After training to elite status, they can tank a castle too. All those pew pew pew arrows coming down, only deal one dmg. Plus they come out of their barracks in ~3 seconds each like a flood after their ruler has Perfusion. Yay.
It's truly incredible how proficient their metal work was so long ago. I mean they figured out how to forge weld a diamond-shaped high carbon edge on a softer shock absorbing center to make a perfect chopping device. Personally I think the Dane Axe is on of the most beautiful weapons ever made, it isn't ornate, it emphasizes elegance and speed but still portrays power.
The evidence for the use of horses in actual battle by the Anglo-Saxons is very scant, but I think the issue is not as clear-cut as sometimes presented. Usually, people will look at the few battles for which we have descriptions with any degree of detail, and extrapolate. But that's usually Hastings and Maldon. Hastings was a very specific kind of battle where the English held defensive positions on top of a hill. Similarly, Maldon involved a local force fighting on and near a river crossing, not the best battlefield for cavalry. As for other battles, there's Brunanburh: Wesseaxe forð ondlongne dæg eorodcistum on last legdun laþum þeodum ("The West Saxons pursued the rear of those hateful peoples the whole day in [companies of mounted men?]") The problem is the word eorodcist. Etymologically, it means "cavalry company" (cist, "band"; eorod [eoh "horse" + rad "raid; expedition"], "[horse] company"), but it's not clear that it always retained that meaning and IIRC there's instances elsewhere in Anglo-Saxon literature where eorod might mean simply "troop, band", referring to foot soldiers. Certainly, the divergent spelling forms (eored, eorod compared to the original *eorad with a long a) point towards a weakened, shortened second syllable and an obscured compound. Still though, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle contains some bits that may be interpreted as involving cavalry fighting. For example: 914: Her on geare rad se here ut ofer Eastron of Hamtune 7 of Ligreceastre 7 bræcon þone frið, 7 slogon mænige menn æt Hocenertune 7 þær onbutan. 7 ða swiðe raþe æfter þam, swa ða oðre ham comon, þa fundon hi oðre flocrade þæt rad ut wið Ligtunes, 7 þa wurdon þa landleode his gewære 7 him wið gefuhton, 7 gebrohton hi on fullan fleame 7 ahreddon eall þæt hi genumen hæfdon 7 eac hira horsa 7 hira wæpna micelne dæl. ("914: On this year, after Easter, the [Viking] army rode out of Northampton and of Leicester, and they broke the truce, and slew many men at and near (Hocenertune [Hockerton?]). And then, as soon as the others went back home, they found another mounted company that rode out against Leighton, and the locals became aware of this and fought against them, and put them in full flight and recovered everything that they [the Vikings] had taken and also a great number of their horses and weapons") Together with the fact that we know most if not all fyrdmen were required to be mounted, and that we know that among the first things the Vikings would do upon landing would be to get some horses, I think we can imagine a lot of fighting involved mounted warriors in scouting, raiding and foraging parties at the very least. It's possible that pitched battles had a different focus and that cavalry wasn't seen as a proper tool in that context, or that their contribution was simply overlooked in our scare accounts (light skirmishing cavalry is easy to overlook). Another literary nugget. Maxims I has this: eorl sceal on eos boge, eorod sceal getrume ridan, fæste feþa stondan ("a nobleman goes on the arched back of a war-horse, a troop of cavalry must ride in a body, the foot-soldier must stand fast") Note that eorod here refers clearly to cavalry, since the author says it has to ride. Moreover, a clear distinction seems to be made between horsemen and footmen in battle. Maxims is a poem about common sense and truisms (for an Anglo-Saxon point of view), so there's that. Wait, this video was about two-handed axes, wasn't it.
Since the days of Queen Emma and even before that, there were quite a few Norman nobles in England, but personally I'm not aware of any recorded instances of Norman cavalry being hired by the English as mercenaries. There's the Battle of Hereford (1055), where the English troops of the Norman noble Raulf the Timid were defeated by the rebel Ælfgar of Mercia and his Welsh allies. Manuscript C of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says the English fled after only a short fight "because they were on horseback", but Raulf got his nickname because it was thought _he_ and his household troops started the rout. This episode has been used as evidence that the English didn't really use cavalry ("a Norman guy tried to make them fight as cavalry, against their custom, and it was a disaster"), but that doesn't tell the whole story, in my opinion. For starters, the people of the Welsh Marches wouldn't have taken to cavalry regardless of what went on elsewhere in England, on more cavalry-friendly terrain.
Unfortunately I had to get rid of all my books when I moved into a smaller flat, a couple of snippets though - 'of course, it's easy to overlook the obvious - the Vikings travelled by land as well as by sea and on land their principle aid to locomotion was the horse' (footnote in quite an old book on Vikings - sadly, can't remember the Authors name) also worth remembering that the first two named Vikings (EDIT courtesy of Badger of Death - not Vikings, they were Anglo Saxon, Doh!) we hear of in Britain were called Hengest and Horsa (stallion and horse IIRC), the Anglo-Saxon 'standing' army was called the Fyrd - 'y' and 'i' are pretty interchangeable in English so fyrd could be pronounced fird, English is a Germanic language and the German word for horse is 'pferd'? A chap (I think his surname was Glover?) wrote a fairly convincing article about the battle of Stamford Bridge in which he argued that the only way that the Anglo-Saxon army could have closed so quickly with Hardrada's men was if they mounted a surprise cavalry raid against the Viking camp forcing the Norse away from their weapons and armour, the fact that Haralds Saga describes the men forming a defensive circle brings to mind the Napoleonic era infantry square or the American wild west 'circling the wagon train' when attacked by fast moving troops - on horses. The main reason that the Anglo-Saxons rarely fought on horseback was that when cavalry fought against well disciplined infantry, the cavalry generally came 2nd.
hrotha wait. . . Thats why the rohan cavalry unit is called Éored. Because it looks like the proper old english word for horse company. Not sure why this surprises me.
I don´t know about sources from the Viking Age, but at the Battle of Hausbergen 1262 between the city of Strasburg and it´s bishop, the citys Militiamen on Foot are described in the chronicles as carrying "long hafted axes, that some call danish axes". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hausbergen
Being a dane this is a topic I'm really interested in and I LOVE the fact that you've made a video about it!!! (Oh and please just keep calling it a dane axe, here in Denmark we are proud of that ;) )
I too would be very interested in a video on the Varangian Guard. In addition to the great axes (which are a very strong interest of mine) there is at least one example of a sword with a mix Middle eastern and Scandinavian fittings and a classic type x blade.
One thing that you've demonstrated in an earlier video was a king using the haft of an axe to defend himself. That haft, to me, seems key to understanding the Dane Axe. A bodyguard could use the shaft to hit, pin, trip, and other non-lethal combinations. If someone is a danger, you don't necessarily want to kill them, but you may have to, depending on circumstances. This weapons lets the housecarl fight better according to circumstance in an everyday setting.
The Varangian guard is an interesting topic I think when discussing two handed axes. As far as I’ve been able to work out, the big axes were their primary weapon, and they were pretty famous for it. It’s one of those specific contexts where I think it’s a pretty clear case of axes being used for some non-monetary reason, as opposed to the popular belief that one only used an axe if they couldn’t afford a sword.
"Dane axe" is very much like "french fries." It's called that in English because that's where English (or rather, Ænglisc) speakers initially associated it with. You wouldn't expect the Danes to call it a dane axe anymore than the French would call their *pommes frites* french fries. "Bad?" Yeah, I guess so, but no moreso than many other common words and phrases.
Hit up Wieland Forge for a dane-axe- he makes great stuff, mostly re-enactment but I believe he can do sharps too. My re-enactment Dane-axe was made by him and it's a beauty.
It's such a functional and versatile weapon. When you play around with it, you realize it can be used in many ways. Almost like a spear (not as good as the Atgeir in that sense, but nevertheless), pulling enemies out of the saddle, "jerking" shields down (followed by a "stab" to the face), hook up behind the hollow of the knee and trip them over, climbing walls and what not. Lightning fast and very good for keeping multiple hostiles at a distance.
Huscarls tended to be an elite force and professional soldiers in an age of farmer or near feudal armies. I need to re-research my sources but I understand Harold Godwinson used huscarls more lightly equipped than normal to serve as faster moving horsemen on the Welsh marches. One could argue about their effectiveness as true cavalry but the point being that a huscarl would have trained as spearman; swordsman; axeman AND horseman and therefore far more adaptable than your regular fyrdman. This might explain some of the confusion as to how a huscarl was actually equipped for battle but the Daneaxe would have been the weapon he was most noted for and would have reputedly used facing impact cavalry such as the Norman Knight. Interestingly, a huscarl was suppose to be able to bring down a horse with the axe so presumaby the necessary purchase might have been as much from the length of the axe shaft rather than the weight of the blade? I am not so sure if the Select Fyrd were trained in the use of the Daneaxe to any extent and would be interested in sensible comment.
I believe generally the Fyrd would have more improvised weapons, work axes, spears, sycthes and such forth. Given the cost and workmanship required for 'dane-axes' it's unlikley many would be dispensed to Fyrdsmen as part of 'kit', no? I'd imagine spears, arrows and other weapons would be made available, but that their cost, and ultimately merit, would be significantly lower than that to which Housecarls would wield... Supposition for the most part, mind you....
@@TheChuckfuc Japanese soldiers throughout history, including samurai, used axes. To my knowledge they were not called "Oho". Your source, likely mistransliterated 斧.
Loved this video! I know your a Sabre guy and much as I enjoy that I treasure my Dane Axe above all else! And Housecarls would be an awesome subject for a future video. Incidentally I believe the Gallowglass mercenaries of Ireland, descended from Vikings who settled in Scotland, used variants of the Dane Axe right up to 1600, along with mail shirts, in combination with more modern helms such as the Morion and the Burgonet.
For those doubting the shape and strength effectiveness of this design- If you turn the blade side up- the axe resembles a section of an aqueduct where the "column" issues up from the socket and evenly curves both directions out. Different shapes have inherent strengths and weak points no matter the thickness of the metal. This wide blade evenly curving into the face and trunk of the battle axe is designed for evenly redistributing the pressure from blows which allows for a lighter quicker weapon. Even the cross section as described in this video uses gradual tapering as a way to more evenly redistribute the pressure of blows towards the circular socket. The stronger the shape-the thinner can be the make. Someone suggested that all the pressure onto a relatively small socket would break the wooden handle easily. These axes are not can openers but as long as they are impacted anywhere on the edge with proper blade alignment- and the hafting isn't loose- the wood should be fine- what a design!
The hump behind the edge is to reduce wedging into a shield. A thin edge has a tendency to wedge very deep into wood. When the hump strikes, it splits the wood. When it doesn't mage to split the wood, the hump has very low surface area making a contact with the wood, as opposed to a broad thin edge. This helps free the axe more easy.
Food for thought. Your explanation of the two kinds of axe being for uses against different "targets" was illuminating. Might the unreinforced blades be for using against lightly armored troops, or cavalry [horses rarely armored those days], then the reinforced for going up against opponents in mail, lamellar, etc. with shields?
Thanks for the video. I've been looking for such an axe for several years, with no success, so I hope that your appeal to the community will yield some good results :)
Hey Matt, great vid as always! Question: From my amateur point of view, the dane axes look like early pole arms. Is it reasonable to assume that Helberds, Poleaxes and Bardiches are descendents of the "dane axe"? Would they have been wielded in a similar fashion? Cheers mate, and keep up the good work!
Heh, I got the reference. Honestly, I think they just wanted to find a niche for them, they shouldn't be any tougher than any of the other armoured infantry in the game when thinking historically.
Something I found interesting is that there are several English knights (knights of Anglo-Saxon descent) mentioned in the Cartae Baronum of 1166 with the surname housecarl. Which goes to show that many of the housecarls of the old English kings/earls continued to serve the Norman barons as knights.
Yes because the Normans only replaced the “aristocracy” of the age. William the conqueror took titles/castles and gave them to relatives and other Normans, although the north of England held out for a while longer with Northumbria keeping an Anglo-Saxon lord for a time. The general population remained completely unchanged from before the invasion though, so the actual fighting men/“knights” were still all Anglo-Saxons and the “Danes” that had settled over the past few centuries. This is the true beginning of the class divide in England that has continued for almost a millennium. On an interesting, slightly unrelated note… in Byzantine sources there’s a story about Anglo-Saxon lords that left England after the battle of Hastings with their most loyal men, sailing the Mediterranean, plundering Muslim Spain and helping the Christian’s there, then sailing towards the Byzantine Empire where they helped Emperor Constantine X Doukas (I believe, it may have been one of his successors) win a battle against the same adversaries. They then pledged themselves to the emperor after he promised that if they could win land back for him that he had recently lost (in Crimea) that they could keep the lands for themselves. They won it back and called it Nova Anglia. The Varangian guard from 1066 until its end centuries later was said to be comprised mostly of Anglo-Saxons who preserved their language and customs in the Byzantine empire even after it had already died out in England through the introduction of French words from the Normans. They’d end up fighting the Normans again in Italy whilst part of the Varangian Guard.
Good talk Matt, People assume the long axe is for power and the target will be upper body. As you say though keeping it light means you can keep mobility and it can actually be used to go after peoples lower legs and feet or if swung mid section get behind the sword or shields effective guard allowing targeting of hands and lower arms.
I bought a lovely Peterson type L Dane axe from Arms and Armour..The Dane axe on their website is the type M, but if you drop them an email, they will accommodate you. It's obviously not completely historically accurate, but it's great in terms of functionality
There's a weaponsmith in Leics trading as Weiland Forge who made mine for reenactment purposes - relatively light, has the thin blade and reinforced edge. He may be up to your challenge.
I saw a TV programme about various weapons of history, and they did an episode on the daneaxe, in which the host mentioned that one of their uses was for breaking through shield walls. If that were true, then it could be that the reinforced blades are for that purpose, whereas the ones with the flatter blades (which strike me as being very similar to the blade on your falchion) would then be for cutting through the (probably) lightly armoured people behind the now ruined shields.
There are a couple of other possible explanations for why those axes are so thin. The first is that metal was expensive, so making it light made it cheaper. The second is that the technology of the time made it difficult to smelt large pieces of steel, which is why plate armour didn't show up until later on, for example. So if you want an axe with a really large surface area, you would need to sacrifice thickness to do that. On another note, while having a thick area where the transition between steel and wrought iron is may be for aesthetic reasons, or may be to create a steeper angle and a more resilient edge, it may also be for practical reasons - that area, where the weld is, would be the weakest part, so reinforcing it may simply have been a way to reduce/eliminate failures due to a less-than-perfect weld.
I would hazard the guess that reinforced edges are more difficult to forge and have the practical benefit of less damage when accidently hitting armour, so they probably would've been favoured by wealthier warriors while the flat edge version would have been the common cheap model where you are less able to make the mistake of missing soft targets. I imagine that using such a weapon takes a lot of skill against the more usual shields spears and swords.
When you first released this video my forge was out of comission. I believe I will have the capacity to forge one in the near future. This is one of my favorite weapons, and I would like to make a test piece for myself which you could take a look at and see the stats on before placing an order. Feel free to find me on Facebook as Ryan Teeter, or Delta Forge
The reason the centre of the blade is hollowed is the same reason as the centreline of a sword has the fuller: the middle doesn't do anything for strength or stiffness. It's the bits on the edge that do that, the bits that change length if the object tries to bend. Whatever weight you have in your budget, the best place for it is at the edges where it does the strength job, not in the middle, so clean that middle out. IIUC the difference in dihedral angle (sharp vs blunt, more or less) for Dane axe vs pollaxe (also a Danish word, ironically) is more about the edge surviving contact with armour than "hitting hard". A sharp narrow blade might be great for slicing up unarmoured opponents but as soon as it hits first rate armour a bit off-square the edge will curve over and it will become useless. He talks about edge fragility later in another context but I think it's the answer to the earlier question too.
I think another thing that is interesting is that many of these had the upper point leading and the edge swept in to a lower point that was nearer the center line of the haft. That is they were like Francesca with the upper point acting almost like a spike.
In Njal's saga there is definitely mention of a poleaxe (spjutyxa). With the typical gallow ironic humour of those texts, one guy sneaks atop the roof of Gunnar's home, and Gunnar spears him with his poleaxe from below. The guy returns to his friends who ask "Was Gunnar at home?", and he responds "I don't know, but his poleaxe certainly was.". Then the guy falls down dead.
"Dane's axe" or "Danish axe" - three centuries late - is found in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight : lines 221-224, "And sythen he keveres bi a cragge and comes of a hole/Whyrlande out of a wro wyth a felle weppen/A denes ax nwe dyght, the dynt with to yelde/Wyth borelych bitte bende by the halme." "And then he climbed past a crag, and came from a hole, hurtling out of a hidden nook with a horrible weapon: a Dane's axe newly dressed, the dint to return, with cruel cutting edge curved along the handle."
The high carbon steel edge was more likely forge welded INTO the blade body. So the blade body was split and the blade edge was wedged into it, resulting in the weld interface existing "inside" the blade body. This would also explain why the blade thickness flairs just before the edge, the technique probably came before it was discovered that this was a desirable outcome.
I've been wanting to try building a Dane axe recently. I say building rather than forging due to wanting to try using TIG welding to avoid forge welding. I don't have single piece of steel that would be sufficient for such a wide blade but I have scraps that could be welded together then forged properly. Not traditional but anyone that knows anything about welding will know a proper TIG weld is probably the cleanest and strongest method of bonding metal without the potential inclusions of forge welding. An axe body of medium carbon mower blade with a high carbon edge welded together then forged and heat treated is something I'll try once it's not freezing balls outside.
The swelling at the edge could be due to the forge-welding of the cutting edge. To do this, you split the base edge and embed the cutting edge, and then weld. If you only partially forge this down, you automatically get a 're-enforced edge'. I think I could make one.
Thanks for the video, and thanks for the information on the kinds of weapons the Saxons and the Normans were using. I was just wondering, what kinds of weapons were those in 11th century Scotland using? How did they differ from what the Saxons and the Normans were using at the time?
The 11th century Scots (or the various kingdoms which were later conquered by the Scots) were probably equipped more or less the same as the Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians of the time due to constant interactions with both.
Ah; thanks. I've been trying to find info about the weapons used by the Picts and Scots during the Viking era, but it has been difficult. Other than what you've just said, all I have found so far is that Picts had bucklers at some point in their history (haven't found anything specific) and that there's stone carvings that show they had crossbows at some point in their history (no source I have read has specified which possible points in time).
Late as all hell but I felt like throwing my two cents in, it sounds like these welded high-carbon edged axes would have been more expensive (as an axe head that just tapers completely to a point would need less work and wouldn't need the good steel) but would probably deliver a beefier blow and hold a better edge against light armor. I'm no historian, but that absolutely seems like it would have been a distinguishing factor. P.S. you mentioned they performed body guard functions, perhaps a distinction could be made between the "standard duty" ax and a proper battle ax? I expect you might not want to dull your more expensive, higher grade ax on the motions of daily guard work(i.e. accidental drops, bumping into a door way, etc.) when you might maybe have to dissuade a drunk/pissed merchant rather than fight an armored soldier.
Very interesting. I knew they were quite thin but I had never heard about the thickening near the edge again. I've also noticed some have edges with a forward bias towards the top of the blade. I would love to know what kind if difference that makes, if a drawing hooking motion can be applied to that style. Fascinating stuff. Love the videos. thanks alot.
Here are two blacksmiths who might be able to make your axe. Alec Steele, from Norwich, England. Torbjörn Åhman, from somewhere in Sweden. They both have channels here on youtube, and they seem focused on details. They are easy to reach and I think they would appreciate the businesses. I hope you find what you are looking for!
As for period references to a Dane Axe, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight mentions a "denes ax". Two translations made this Danish axe or Danish-style axe. This is 3 centuries after the Norman Conquest, but still a medieval term.
Matt, I don't know if you have covered it yet, but what about the feldswchwert for its anti cavalry role? I had not really thought of the dance axe for anti cavalry purposes, but I thought that if you look at the shape of the blade, it us at the perfect angle for cutting a passing horse in the chape or flank. As well as the attested point and hook. It makes a lot more sense now, many thanks, Andrew.
Alec Steele he loves a challenge, I reckon he could just be the guy who may be able to create a replica to the standard your looking for, he loves creating damascus pieces but I would guess he would create the finish anyway you wanted, and he produces awesome videos of the forging process.
i was going to point you to Skallagrim's Arms and Armour Danish war axe vid but you're top comment on there so... lol i did have one thought though, you say using hard edge and soft blade is partly because of cost/avaliability of carbon steel. we don't have that problem any more so there is no need for the forge welding
It's utterly fascinating how complicated and thought-out a weapon as seemingly simple as an axe really is. Speaking of which, the difference in the shapes, especially the diamond-section versus the simple taper-section, might be a sign of skill or wealth? I would imagine it takes a more skilled smith and/or a more wealthy warrior to create/buy the diamond-section blade?
It looks to me like the shape of the Dane axe head also made it pretty effective for piercing, not just for cutting and chopping. I believe it evolved as a weapon that had the advantages of both a spear and an axe. As weapon-smiths improved their skills, I believe they evolved into the more elaborate halberds.
Irish two handed Sparr axes were one such evolution but with a longer straight edge and reinforced toe. Used well into 16th century by Galloglass, probably to deal with English heavy cavalry.
11:49 "Some of them wouldn't have had any armour at all." I would just like to add that it seems very unlikely to me that they wouldn't have had any armour, more likely(in my opinion)they would've had some sort of padded armour, so something like a gambeson. Edit: Also, I have a question, if one were to make the entire axe blade out of modern high quality spring steel, or some other high carbon steel, could that make this very specific shape less effective than if you had softer steel for the parts of the axe that don't hold the blade? I'm guessing that making the entire blade out of really nice steel wouldn't hurt but I just thought I could get some a second opinion on it anyway. Edit2: Forgot to mention, thanks you for sharing why these axes are shaped the way they are, as I didn't really know why they had this shape before.
Very informative ! Thanks a lot Matt I have a question : To whom you would give the advantage in a single combat between a Housecarl using the two handed Dane axe and a Norman heavy cavalryman armed with a lance or a sword ? (Assuming that both fighters are well trained and skilfull in the use of their weapons )
I do believe I can make the axe you're looking for. I'm going to attempt it and then get back to you. I have a rather primitive set up, but I have forged a Scandinavian style bearded axe with an asymmetrically welded eye and a welded high carbon bit. It shouldn't be hard to push the steel out to get it thin.
0:25 - I thought you were going to say "war-hog". That would be a sight :) "Then the cavalry charged on their war-hogs, who trampled and ate the enemy!".
Its likely the axes found in the Thames river was from the english/norwegian attack on danish-occupied London, where london bridge was pulled down by the norwegians. Beacuse this is the only siege of London which specifically include a naval attack. Also, why would daneaxes be used at sea? Well as vikings fought at sea, it was mostly boarding actions, and a long axe would be useful for striking opponents over the side of a ship and for clearing the deck when boarding.
Mr Easton, clodsteel makes a really good one, maybe one of the best, well balanced overall, the correct angle of the point and cutting surface, the axe head is small and light as it should be, the shaft is hickory, which is the only innacuracy, but the item is made to be functional. The diameter of the shaft appears good and true also, slightly thicker than you would expect.
Regarding two handed axes in Normandy, Wace projects them back into the late 10th/early 11th centuries as a peasant weapon. He had a habit of projecting current practices back onto the past, so it's probable that two handed axes survived in Normandy into the early 12th century.
If you look today at the variations in "bushcraft" blades and grinds you will see a great deal of variation, each variation bitterly fought over and defended by it's proponents. I do not suppose back in the day of the Dane Axe, that there were not any number of smiths pandering to the tastes and preferences of any number of warriors convinced that this or that variant was best.
One of the greater offences of For Honor is perpetuating the idea that Dane-axes were more or less axe-shaped sledge-hammers; they look perfectly cool the way they are and the vikings look perfectly badass wielding them, you don't have to insist they are swinging around 20 Pounds of steel at the end of a stick.
I once saw Lloyd talking about the "diagonal" edge aligned polearms (like one of the axe examples from the london museum) as an edge that probably was used to chop shafts of polearms. What do you think about it?
I found the reference to Anglo-Saxon "one trick pony' shields wall's interesting and I wondered what inferences we might make about the Anglo-Saxons use of Roman tactics. The Romans are famous for tight blocks of men equipped with large shields and pilum or throwing spear. Surely the Anglo-Sax saw the military value in such tactics and possibly mimicked it to a degree in their own armies. There are other areas in which the Roman Empire left marks on English history, combat tactics may be one of them. Just brainstorming.
The lowest Axe head in the museum display looks like it was also made for thrusting. Maybe they also served a similar roll to Longswords, being so light, and I assume nimble.
Awesome video, now I want something like that. Hard edge like that on lever like that, the cutting power if you sharpen it to shaving blade level must be insane. Do you want one to have it differentially treated as well? That would just be drool inducing
The thickening just behind the edge could simply be a by-product of the construction method. I've seen episodes of Man At Arms Reforged where they've made blades with two types of steel in a sort of 'hot dog' construction, with a hard steel 'sausage' in a softer steel or iron 'bun' . Now in that case they left the blade as a whole quite thick and overweight (as they sometimes sadly do), but I'm fairly sure one of them mentioned having to be careful on the grind not to take too much of the 'bun' away as it would weaken the overall construction, but presumably if you were looking to lighten the axe-head as whole you could take away material from behind that join without any real issue...
What I find most interesting about "dane axes", is the length of their hafts. I've read on Wikipedia that they were usually between 90 and 120 cm (3-4 feet), which is considerably shorter than most medieval polearms. Therefore, I would expect that they were used quite differently. By the way, Matt, would you think something like that would suit you? 4lbs 6oz sounds quite heavy, but then again the one in the picture has a very long haft...: myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.14148.html
The difference in edge shape... Could that be a result from development? With the non-diamond shaped being the early version with the diamond shaped appearing later. And, as seen with swords, it was a gradual replacement? Just because a weapon wasn't the newest, didn't make it useless and could still be perfectly adequate in battle. So could this be a witness of transition from one type to another taking place over many years? Decades, perhaps?
I would presume that the Dane Axe might have been the true guards weapon for Huscarls, as twohanded weapons are often superior to sword and board if you are meant to protect someone or some specific spot. Whereas if they expected to go into a full battle they might carry a weapon they were more comfortable with or one that would serve them better for whatever kind of fight they expected to be in.
Fun fact, Huskarls are pretty much impervious to arrows. They can almost solo a town centre
OrcinusDrake until they take one to the knee and retire as a city guard!
Yes, Gothic Huscarls used an effective combination of sword and shield. And are fast to train.
@@madscientistshusta Really, I thought they are counter archers?! The ones from the Hill Fort y' kno'...
Yay age of mythology reference
After training to elite status, they can tank a castle too. All those pew pew pew arrows coming down, only deal one dmg. Plus they come out of their barracks in ~3 seconds each like a flood after their ruler has Perfusion. Yay.
"Aaaand then I axed him 37 times in the chest!"
"Housecaaaarl, that kills people!"
Underrated comment
IanMac bringing out the classics.....CAAAAARRRRLLLLL
IanMac: Let me axe you this: 37, or rather 38 times?
This is the greatest comment in the history of comments
I really wanted a sound clip of Lindybeige shouting "VIKINGS!" every time Matt said it.
me too
THEY'RE NOT FUCKING VIKINGS!
I wanted a berserker one.
John Tse VIKIIIINGS!
If you're talking to me - It's a scholagladiatoria reference: ruclips.net/video/DwMtqUIQwU8/видео.html
No you're fucking not! You're not a Viking!
It's truly incredible how proficient their metal work was so long ago. I mean they figured out how to forge weld a diamond-shaped high carbon edge on a softer shock absorbing center to make a perfect chopping device. Personally I think the Dane Axe is on of the most beautiful weapons ever made, it isn't ornate, it emphasizes elegance and speed but still portrays power.
The evidence for the use of horses in actual battle by the Anglo-Saxons is very scant, but I think the issue is not as clear-cut as sometimes presented. Usually, people will look at the few battles for which we have descriptions with any degree of detail, and extrapolate. But that's usually Hastings and Maldon.
Hastings was a very specific kind of battle where the English held defensive positions on top of a hill. Similarly, Maldon involved a local force fighting on and near a river crossing, not the best battlefield for cavalry. As for other battles, there's Brunanburh:
Wesseaxe forð ondlongne dæg eorodcistum on last legdun laþum þeodum
("The West Saxons pursued the rear of those hateful peoples the whole day in [companies of mounted men?]")
The problem is the word eorodcist. Etymologically, it means "cavalry company" (cist, "band"; eorod [eoh "horse" + rad "raid; expedition"], "[horse] company"), but it's not clear that it always retained that meaning and IIRC there's instances elsewhere in Anglo-Saxon literature where eorod might mean simply "troop, band", referring to foot soldiers. Certainly, the divergent spelling forms (eored, eorod compared to the original *eorad with a long a) point towards a weakened, shortened second syllable and an obscured compound.
Still though, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle contains some bits that may be interpreted as involving cavalry fighting. For example:
914: Her on geare rad se here ut ofer Eastron of Hamtune 7 of Ligreceastre 7 bræcon þone frið, 7 slogon mænige menn æt Hocenertune 7 þær onbutan. 7 ða swiðe raþe æfter þam, swa ða oðre ham comon, þa fundon hi oðre flocrade þæt rad ut wið Ligtunes, 7 þa wurdon þa landleode his gewære 7 him wið gefuhton, 7 gebrohton hi on fullan fleame 7 ahreddon eall þæt hi genumen hæfdon 7 eac hira horsa 7 hira wæpna micelne dæl.
("914: On this year, after Easter, the [Viking] army rode out of Northampton and of Leicester, and they broke the truce, and slew many men at and near (Hocenertune [Hockerton?]). And then, as soon as the others went back home, they found another mounted company that rode out against Leighton, and the locals became aware of this and fought against them, and put them in full flight and recovered everything that they [the Vikings] had taken and also a great number of their horses and weapons")
Together with the fact that we know most if not all fyrdmen were required to be mounted, and that we know that among the first things the Vikings would do upon landing would be to get some horses, I think we can imagine a lot of fighting involved mounted warriors in scouting, raiding and foraging parties at the very least. It's possible that pitched battles had a different focus and that cavalry wasn't seen as a proper tool in that context, or that their contribution was simply overlooked in our scare accounts (light skirmishing cavalry is easy to overlook).
Another literary nugget. Maxims I has this:
eorl sceal on eos boge, eorod sceal getrume ridan, fæste feþa stondan
("a nobleman goes on the arched back of a war-horse, a troop of cavalry must ride in a body, the foot-soldier must stand fast")
Note that eorod here refers clearly to cavalry, since the author says it has to ride. Moreover, a clear distinction seems to be made between horsemen and footmen in battle. Maxims is a poem about common sense and truisms (for an Anglo-Saxon point of view), so there's that.
Wait, this video was about two-handed axes, wasn't it.
IIRC, Anglo-Saxons tried using Norman mercenaries as cavalry, but that did not go far.
Since the days of Queen Emma and even before that, there were quite a few Norman nobles in England, but personally I'm not aware of any recorded instances of Norman cavalry being hired by the English as mercenaries. There's the Battle of Hereford (1055), where the English troops of the Norman noble Raulf the Timid were defeated by the rebel Ælfgar of Mercia and his Welsh allies. Manuscript C of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says the English fled after only a short fight "because they were on horseback", but Raulf got his nickname because it was thought _he_ and his household troops started the rout. This episode has been used as evidence that the English didn't really use cavalry ("a Norman guy tried to make them fight as cavalry, against their custom, and it was a disaster"), but that doesn't tell the whole story, in my opinion. For starters, the people of the Welsh Marches wouldn't have taken to cavalry regardless of what went on elsewhere in England, on more cavalry-friendly terrain.
That was the episode I was meaning. Thanks for the info, since I didn´t have the context where Normans were employed.=)
Unfortunately I had to get rid of all my books when I moved into a smaller flat, a couple of snippets though - 'of course, it's easy to overlook the obvious - the Vikings travelled by land as well as by sea and on land their principle aid to locomotion was the horse' (footnote in quite an old book on Vikings - sadly, can't remember the Authors name) also worth remembering that the first two named Vikings (EDIT courtesy of Badger of Death - not Vikings, they were Anglo Saxon, Doh!) we hear of in Britain were called Hengest and Horsa (stallion and horse IIRC), the Anglo-Saxon 'standing' army was called the Fyrd - 'y' and 'i' are pretty interchangeable in English so fyrd could be pronounced fird, English is a Germanic language and the German word for horse is 'pferd'?
A chap (I think his surname was Glover?) wrote a fairly convincing article about the battle of Stamford Bridge in which he argued that the only way that the Anglo-Saxon army could have closed so quickly with Hardrada's men was if they mounted a surprise cavalry raid against the Viking camp forcing the Norse away from their weapons and armour, the fact that Haralds Saga describes the men forming a defensive circle brings to mind the Napoleonic era infantry square or the American wild west 'circling the wagon train' when attacked by fast moving troops - on horses. The main reason that the Anglo-Saxons rarely fought on horseback was that when cavalry fought against well disciplined infantry, the cavalry generally came 2nd.
hrotha wait. . . Thats why the rohan cavalry unit is called Éored. Because it looks like the proper old english word for horse company.
Not sure why this surprises me.
Somebody please give this man an axe. We need more Dane axe videos.
give that Matt a dane axe, Matts love dane axes.
@@utterlyhollow5377 bwahaha
I don´t know about sources from the Viking Age, but at the Battle of Hausbergen 1262 between the city of Strasburg and it´s bishop, the citys Militiamen on Foot are described in the chronicles as carrying "long hafted axes, that some call danish axes".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hausbergen
Nice!
"send him my axe, he'll know what it means"
-ulfric stormcloak
No jarl of Whith run who said this
@@assumjongkey1383 If you side with the Imperials, Balgruuf says it. If you side with the Stormcloaks, Ulfric says it.
@@jacklang3314 I didn't know that 😅😅
@@jacklang3314 do u now is it pronounced jarl or Yarlington? ?
@Telvanni Magister I have then I haven't played skyrim back then
First axe that came to hand... just reached into the axe room and grabbed one. Lol
I thought you need housecarls only for carrying your loot
They can also be used for some (sadistic) entertainment - just make them trigger traps!
Heh, you made me actually lol, well played, mate!
"I am sworn to carry your burdens!"
The professional term is "burdens".
This includes the fights you get into and listening to your complaints about life.
@@CoffeeSnep 'resinated sigh'
Being a dane this is a topic I'm really interested in and I LOVE the fact that you've made a video about it!!! (Oh and please just keep calling it a dane axe, here in Denmark we are proud of that ;) )
"Frankly, ...."
Too good.
I admit, I just got that after reading your comment. Very punny.
Can you do a video about the Varangian guard?
"Dane" axe leads to 1066 that leads to Harold Hardrada who leads to the Varangian Guard. Crystal clear! Really like the idea BTW
Axel Tenveils or the Gallowglass
wouldt reccomend it, we know a lot less about the guard then the internet would have you believe..
I too would be very interested in a video on the Varangian Guard. In addition to the great axes (which are a very strong interest of mine) there is at least one example of a sword with a mix Middle eastern and Scandinavian fittings and a classic type x blade.
I was gonna ask about that, but then I forgot.
One thing that you've demonstrated in an earlier video was a king using the haft of an axe to defend himself. That haft, to me, seems key to understanding the Dane Axe. A bodyguard could use the shaft to hit, pin, trip, and other non-lethal combinations. If someone is a danger, you don't necessarily want to kill them, but you may have to, depending on circumstances. This weapons lets the housecarl fight better according to circumstance in an everyday setting.
Captain Context is back! I was afraid he'd been completely taken over by Imperator Innuendo ;)
At 13:30 Imperator Innuendo tries to take over, but is quickly suppressed.
The Varangian guard is an interesting topic I think when discussing two handed axes. As far as I’ve been able to work out, the big axes were their primary weapon, and they were pretty famous for it. It’s one of those specific contexts where I think it’s a pretty clear case of axes being used for some non-monetary reason, as opposed to the popular belief that one only used an axe if they couldn’t afford a sword.
2:03 when your neighbor gets a new axe and it's comically massive.
“OI Steve, check it out, Carl’s got an axe; it’s fecking massive bruv”
My housecarl uses sword and shield. She is also my wife.
Gjallarhorn does she also not know to get out of your way? Mine constantly retrieves my arrows for me by jumping in front of them mid-flight.
River Styx Armory I tend to just shout at her so she goes out of the way
So your wife is not a battleaxe?
Matt Zimmel she's combative at times but i don't find her to be sharp-tongued or domineering.
Is she sworn to carry your burdens?
Yeah! Dane axes! Fuck yeah! And Matt, I agree that Dane Axe is a bad term for it. Here in Scandinavia we just call them long axes.
Long Axe makes a lot of sense.
scholagladiatoria Walter Sorrells can make it. A gifted blacksmith indeed. Check out his channel. You're welcome ✌️
Jarrett Adam “Hhwhile I hhwhip up this hhwhite grip for this hhwhiny hhwife of mine, I’m gonna enjoy some cool hhwhip”.
Walter Sorrels inside joke
Gaius Baltar in Denmark they are called daneøkse. I don't know about the rest of scandinavia
"Dane axe" is very much like "french fries." It's called that in English because that's where English (or rather, Ænglisc) speakers initially associated it with. You wouldn't expect the Danes to call it a dane axe anymore than the French would call their *pommes frites* french fries. "Bad?" Yeah, I guess so, but no moreso than many other common words and phrases.
Hit up Wieland Forge for a dane-axe- he makes great stuff, mostly re-enactment but I believe he can do sharps too. My re-enactment Dane-axe was made by him and it's a beauty.
thank you for the danish pronunciation, you're doing it almost perfectly! Very impressed!
This was one of your most interesting episodes for me. I especially liked seeing the museum axe samples. I hope you find your axe soon.
It's such a functional and versatile weapon. When you play around with it, you realize it can be used in many ways. Almost like a spear (not as good as the Atgeir in that sense, but nevertheless), pulling enemies out of the saddle, "jerking" shields down (followed by a "stab" to the face), hook up behind the hollow of the knee and trip them over, climbing walls and what not. Lightning fast and very good for keeping multiple hostiles at a distance.
Huscarls tended to be an elite force and professional soldiers in an age of farmer or near feudal armies. I need to re-research my sources but I understand Harold Godwinson used huscarls more lightly equipped than normal to serve as faster moving horsemen on the Welsh marches. One could argue about their effectiveness as true cavalry but the point being that a huscarl would have trained as spearman; swordsman; axeman AND horseman and therefore far more adaptable than your regular fyrdman. This might explain some of the confusion as to how a huscarl was actually equipped for battle but the Daneaxe would have been the weapon he was most noted for and would have reputedly used facing impact cavalry such as the Norman Knight. Interestingly, a huscarl was suppose to be able to bring down a horse with the axe so presumaby the necessary purchase might have been as much from the length of the axe shaft rather than the weight of the blade? I am not so sure if the Select Fyrd were trained in the use of the Daneaxe to any extent and would be interested in sensible comment.
I believe generally the Fyrd would have more improvised weapons, work axes, spears, sycthes and such forth. Given the cost and workmanship required for 'dane-axes' it's unlikley many would be dispensed to Fyrdsmen as part of 'kit', no? I'd imagine spears, arrows and other weapons would be made available, but that their cost, and ultimately merit, would be significantly lower than that to which Housecarls would wield... Supposition for the most part, mind you....
So... VIKING... KATANA... AXES!!
The new ultimate weapon for tweens right there.
VIKING... KATANA... AXES!!
can cleave straight through steel memes
Needs a pommel for maximum memeitude.
I'm pretty sure one of those is even strong enough to cut through a thrown pommel.
The samurai and other foot soldiers did use an axe called Oho.
@@TheChuckfuc Japanese soldiers throughout history, including samurai, used axes. To my knowledge they were not called "Oho". Your source, likely mistransliterated 斧.
I believe King Stephen, during the siege of Lincoln, was referenced as using a Dane Axe when he was disarmed in 1141.
Loved this video!
I know your a Sabre guy and much as I enjoy that I treasure my Dane Axe above all else!
And Housecarls would be an awesome subject for a future video.
Incidentally I believe the Gallowglass mercenaries of Ireland, descended from Vikings who settled in Scotland, used variants of the Dane Axe right up to 1600, along with mail shirts, in combination with more modern helms such as the Morion and the Burgonet.
I would recommend James Austin for a custom made Dane axe. Or perhaps Owen Bush if your looking for someone more local.
Love the wordy intro. Oh Matt Easton, such a charmer..
For those doubting the shape and strength effectiveness of this design- If you turn the blade side up- the axe resembles a section of an aqueduct where the "column" issues up from the socket and evenly curves both directions out. Different shapes have inherent strengths and weak points no matter the thickness of the metal. This wide blade evenly curving into the face and trunk of the battle axe is designed for evenly redistributing the pressure from blows which allows for a lighter quicker weapon. Even the cross section as described in this video uses gradual tapering as a way to more evenly redistribute the pressure of blows towards the circular socket. The stronger the shape-the thinner can be the make. Someone suggested that all the pressure onto a relatively small socket would break the wooden handle easily. These axes are not can openers but as long as they are impacted anywhere on the edge with proper blade alignment- and the hafting isn't loose- the wood should be fine- what a design!
Arms and Armor makes the best axes that i have ever felt. Historic replicas, and extremely light.
This is my favorite channel to binge watch.
The hump behind the edge is to reduce wedging into a shield. A thin edge has a tendency to wedge very deep into wood. When the hump strikes, it splits the wood. When it doesn't mage to split the wood, the hump has very low surface area making a contact with the wood, as opposed to a broad thin edge. This helps free the axe more easy.
Food for thought. Your explanation of the two kinds of axe being for uses against different "targets" was illuminating. Might the unreinforced blades be for using against lightly armored troops, or cavalry [horses rarely armored those days], then the reinforced for going up against opponents in mail, lamellar, etc. with shields?
Thanks for the video. I've been looking for such an axe for several years, with no success, so I hope that your appeal to the community will yield some good results :)
Lydia is the best housecarl/waifu. :P
I am sworn to carry your burdens...
Slayer Jesse alright Lydia. . . No need for your sass.
Aaron Sikes Iona
and she does not come with equipped with an axe!
She's not Danish.
Hey Matt, great vid as always!
Question: From my amateur point of view, the dane axes look like early pole arms.
Is it reasonable to assume that Helberds, Poleaxes and Bardiches are descendents of the "dane axe"?
Would they have been wielded in a similar fashion?
Cheers mate, and keep up the good work!
But did they really have insanely high pierce armor making them practically invulnerable to archer, castle, and tower fire?
uh... what?
Is this a meme or something
The Easy Nine Age of Empires 2. The Huskarl is the Goths' unique unit. It has extremely high Pierce armor.
Heh, I got the reference. Honestly, I think they just wanted to find a niche for them, they shouldn't be any tougher than any of the other armoured infantry in the game when thinking historically.
especially when you're pumping out gobs of them from the wall barracks three times as fast as anyone else can.
Something I found interesting is that there are several English knights (knights of Anglo-Saxon descent) mentioned in the Cartae Baronum of 1166 with the surname housecarl.
Which goes to show that many of the housecarls of the old English kings/earls continued to serve the Norman barons as knights.
Yes because the Normans only replaced the “aristocracy” of the age. William the conqueror took titles/castles and gave them to relatives and other Normans, although the north of England held out for a while longer with Northumbria keeping an Anglo-Saxon lord for a time.
The general population remained completely unchanged from before the invasion though, so the actual fighting men/“knights” were still all Anglo-Saxons and the “Danes” that had settled over the past few centuries. This is the true beginning of the class divide in England that has continued for almost a millennium.
On an interesting, slightly unrelated note… in Byzantine sources there’s a story about Anglo-Saxon lords that left England after the battle of Hastings with their most loyal men, sailing the Mediterranean, plundering Muslim Spain and helping the Christian’s there, then sailing towards the Byzantine Empire where they helped Emperor Constantine X Doukas (I believe, it may have been one of his successors) win a battle against the same adversaries.
They then pledged themselves to the emperor after he promised that if they could win land back for him that he had recently lost (in Crimea) that they could keep the lands for themselves. They won it back and called it Nova Anglia.
The Varangian guard from 1066 until its end centuries later was said to be comprised mostly of Anglo-Saxons who preserved their language and customs in the Byzantine empire even after it had already died out in England through the introduction of French words from the Normans. They’d end up fighting the Normans again in Italy whilst part of the Varangian Guard.
Good talk Matt, People assume the long axe is for power and the target will be upper body. As you say though keeping it light means you can keep mobility and it can actually be used to go after peoples lower legs and feet or if swung mid section get behind the sword or shields effective guard allowing targeting of hands and lower arms.
I bought a lovely Peterson type L Dane axe from Arms and Armour..The Dane axe on their website is the type M, but if you drop them an email, they will accommodate you. It's obviously not completely historically accurate, but it's great in terms of functionality
Jim Austin focus only in axes and has made a couple of Dane Axes as you described.
There's a weaponsmith in Leics trading as Weiland Forge who made mine for reenactment purposes - relatively light, has the thin blade and reinforced edge. He may be up to your challenge.
I saw a TV programme about various weapons of history, and they did an episode on the daneaxe, in which the host mentioned that one of their uses was for breaking through shield walls. If that were true, then it could be that the reinforced blades are for that purpose, whereas the ones with the flatter blades (which strike me as being very similar to the blade on your falchion) would then be for cutting through the (probably) lightly armoured people behind the now ruined shields.
Ben Kirkby do you think that this is likely?
Did nobody catch him saying "war-hoe" when briefly describing the Persian axe he's holding?
There are a couple of other possible explanations for why those axes are so thin. The first is that metal was expensive, so making it light made it cheaper. The second is that the technology of the time made it difficult to smelt large pieces of steel, which is why plate armour didn't show up until later on, for example. So if you want an axe with a really large surface area, you would need to sacrifice thickness to do that.
On another note, while having a thick area where the transition between steel and wrought iron is may be for aesthetic reasons, or may be to create a steeper angle and a more resilient edge, it may also be for practical reasons - that area, where the weld is, would be the weakest part, so reinforcing it may simply have been a way to reduce/eliminate failures due to a less-than-perfect weld.
I would hazard the guess that reinforced edges are more difficult to forge and have the practical benefit of less damage when accidently hitting armour, so they probably would've been favoured by wealthier warriors while the flat edge version would have been the common cheap model where you are less able to make the mistake of missing soft targets. I imagine that using such a weapon takes a lot of skill against the more usual shields spears and swords.
When you first released this video my forge was out of comission. I believe I will have the capacity to forge one in the near future. This is one of my favorite weapons, and I would like to make a test piece for myself which you could take a look at and see the stats on before placing an order. Feel free to find me on Facebook as Ryan Teeter, or Delta Forge
The reason the centre of the blade is hollowed is the same reason as the centreline of a sword has the fuller: the middle doesn't do anything for strength or stiffness. It's the bits on the edge that do that, the bits that change length if the object tries to bend. Whatever weight you have in your budget, the best place for it is at the edges where it does the strength job, not in the middle, so clean that middle out.
IIUC the difference in dihedral angle (sharp vs blunt, more or less) for Dane axe vs pollaxe (also a Danish word, ironically) is more about the edge surviving contact with armour than "hitting hard". A sharp narrow blade might be great for slicing up unarmoured opponents but as soon as it hits first rate armour a bit off-square the edge will curve over and it will become useless. He talks about edge fragility later in another context but I think it's the answer to the earlier question too.
BTW this one can be seen in the Göteborgs Stadsmuseum (lots interesting stuff there) but it might be a generic nordic fighting axe: imgur.com/a/cKuED
Great!
I think another thing that is interesting is that many of these had the upper point leading and the edge swept in to a lower point that was nearer the center line of the haft. That is they were like Francesca with the upper point acting almost like a spike.
great video, can you please do a video on Africa armour?
In Njal's saga there is definitely mention of a poleaxe (spjutyxa). With the typical gallow ironic humour of those texts, one guy sneaks atop the roof of Gunnar's home, and Gunnar spears him with his poleaxe from below. The guy returns to his friends who ask "Was Gunnar at home?", and he responds "I don't know, but his poleaxe certainly was.". Then the guy falls down dead.
"Dane's axe" or "Danish axe" - three centuries late - is found in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight : lines 221-224, "And sythen he keveres bi a cragge and comes of a hole/Whyrlande out of a wro wyth a felle weppen/A denes ax nwe dyght, the dynt with to yelde/Wyth borelych bitte bende by the halme." "And then he climbed past a crag, and came from a hole, hurtling out of a hidden nook with a horrible weapon: a Dane's axe newly dressed, the dint to return, with cruel cutting edge curved along the handle."
The high carbon steel edge was more likely forge welded INTO the blade body. So the blade body was split and the blade edge was wedged into it, resulting in the weld interface existing "inside" the blade body. This would also explain why the blade thickness flairs just before the edge, the technique probably came before it was discovered that this was a desirable outcome.
I've been wanting to try building a Dane axe recently. I say building rather than forging due to wanting to try using TIG welding to avoid forge welding. I don't have single piece of steel that would be sufficient for such a wide blade but I have scraps that could be welded together then forged properly. Not traditional but anyone that knows anything about welding will know a proper TIG weld is probably the cleanest and strongest method of bonding metal without the potential inclusions of forge welding. An axe body of medium carbon mower blade with a high carbon edge welded together then forged and heat treated is something I'll try once it's not freezing balls outside.
A very informative video, and a topic very well researched.
I'd like the measurements on a historical Dane axe. It would be a fun project.
The swelling at the edge could be due to the forge-welding of the cutting edge. To do this, you split the base edge and embed the cutting edge, and then weld. If you only partially forge this down, you automatically get a 're-enforced edge'. I think I could make one.
I would say that the "dane-axe" survived to the 16th century in form of the Sparth of the Gallowglass (for example Clonteevy finding)
Thanks for the video, and thanks for the information on the kinds of weapons the Saxons and the Normans were using. I was just wondering, what kinds of weapons were those in 11th century Scotland using? How did they differ from what the Saxons and the Normans were using at the time?
The 11th century Scots (or the various kingdoms which were later conquered by the Scots) were probably equipped more or less the same as the Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians of the time due to constant interactions with both.
Ah; thanks. I've been trying to find info about the weapons used by the Picts and Scots during the Viking era, but it has been difficult. Other than what you've just said, all I have found so far is that Picts had bucklers at some point in their history (haven't found anything specific) and that there's stone carvings that show they had crossbows at some point in their history (no source I have read has specified which possible points in time).
Late as all hell but I felt like throwing my two cents in, it sounds like these welded high-carbon edged axes would have been more expensive (as an axe head that just tapers completely to a point would need less work and wouldn't need the good steel) but would probably deliver a beefier blow and hold a better edge against light armor. I'm no historian, but that absolutely seems like it would have been a distinguishing factor.
P.S. you mentioned they performed body guard functions, perhaps a distinction could be made between the "standard duty" ax and a proper battle ax? I expect you might not want to dull your more expensive, higher grade ax on the motions of daily guard work(i.e. accidental drops, bumping into a door way, etc.) when you might maybe have to dissuade a drunk/pissed merchant rather than fight an armored soldier.
Right. "I'd teach you a lesson but i dont want to dull my good axe" something like that
Very interesting. I knew they were quite thin but I had never heard about the thickening near the edge again. I've also noticed some have edges with a forward bias towards the top of the blade. I would love to know what kind if difference that makes, if a drawing hooking motion can be applied to that style. Fascinating stuff. Love the videos. thanks alot.
Here are two blacksmiths who might be able to make your axe.
Alec Steele, from Norwich, England.
Torbjörn Åhman, from somewhere in Sweden.
They both have channels here on youtube, and they seem focused on details.
They are easy to reach and I think they would appreciate the businesses.
I hope you find what you are looking for!
Sounds like a reconstruction archaeology project. Make a bunch of all the styles of Dane axe and see what they were best at.
As for period references to a Dane Axe, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight mentions a "denes ax". Two translations made this Danish axe or Danish-style axe. This is 3 centuries after the Norman Conquest, but still a medieval term.
Matt, I don't know if you have covered it yet, but what about the feldswchwert for its anti cavalry role? I had not really thought of the dance axe for anti cavalry purposes, but I thought that if you look at the shape of the blade, it us at the perfect angle for cutting a passing horse in the chape or flank. As well as the attested point and hook. It makes a lot more sense now, many thanks, Andrew.
What's a "feldswchwert"?
Alec Steele he loves a challenge, I reckon he could just be the guy who may be able to create a replica to the standard your looking for, he loves creating damascus pieces but I would guess he would create the finish anyway you wanted, and he produces awesome videos of the forging process.
I've been waiting for a video on the Dane Axe
i was going to point you to Skallagrim's Arms and Armour Danish war axe vid but you're top comment on there so... lol
i did have one thought though, you say using hard edge and soft blade is partly because of cost/avaliability of carbon steel. we don't have that problem any more so there is no need for the forge welding
It's utterly fascinating how complicated and thought-out a weapon as seemingly simple as an axe really is. Speaking of which, the difference in the shapes, especially the diamond-section versus the simple taper-section, might be a sign of skill or wealth? I would imagine it takes a more skilled smith and/or a more wealthy warrior to create/buy the diamond-section blade?
It looks to me like the shape of the Dane axe head also made it pretty effective for piercing, not just for cutting and chopping. I believe it evolved as a weapon that had the advantages of both a spear and an axe. As weapon-smiths improved their skills, I believe they evolved into the more elaborate halberds.
Irish two handed Sparr axes were one such evolution but with a longer straight edge and reinforced toe. Used well into 16th century by Galloglass, probably to deal with English heavy cavalry.
11:49 "Some of them wouldn't have had any armour at all." I would just like to add that it seems very unlikely to me that they wouldn't have had any armour, more likely(in my opinion)they would've had some sort of padded armour, so something like a gambeson.
Edit: Also, I have a question, if one were to make the entire axe blade out of modern high quality spring steel, or some other high carbon steel, could that make this very specific shape less effective than if you had softer steel for the parts of the axe that don't hold the blade? I'm guessing that making the entire blade out of really nice steel wouldn't hurt but I just thought I could get some a second opinion on it anyway.
Edit2: Forgot to mention, thanks you for sharing why these axes are shaped the way they are, as I didn't really know why they had this shape before.
Very informative ! Thanks a lot Matt
I have a question :
To whom you would give the advantage in a single combat between a Housecarl using the two handed Dane axe and a Norman heavy cavalryman armed with a lance or a sword ? (Assuming that both fighters are well trained and skilfull in the use of their weapons )
I do believe I can make the axe you're looking for. I'm going to attempt it and then get back to you. I have a rather primitive set up, but I have forged a Scandinavian style bearded axe with an asymmetrically welded eye and a welded high carbon bit. It shouldn't be hard to push the steel out to get it thin.
0:25 - I thought you were going to say "war-hog". That would be a sight :) "Then the cavalry charged on their war-hogs, who trampled and ate the enemy!".
Well here in sweden theyre just called broadaxes(bredyxa).
They were used for a long time in norway under the name farmers axe too.
If you dear Mr easton can give me a description of any given axe i can offer to do my best to forge as close a replica as i can manage.....
Its likely the axes found in the Thames river was from the english/norwegian attack on danish-occupied London, where london bridge was pulled down by the norwegians. Beacuse this is the only siege of London which specifically include a naval attack. Also, why would daneaxes be used at sea? Well as vikings fought at sea, it was mostly boarding actions, and a long axe would be useful for striking opponents over the side of a ship and for clearing the deck when boarding.
Mr Easton, clodsteel makes a really good one, maybe one of the best, well balanced overall, the correct angle of the point and cutting surface, the axe head is small and light as it should be, the shaft is hickory, which is the only innacuracy, but the item is made to be functional. The diameter of the shaft appears good and true also, slightly thicker than you would expect.
As I recall, the Cold Steel one is quite over-weight from having a blade that is too thick (for this type of axe anyway).
Your Dane axe looks to be a laminated edge of steel in an iron blade which was a Scandinavian tech,
fhanks for your videos
Isn't the Arms and Armour Dane Axe suitable? Skallagrim reviewed one
Unfortunately it does not have a reinforced edge.
Matt, loved the lego reference! Side note, my interest in HEMA is rooted in my massive lego castle collection, you see.
Nice, I have a large collection of grey bricks and knights myself.
Thanks for another great axe video.
Regarding two handed axes in Normandy, Wace projects them back into the late 10th/early 11th centuries as a peasant weapon. He had a habit of projecting current practices back onto the past, so it's probable that two handed axes survived in Normandy into the early 12th century.
If you look today at the variations in "bushcraft" blades and grinds you will see a great deal of variation, each variation bitterly fought over and defended by it's proponents. I do not suppose back in the day of the Dane Axe, that there were not any number of smiths pandering to the tastes and preferences of any number of warriors convinced that this or that variant was best.
One of the greater offences of For Honor is perpetuating the idea that Dane-axes were more or less axe-shaped sledge-hammers; they look perfectly cool the way they are and the vikings look perfectly badass wielding them, you don't have to insist they are swinging around 20 Pounds of steel at the end of a stick.
I once saw Lloyd talking about the "diagonal" edge aligned polearms (like one of the axe examples from the london museum) as an edge that probably was used to chop shafts of polearms. What do you think about it?
Can you make a video of advantages and disadvantages of halberd vs spear and ax
I found the reference to Anglo-Saxon "one trick pony' shields wall's interesting and I wondered what inferences we might make about the Anglo-Saxons use of Roman tactics. The Romans are famous for tight blocks of men equipped with large shields and pilum or throwing spear. Surely the Anglo-Sax saw the military value in such tactics and possibly mimicked it to a degree in their own armies. There are other areas in which the Roman Empire left marks on English history, combat tactics may be one of them. Just brainstorming.
The lowest Axe head in the museum display looks like it was also made for thrusting. Maybe they also served a similar roll to Longswords, being so light, and I assume nimble.
Awesome video, now I want something like that. Hard edge like that on lever like that, the cutting power if you sharpen it to shaving blade level must be insane. Do you want one to have it differentially treated as well? That would just be drool inducing
I was hoping you would say something about the gallowglass and how the danish axe influenced the sparth axe in later medieval times.
The thickening just behind the edge could simply be a by-product of the construction method. I've seen episodes of Man At Arms Reforged where they've made blades with two types of steel in a sort of 'hot dog' construction, with a hard steel 'sausage' in a softer steel or iron 'bun' . Now in that case they left the blade as a whole quite thick and overweight (as they sometimes sadly do), but I'm fairly sure one of them mentioned having to be careful on the grind not to take too much of the 'bun' away as it would weaken the overall construction, but presumably if you were looking to lighten the axe-head as whole you could take away material from behind that join without any real issue...
Illiya (or how ever you are write it the russian guy there) is subed to schola so he might actually see this vid
What I find most interesting about "dane axes", is the length of their hafts. I've read on Wikipedia that they were usually between 90 and 120 cm (3-4 feet), which is considerably shorter than most medieval polearms. Therefore, I would expect that they were used quite differently.
By the way, Matt, would you think something like that would suit you? 4lbs 6oz sounds quite heavy, but then again the one in the picture has a very long haft...:
myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.14148.html
Comes for the Skyrim comments. Leaves satisfied.
Good addition of video from museum.
The difference in edge shape... Could that be a result from development? With the non-diamond shaped being the early version with the diamond shaped appearing later. And, as seen with swords, it was a gradual replacement? Just because a weapon wasn't the newest, didn't make it useless and could still be perfectly adequate in battle. So could this be a witness of transition from one type to another taking place over many years? Decades, perhaps?
I would presume that the Dane Axe might have been the true guards weapon for Huscarls, as twohanded weapons are often superior to sword and board if you are meant to protect someone or some specific spot. Whereas if they expected to go into a full battle they might carry a weapon they were more comfortable with or one that would serve them better for whatever kind of fight they expected to be in.