo-Saxons or the Anglo-Danes. But where are the Scandinavians? I must admit that I havenâ€™t studied sources for Scandinavia in much detail at all though as Scandinavian...

Mord

Now having had a 2nd cup of coffee: Representational sources for viking shields: The first 2 sources that come to mind are the Gotland Stone (see my discussion on helmet for the citation) and the Oseberg Tapesty. Shields show up being carried on ships (on the Stones) and being used by warriors. The ...

Mord

There are a fair number of literary references and depictions of mail in England from just before and right through the Viking Age, the Bayeux Tapestry from right at the end of the period being an obvious but by no means unique example, from just before the Viking Age come the eighth century Repton...

Mord

My reasons for looking at the "economics of mail" and the structure of the Carolingian economy have to do with small amount of evidence that I've found. The Gjermudbu mail shirts are useful examples, and I strongly suspect that fragments of mail were found in the hill-fort at Brika. More i...

Mord

Continuing to blather on about mail... My interest in mail armor began in earnest (which is to say, I began gathering articles and related articles) about a year ago when I started looking into the armor depicted in the Stuttgart Psalter. There is some arguement concerning the validity of this 9th c...

Mord

It is important to recall that "The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence" (as you of course know) in archaeology, Mord. This applies in a transferred form to the low number of grave (and other) archaeological finds of helmets and maille from the viking age - the number of fi...

Mord

Just checked the weather report:

Sunny, with a high of 38. Dress appropriately.

Mord.

Mord

Mord, you rocketh mightily. Thank you. Sometimes I rolleth, too Mail: In general, mail poses a problem for folks interested in early medieval arms and armor. Part of the problem is the assumption, as far as I can tell, that mail was part of every warrior's gear. This assumption has led to some spec...

Mord

Body Armours, beginning with lamellar: Though I have gathered information on lamellar armour, I have not until now put anything together about it. Obviously the place to start with the "vikings" is the lamellar found at Birka. N. Stjerna in the periodical "Fornvannen" for 2004, w...

Mord

Material Information: There is th well-known helmet from Gjermundbu (S. Greig "Gjermundbfunnet," 1947). This helm, or what is left of it, is nominally a spangen helm--that is to say a plates of iron attached to a framework. The helmet also has an ocularium, not unlike some of the Valsgards...

Mord

More seriously, I suspect the whole helmet with horns is a gross mis-interpretation of the Danish Vikso helmet, which was from an earlier period. Isn't the usual hypothesis that it is from Wagnerian Opera costumes? More spesifically, the Valkyries' winged helmets that morphed into cow-horn-headpiec...

Mord

It was a busy day. I have no internet access, so this will have to wait until monday.

Mord.

Mord

David, First, realize that skill is not the deus ex machina of the techology of your weapon. Second, realize that the muscles needed to accuately throw a blow with power take some time to develop: like 6 months to a year (and maybe more). Third, realize that your weapon can only enhance your skill. ...

Mord

Helms: There is, unfortunately, a lot of confusion when it comes to helmets. I've often thought I would like to find the 19th century mook who came up with the "horned viking helmet," so I can find his/her/its grave and call on the Gods to nasty things. More seriously, I suspect the whole ...

Mord

For want, perhaps, of remnants of bows to work with? Actually, 7 bows of yew-wood were found at Hedeby. H. Paulsen documents them in "Das archaologische Fundmaterial VI" (or is it IV?) (1999) ISBN 352901933X. Also, 8 arrows of Scots Pine were found at Scar, Sanday in Scotland. Owen and Da...

Mord

Archery: There is the famous story from Njal's Saga of the outlawed Gunnar (or is it Skarp-Hedin?) defending his stead against the "posse" (led by a "Mord") sent to kill him. At first, Gunnar keeps the posse at bay with his bow, until the string breaks and he asks his wife, Hallg...

Mord

Phil, First let me finish my entry about spears and axes. As I was posting, As I've stated, Petersen published a typology of spears and axes in "De Norske Vikingsvard," and that much of our information about these weapons comes from archaeology, especially graves. Sometimes, these axheads ...

Mord

Is Oakeshott's typology too high-level for a study of Viking arms? -Donasian. I must admit some confusion at your question. Too high-level? Too broad. Lacking in detail for weapons a specific time/place that look fairly similar to one another. -Donasian. Yeah, ok, Donasian. Oakeshott is notably lac...

Mord

Now having had coffee & a donuts (a fine scholarly breakfast); Spears and axes: As with swords, much of the information about spears and axes comes from archaeology. Many a grave with a sword also have a spear-head and ax-head; but also many a grave just has spear or an ax. Still, written source...

Mord

Is Oakeshott's typology too high-level for a study of Viking arms? -Donasian. I must admit some confusion at your question. Too high-level? Certainly Oakeshott work post early middle ages in "Records of the Medieval Sword" is his most useful work, but the typology of the viking age swords...

Mord

As I was posting. Petersen's typology is in Norwegian, and contains many different types. A simpler typology in English was published by M. Wheeler in "London and the Vikings" (1927?), Btw, as a side note, Wheeler also published a typology of saxes (single-edged "swords") in &quo...

Mord

Taking a deep breath, I'll begin with swords. While swords are dicpicted and presented in representational and written sources, most of the detailed information comes from archaeology. Swords are found in graves and as stray finds (such in the mud of rivers--check Wheeler's "London the Vikings&...

Mord

Hwaet! Glen, Ah, Henry Sweet's Primer--it takes me back to my salad days when I was more interested in drinking beer and chasing girls (sometimes all at the same time!) . Any edition of Sweet's Primer should not only have texts to work on, but a grammar and a glossary. If you only want to get a smat...

Mord

I am sorry to have to start a new thread, but for some reason I am unable to access the 3rd page of the "Viking Armour" thread on this forum. However, since I wrote some very long posts, I feel obliged to come to some conclusion. But also, I am very busy this Monday, and may not be able to...

Mord

Roger wrote:
David Stifler wrote:I would LOVE to be there (it is a very doable drive from Philly) but unfortunately I am not authorized to fight SCA yet, so no dice.

Next year...

Authorize at the event

Yup.

Mord.

Mord

Endre, Thank you for posting the photo of the tapesty. I have seen it. I have a rather strict adherance to chronology as a historian. It's one of those tendencies that bothers archaeologists; let me ask you this: do you think the examples of leather armor given in Heimskringla, Landnamabok, and Saga...

Mord

Ya know, maybe it's that I've played this game too long, but I'll take someplace that's out of wind and rain with a concrete floor.

I'd like an area where we can either repair or make gear. I'd like a separate water source.

Mord.

Mord

Endre, I have probably seen the Baldishol Tapestry, but it's entirely possible I did not connect the name with object. And, while I'm trying to remember all this, I forgot the Oseberg Tapestry as a pictorial sources. No, I have not looked at the new book on it. From memory, I know that this tapesty ...

Mord

Nothing could be more unbearable than last December when Acre had their 4-hr res battle on the north shores of Long Island Sound. It was about 35*F with a strong wind off the water. THAT was painful, especially when taking the greathelm off for a drink. Like my Boss says, I'll be there! I had a bla...

Mord

Still more, again: There are also the Isle of Lewis Chessmen (a photo of which was posted on this thread) and the carving on one of the Stav Churches in Norway. Both of these representational sources are dated to the 12th Century, which makes it out of the period concerned. Still, many try to make a...

Mord

This thread was AWESOME until Mord went and spoiled it by posting reasoned, thought-out opinions based on research and evidence. thanks, Mord. But, wait, Glen, there's more: Representational (Pictorial) Sources: Only a handful of art historians have shown any interest in or publish anything about e...

Mord

Very cool! Thank you! Nice to hear from you.

Mord.

Mord

Material Sources: While written sources are given to flights of the fastasic, material sources are more down to earth. Within early medieval studies, material sources are often the products of archaeology. The history of archaeology as a discipline finds it beginning in Antiquarianism--the collectin...

Mord

Now that it's later; In my experience, there are 3 board catagories of sources: written; material: pictorial. These catagories were not created haphazardly. They "represent" the work of scholarly disciplines over the decades. Each discipline has its methods and its "schools of thought...

Mord's Conclusions: Viking Armour