Viking Helmet With Crossed Axes

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Few surviving helmets from the Viking age remain intact. Most of the ones that do are fragments. Those that do exist show that Viking-era fighting men wore their helmets all day long.

Some had solid cheek plates or mail curtains to provide additional defenses. This type of helmet would have been well within the fabrication abilities of common blacksmiths.
Helmets

Two helmets decorated with horns have been discovered in Denmark Viking axe for sale that are thought to date back as far as 1700 B.C.E. They are similar to horned helmets depicted in rock art and figurines from Sardinia and Western Iberia around the same time, and vankilde suggests that they may have been symbols of new political elites backed by control of metal resources. The helmets are also similar to depictions of headgear in artwork from Scandinavia at that time, which could mean that a shared design traveled along the Atlantic coast.

Archaeologists originally found the helmets at Vikso in 1942 while harvesting peat, but they weren’t fully cleaned until 2019. One of the horns was found to have birch tar on it, which was used to preserve it, and that allowed researchers to date the helmets.

But an archaeologist at Georg August University of Gottingen tells Science that he doubts the helmets traveled directly from Sardinia to Scandinavia at that time. Instead, he says, they likely traveled up the coast of southern Europe and into northern Scandinavia as part of a wider exchange of metals.
Shields

One of the most striking aspects of a Viking helmet is its shield. These large oval-shaped plates were designed to protect warriors in battle, but they also served as an important symbol of a Viking’s identity and community. The Vikings surrounded themselves with their own shields to form “walls of shields,” a military tactic that was especially useful against larger, more well-equipped opponents. The shield wall allowed inexperienced soldiers to fight without the added burden of heavy armour, while still enjoying the protection offered by their companions’ shields.

The discovery of these two helmets with horned crests and crossed axes has given researchers a rare glimpse into the lifestyle of the Vikings. The helmets have been dated to the Nordic Bronze Age, 1700 to 500 B.C.E. By analyzing birch tar from one of the helmet’s horns, paper coauthor Heide Wrobel Norgaard was able to pinpoint the precise date of their manufacture.

Using a shield with crossed axes was a sign of loyalty to a group. It also indicated that the individual was a member of a wealthy household. This was an important status in a society where men worked as a group, and women stayed at home, tending the children.

A Viking’s shield was often painted with religious symbols, and he may have displayed his ancestors’ coats of arms on the shield itself. He might also have painted himself or his family members on the shield. This type of decoration was common in the early Bronze Age.

The shields have a bronze-colored faux rivet pattern in the shape of runes. A ring of runes sits inside another ring of bronze-colored knotwork and triskele designs. The horned design is similar to depictions of headgear found in rock art and figurines from the same period in Sardinia, Spain, and western Iceland. The similarities suggest that the horned motif spread across Europe during this time.
Chin straps

The chin strap is an essential part of any helmet. Without it, the helmet will fall off in battle. It also serves to keep the visor from flying back and damaging the eyes. It is made of a durable material that can be customized to fit the wearer’s head. Ideally, it should be tight enough to stay on during combat, but not so tight that it becomes uncomfortable. The chin strap should be fitted in the center of the forehead, and it should be securely attached to the headband or visor.

There is little archaeological evidence for chin straps, but they appear in depictions of warriors on both the Bayeux Tapestry and the Helmsdorp Treasure. They are also described in the sagas. For example, the saga of Jokull tells how he struck Thorgrim’s helmet with his sword and discovered that it cut no deeper than wood. This surprised Jokull, because he expected the blade to cut right through the helmet.

Although few Viking helmets have survived, some are fragmentary. One of the more complete examples is the Gjermundbu helmet (pictured above). It features a spectacle-style covering for the face, which is intended to make the wearer utterly frightening both from outside and inside the mask. This style is a great choice for anyone who wants to create a terrifying, mythological character.

Another option is lamellar armour, a series of iron plates laced together or sewed to a stout fabric or leather cat shirt. These are a great choice for people who want to create a Viking-inspired fantasy character, and they are also relatively cheap. However, they are not as effective as the more expensive chain mail.
Spectacle guards

Before the Viking Age, helmets were often made from a single piece of iron hammered into shape (like the reproduction Norman helm shown to the left). But during the Viking Age, most helmets were constructed from several plates riveted together into a cylindrical form. The helmet pictured here, excavated at Gjermundbu in Norway in the 10th Century, is an example of this type, and it has a spectacle guard that covers the wearer’s nose and eyes. It also has a rounded cap and may have had a mail aventail attached underneath.

Spectacle guards are a good idea both from the point of view of the warrior who was wearing the helmet and that of his opponent. They present a frightening visage to the enemy from the outside and can catch sword and spear points or arrows before they hit the head. The helmet from Gjermundbu even has clear evidence of battle damage, a sword blow and an arrow puncture, suggesting that it was used in earnest fights.

The aventail provides protection for the neck and lower part of the face, and it was commonly combined with solid cheek guards. The reproduction helmet shown here has mail curtains that cover the ears and neck, as well as a pair of solid cheek plates that protect the throat. Other forms of cheek and neck defenses were also common in the period, including mail or a chainmail covering that wrapped around the neck and down to the shoulders.

It is not known whether the spectacle guard was effective, but it was certainly attractive to Viking Age warriors. One of the famous fights in the Grettis Saga, in chapter 40, describes how the warrior Grettir grabbed a berserk man who had his cheek-guards undone. This maneuver allowed him to control the man and then rip his head apart with a sword.
Mail curtains

Vikings often wore mail, or lamellar armour, which consisted of individual iron plates laced together or sewn to a stout fabric or leather cats shirt. One find in Birka is thought to have been made of such a garment, although the evidence for this is scarce and it seems likely that mail was only worn by professional warriors on raids or by wealthy noblemen.

One piece of such mail is the Yarm helmet, found in the Yarm district of North Yorkshire, England. The helmet is thought to be of the period 900-950, and was probably worn by a Norse warrior on a raid into England. It is characterized by a horned head, a dragon shield and crossed battle axes. The image is royalty-free and can be used for personal or commercial purposes under the Standard or Extended License.