LESSON 7.7 How did Viking craftwork protect the warriors inbattle? LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to: • describe Viking craft in designing and making weaponry and armour, as well as its innovative effectiveness in battle • use primary historical sources to add to your understanding of Viking craft
Tune in Viking warriors were particularly terrifying to their enemies, but none more so than the berserkers, a small subgroup of Viking warriors. According to the sagas and poems, these crazed warriors dressed only in animal skins and charged screaming into battle while biting the rim of their shields. They were known to be completely fearless, fighting while filled with a trance-like rage, foaming at the mouth and killing indiscriminately. 1. What berserker features can you identify on the image of the chess piece? 2. Discuss whether you believe that the berserkers were real Viking warriors, or whether they were just made up for Viking sagas. 3. What might you need to find out more about to be able to answer Question 2 more accurately?
SOURCE1 An eight-foot copy of a twelfth-century chess piece based on a Viking berserker
7.7.1 Viking armour The Vikings have often been considered fearsome warriors, especially by historical European sources. Some, like the berserkers , were known for their wild and fierce behaviour. However, calling them ‘barbarians’ is misleading. Their weapons and ships were advanced for their time. The Viking helmet started as a fancy mask made of bronze and iron but became simpler over time. The only real Viking helmet found by archaeologists is shown in SOURCE2 . Pictures from the Viking Age suggest they used iron helmets with a nose guard to deflect blows. Viking shields were about a metre wide, round, and made of wood with a reinforced iron centre called a boss . By the end of the Viking Age, kite-shaped shields were more common. They protected the thighs, especially for mounted warriors. Viking body armour could be stiff leather, metal scales or mail (chain links). Mail was expensive and handmade. Longer mail coats, called hauberks, became more popular towards the end of the Viking Age.
SOURCE2 An actual Viking helmet found in Gjermundbu, Norway
176 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator