Viking War Clubs

[Len Parker]

Saxo has this before the Bravic War, sometime between the 6th to early 8thc., no one's exactly sure. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/saxo/saxo07.htm

...and when he heard that Erik's champion, Hakon, was skillful in blunting swords with his spells, he fashioned, to use for clubbing, a huge mace studded with iron knobs, as if he would prevail by the strength of wood over the power of sorcery. Then -- for he was conspicuous beyond all others for his bravery -- amid the hottest charges of the enemy, he covered his head with his helmet, and, without a shield, poised his club, and with the help of both hands whirled it against the bulwark of shields before him. No obstacle was so stout but it was crushed to pieces by the blow of the mass that smote it."

"And while he chanced to be walking through a shady woodland, he plucked up by the roots all oak that stuck in his path, and, by simply stripping it of its branches, made it look like a stout club. Having this trusty weapon, he composed a short song as follows:
"Behold! The rough burden which I bear with straining crest, shall unto crests bring wounds and destruction. Never shall any weapon of leafy wood crush the Goths with direr augury. It shall shatter the towering strength of the knotty neck, and shall bruise the hollow temples with the mass of timber. The club which shall quell the wild madness of the land shall be no less fatal to the Swedes. Breaking bones, and brandished about the mangled limbs of warriors, the stock I have wrenched off shall crush the backs of the wicked, crush the hearths of our kindred, shed the blood of our countrymen, and be a destructive pest upon our land."
When he had said this, he attacked Siwald and his seven sons, and destroyed them, their force and bravery being useless against the enormous mass of his club.

[Thomas Powers]

So even their contemporaries thought they were way out there to be using a club, eh?

[Dan Howard]

Cool passage though. Would be interesting to know how accurate the translation is.

[marcus the pale]

So, wouldn't this be an indicator that it is less likely that vikings used clubs? Considering he made it a point to describe it more than other weapons, it would have been less common. Topic should read "Viking War Club" singular :p

Awesome passage though. Kinda trying to be a bit of a devil's advocate here, don't shoot me.




Marcus

[Len Parker]

Yeah, I know i got carried away with the title. If I remember right Halfdan has been conected to Hercules, or at least a northern version of him. Tacitus wrote that the germans have a tradition of a Hercules, whose praises they sing before those of all other heroes as they advance to battle. It's possible that halfdan was the scandinavian version. But still, I thought the mention of a two handed club with iron studs from the viking age was interesting. I think I saw one like this in the Mac Bible.

[Len Parker]

Marcus, found another one.

Here the hero Gram makes a special mace:

Having heard from the diviners that Sigtryg could only be conquered by gold, he straightway fixed a knob of gold to a wooden mace, equipped himself therewith in the war wherein he attacked the king, and obtained his desire. This exploit was besung by Bess in a most zealous strain of eulogy:
"Gram, the fierce wielder of the prosperous mace, knowing not the steel, rained blows on the outstretched sword, and with a stock beat off the lances of the mighty. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/saxo/saxo01.htm

[Fearghus Macildubh]

Swords are high prestige weapons, the fact that a hero uses something other than a sword is noteworthy. The Germanic tribes had club wielding warriors during the Imperial Roman period, but I don't recall anything in the Migration Era.

[marcus the pale]

But still, I thought the mention of a two handed club with iron studs from the viking age was interesting. I think I saw one like this in the Mac Bible.

The Mac Bible version is actually the first thing I thought of. Actually been meaning to make one for SCA combat.




Marcus

[ChristophH]

Something along these lines?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kanabo_tetsubo.jpg

[Halvgrimr]

Clubs wouldn't be unheard of IMO
I would bet they would have been plentiful among the peasant levy (and I know that isn't what we are talking about here)
Sorta cheap, easy to make and even easier to come by on the fly:)

Interesting finds though!

One has to wonder why Gram didn't know steel though.
That sounds pretty odd but I may be reading to much into that statement.

Sigh

Ok, at one point the document says:

Soon after, he had by her a son, GRAM, whose wondrous parts savoured so strongly of his father's virtues that he was deemed to tread in their very footsteps. The days of Gram's youth were enriched with surpassing gifts of mind and body, and he raised them to the crest of renown. Posterity did such homage to his greatness that in the most ancient poems of the Danes royal dignity is implied in his very name. He practiced with the most zealous training whatsoever serves to sharpen and strengthen the bodily powers. Taught by the fencers, he trained himself by sedulous practice to parrying and dealing blows.

Then it goes on to say

"Gram, the fierce wielder of the prosperous mace, knowing not the steel, rained blows on the outstretched sword, and with a stock beat off the lances of the mighty.

Which was it?
What he trained in steel or not?
Perhaps Bess didnt know he was so well trained:)
Arg, my head:)

[Kilkenny]

Clubs wouldn't be unheard of IMO
I would bet they would have been plentiful among the peasant levy (and I know that isn't what we are talking about here)
Sorta cheap, easy to make and even easier to come by on the fly:)

Interesting finds though!

One has to wonder why Gram didn't know steel though.
That sounds pretty odd but I may be reading to much into that statement.

Sigh

Ok, at one point the document says:

Soon after, he had by her a son, GRAM, whose wondrous parts savoured so strongly of his father's virtues that he was deemed to tread in their very footsteps. The days of Gram's youth were enriched with surpassing gifts of mind and body, and he raised them to the crest of renown. Posterity did such homage to his greatness that in the most ancient poems of the Danes royal dignity is implied in his very name. He practiced with the most zealous training whatsoever serves to sharpen and strengthen the bodily powers. Taught by the fencers, he trained himself by sedulous practice to parrying and dealing blows.

Then it goes on to say

"Gram, the fierce wielder of the prosperous mace, knowing not the steel, rained blows on the outstretched sword, and with a stock beat off the lances of the mighty.

Which was it?
What he trained in steel or not?
Perhaps Bess didnt know he was so well trained:)
Arg, my head:)

You're misreading the phrase. "knowwwing not the steel" refers to"the prosperous mace".

i.e., the poet is talking about the stick with a gold head on it used against a fellow with magical protection from steel weapons.

Nothing to do with the guy wielding the stick

[Halvgrimr]

Ah, my mistake...nevermind:)