+IIICOOLINGIII What you tell me the times is true. OTOH I rarely mind the ads and YT seem to have cut back on voice-recognition ones, possibly due to negative feedback.
+Vito C Is that chiefly a British thing? I've always heard the term "ball & chain" used in that way, but that usually specifically refers to a spouse or significant other.
Haha, this guy reminds me of my history teacher when I was a freshman, except english (my old history teacher was french) He used to jump around with a sweater on and have imaginary sword fights and make sound effects. Good times.
NorseHorse I've actually gained quite an appreciation for the design of actual axes thanks to folks like Lloyd showing me examples. I agree, nice looking indeed. :)
NorseHorse The worst part is that a danish waraxe is pretty large and intimidating by itself, and completely functional. Seen the norse axemen in medieval 2: total war? Those things are really frightening, without going to fantasy proportions.
eople thonk of a executioners axe which was heavy & enormous - & often extremely inexpertly wielded. Jack Ketch (who was admittedly drunk as a skunk at he time) took 7 blows to kill the Duke of Monmouth & still had to use a knife to sever the head. He on;y got the job as hangman because he was "good at knots" - evidently not the same skill set at all. It took even more to kill Lady Elizabeth Pole - although that was because she kept running away.
Of course this man of medieval RUclips was there at the time, but consider his biases. He and his popped collar are just trying to confuse his enemies, because he-having the world’s longest neck-would have been extra vulnerable to a felling axe.
I feel that if two swords were better than sword and shield, then the world would not have been one in which almost everybody from revolting peasant to professional soldier chose sword and shield.
Lindy, you are just fabulous. The enthusiasm you have for the things you talk about just makes the videos even more gripping. I love listening to educated people who speak with a passion. I also love learning about real history. Thanks
This is why when I played an axe-wielding dwarf who made his own weapons and armor I declared all my axes were bearded axes - you get the wide blade, thinner weight, yet the axe head still looks intimidating, plus a dwarf with a beard with beards on his axes just makes for the perfect dwarven imagery.
HowDo ILogin Nice, I assume they were some form of poleaxes for the extra reach due dwarves having short arms? Say, a dwarven longaxe from pathfinder? Preferably with a spike on top for stabbing those uppity humans.
angelowl89 Dwarven Poleaxe > Spiked Chain. Gimme 2d6 damage, reach, x3 crits, set vs. charge, and trip over that 2d4 no special crit gimp fetish garbage.
Because if the effect of the wounds caused by the heroes' arrows were realistic, those heroes might seem cruel. Better that the bad guy's minions die peacefully and quickly.
A guy i play D&D with uses his axe to chop down trees and have them fall on the enemy. The first time he did this i was like "You're telling me he can chop down a tree in 6 seconds?" and the rest of the table was like "Ugh yeah, it's a greataxe" while looking at me as if i was a moron.
Twohanded axes had the advantage of being able to strike the sword-arm side of an enemy, making it much harder for him to defend himself or attack without exposing himself greatly. Other than that, they would use the ''beard'' of the axe to pull the enemy soldiers shield, ankels and so forth. It has the advantage of being able to cleave unarmored enemies, crush armored enemies and scare the willies of everyone else. Their range could also make them quite efficient againts cavalry and such.
A Very nice summary of the use and appearance of real battleaxes. It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who try to argue that huge fantasy style axes, dual wielded weapons etc have a basis in reality.
I noticed that war hammers were way smaller than you see in movies and TV shows and figured the same thing. It must not take much at all to drop a soldier with one, and any weight above what's necessary is just wasted.
I'm a Dark Ages - Middle Ages nerd, and I've never heard many of your facts. So I'm very glad to see these videos, because they're a SUPERB source of knowledge that I can't find anywhere else. Keep them up, they're EXCELLENT!
I just love to watch your vids! Truly entertaining and informative! The information that you give us is also spot on 99% of the time. It would be great to see you have a 30min or so TV show here in the U.S. (BBC America perhaps?). As an edged weapon collector and an old guy (60) I actually have learned quite a bit from you in regard to my fairly new hobby (26months), keep up the great work, looking forward to other vids! Dan, Landers, CA USA
I doubt that they were shaped that way specifically for that purpose, but it was a thing you could do with an axe. I've tried it and it isn't a very useful move on your own, but it can help to open up an opponent to an attack by a friend of yours. Most axes could do this - it wasn't something unique to Viking ones.
Gooooooood point. Been chopping wood blocks in my village of a little less than a million since my teens on and off with an axe that is doing most of it's work with weight instead of edge. Of course (when nobody was watching) i would attempt to fight invisible enemies with it. The only way i could move relatively quickly with this tool is to use it two-handed. And it'd still be slow to turn around right after a swing and prepare a parry or attack.
Yes, you could make one very heavy bash with a heavier axe, although the enemy would see it coming a long way off. If the axe is too light it becomes ineffective. The equation seems to balance at optimum efficiency with an axe head smaller than fantasists imagine.
@Nickkraw The Normans were famed for their cavalry. Most Viking soldiers who used horses used them for getting to the fight, but then fought on foot. Some were perhaps a bit like dragoons.
Yup. Norman Light Cavalry was very effective, and was often the only way they could intercept the quick raids of Vikings. Some of the reasons Vikings/Norsemen did not use horses for combat was that Scandinavia does not have good conditions for mounted combat. Forests and mountains. They also had horses that were built for colder climate and heavier work, instead of the more agile horses from further south.
I read a book in my library while ago. it said the viking axe came about when they were farmers and they got raided, they use their wood axe. Some vikings used that still cause they were dirt poor but others made it really light. Designed for a quick blow to a skull. The Danish axes i read were more lethal pulling out of the enemy than the chop itself.
And then, in the late medieval period, they had all-steel axes, to go with their all-steel maces. They were tired of the wooden ax handles breaking. And the guy who made modern carpentry hammers with a long steel tuning fork inside a lightweight fiberglass handle was --a GENIUS! Swing an old iron and wood hammer all day and your arm and shoulder are ruined, but these modern hammers are great on reducing weight and vibration.
@Oiaku They were used for hooking quite a bit. You would hook someone's shield away, sidestep, blade to the neck. Or, anything really, once you eliminated their shield, you could do pretty much whatever.
@Thane4 In a a two and a half minute video, I can't deal with everything, nor even all aspects of one thing. I struggle enough sometimes to make one point about one thing. I've never used a bardiche.
One big (no pun intended) advantage of a battle axe was cost. In the ages where metal was at a premium, they were an effective alternative for a less well-off man at arms.
Makes sense. Look at what the DOG brothers fight with. It's a tool to hook over the top of a shield or pull a spear shaft or something. And the striking point could just as well be a spike. Thanks for making this video I enjoyed it.
On the other side, for a siege (hacking gates, breaking doors, opening ways into palisades or barricades or whatever), the big, double axe is quite useful - and in the world of (even early) firearms assaulting a fortification, the only bladed weapons you'll ever see are bayonets and siege axes. And I totally agree that the axe I'm talking about is a tool, not a weapon - but it's almost exactly what's depicted in games, fantasy movies, and so on.
Now, while you do make a great point, and you are absolutely right, the axes that the vikings used were exceptionally well made and well blanced, which allowed for a greater weight than if the axe was poorly balanced and had a wider axe head. What is also important to remember is that the Skeggöx, or bearded axe, used by the vikings were thin, rather small closer to the handle, but the head was very wide when looking at it from top to bottom which allowed for greater hacking power
@jaskamakkara Not really. One could argue that the development of the late halberd was a way of getting through better armour, but that was making the haft linger, not making the head heavier.
2 words for you: hydrostatic shock. Bullets make a shockwave when they enter the body and slow down. A 9mm doesn't have much of one when compared to, say a .45 cal or a 5.56mm round, and no, there are only a few places on the body where a gunshot would be immediately fatal.
that's really the reason I like axes more than most other weapons. it's bladed so it has a low area of impact, increasing damage, and the head weighs enough to cause damage even if you don't pierce armor. worst case scenario you manage to make a dent in the armor that a spear, arrow, or sword can later stab through during the battle, even if you yourself die.
Thanks for the information! I just was on a kind of vikings festival and there were guys fighting with really small axes and I was wondering :D btw: best quote: They wasnt there for felling trees, but for felling people xD
Actually, viking berserkers used "Bearded Axes", a war axe with a long "Beard" (The blade extends downward) on the blade. They usually wielded two of these (Talk about ambidextrous) and would either pull down a foes weapon and shield and headbutt them, or pull down a shield and go for a killing blow. It was a very effective battle strategy, especially since it meant they could attack fanatically whilst still defending themselves.
They don't take long to shoot. They take far longer to edit. When I get the opportunity, I set the camera up and shoot between four and ten at a time. It's just a bloke talking.
"Ow! You've hit me in the head with an axe! I'm mightily disconcerted!"
Two years later, but maybe you should write a strongly worded letter. If your still disconcerted enough, today.
“How unfortunate, I seem to have a cerebral hemorrhage.”
@@DennisNeijmeijer you’re*
Thanks for pointing out the dry british humour by repeating it with less subtlety.
@@MenacingSnail yo'ure*
I guess if you're gonna use a fantasy-drawing axe, you also need fantasy-drawing muscles.
Actually you'd still be better off with small axes then. At least afaik.
ForYeensSake
Not if you're fighting a dragon. :-D
If you're a dragon swinging an axe shouldn't be one of your top priorities.
ForYeensSake
???
I obviously misread lol. Even if fighting a dragon, velocity is still more important than mass afaik. Not sure though.
RUclips really wants me to watch this 10 years later.
yeah
yeah, if this guy thinks battle-axes are small he should see my wife
I'ts been suggesting it to me every day this week for some reason
All the other comments made me think, You poor happy fools. No idea what Dogecoin is. Or tiger king.
@@SexyBabyHotStuff13 Maybe he already did
I’m glad loyd carefully put that imaginary felling axe back where he found it @1:30, very considerate.
I'm dying of laughter at the way he keeps shouting "diddy"
I slightly blow air out of my nose
Time to get it on like Diddy Kong.
Tiddy*
2:19 "These are not felling axes." advert for felling axes pops up.
RUclips's voice-recognition-based advert timing is a cross between annoying and creepy.
+Simon Clarkstone Haha, I wasn;t the only one XD
+Simon Clarkstone It's called ad blocker :3
+IIICOOLINGIII What you tell me the times is true. OTOH I rarely mind the ads and YT seem to have cut back on voice-recognition ones, possibly due to negative feedback.
I imagine it just creeped too many people out, which it has done for me in the past, so i just got ad block xD
"Hatchets".
Y e s.
Well yes but actually no
Oh look the fearsome vikings with their.... hatchets
End title card joke: A "battle-axe" is also slang for a "an aggressive, domineering and forceful woman." (as your mother-in-law might be)
+Vito C wow you are a slang expert 0_0
+Vito C sorry what joke really a women name tony was killed ran off the road this guy is one that might be in on it
+Vito C Do you know what an axe-wound is?
+Vito C my grandma uses that term
+Vito C Is that chiefly a British thing? I've always heard the term "ball & chain" used in that way, but that usually specifically refers to a spouse or significant other.
A decade later and Lindy hasn't changed his content one single bit. Nice to see some people still stick to their principles.
A point of difference: the length.
Yes, some of his videos are 12 years old and still evergreen fresh.
Yes. To add continuity, just now, in 2023 the content, while lengthier, is still classic Lindybeige. And that's OK.
1:09 a point about considering the weight of felling axes: do not do this if you doubt the strength in your wrist, you will end up with 3 shins.
"Disconcert them quite a lot."
aggressively British
There are those who argue that a sword takes skill to use well, whereas axe/club just takes brutality.
Well my mother-in-law is a battleaxe, and she is most decidedly on the large side.
My mother-in-law isn't on the larger side but she is double-headed.
+Sean Jones lol
don't you mean two-faced
jax parra nope, definitely two-headed.
@@GUnitSeanAKAmong "you know how i know youre not 2 faced? If you were youd wear the other one"
you must find the mightiest tree in the forest, and chop it down. WIIIIIITTHH ! a HERRING!
Ni!
Screw a herring, I'll do it with a sardine!
+Alexander Westphal I shall do no such thing
It!
Awww Please :(
Haha, this guy reminds me of my history teacher when I was a freshman, except english (my old history teacher was french) He used to jump around with a sweater on and have imaginary sword fights and make sound effects. Good times.
History teachers are always either super serious with anger issues or super wacky
What I hate is how ugly fantasy axes look. Why a big chunk of metal on a stick instead of the sleek looking design real ones have?
NorseHorse I've actually gained quite an appreciation for the design of actual axes thanks to folks like Lloyd showing me examples. I agree, nice looking indeed. :)
NorseHorse The worst part is that a danish waraxe is pretty large and intimidating by itself, and completely functional. Seen the norse axemen in medieval 2: total war? Those things are really frightening, without going to fantasy proportions.
+angelowl89 Still not as large as in typical fantasy works, like each axe blade being bigger than a man's head. xD
Indeed, Elder Scrolls. No handle and two gigantic axe heads? What? And they removed the halberds? Bethesda, you don goofed.
Because they are not Dane axes. That is what we are missing. Beautiful elegant daneaxes.
ITS DIDDY
Hold Up it's Diddy
eople thonk of a executioners axe which was heavy & enormous - & often extremely inexpertly wielded. Jack Ketch (who was admittedly drunk as a skunk at he time) took 7 blows to kill the Duke of Monmouth & still had to use a knife to sever the head. He on;y got the job as hangman because he was "good at knots" - evidently not the same skill set at all.
It took even more to kill Lady Elizabeth Pole - although that was because she kept running away.
Those sound effects "spheeoow" and then the quote "this is how you fight" make me understand why RUclips wanted me to see this 10 years later.
Rule of thumb: If the depicted axe or hammer head is larger than the wielder's own head, it is DEFINITELY too big.
Reality: "Your axe is smol"
Fantasy: "NOOOOOOOO"
The acting holding a non existent ax, collecting it with both hands before it dropped, well done.
Of course this man of medieval RUclips was there at the time, but consider his biases. He and his popped collar are just trying to confuse his enemies, because he-having the world’s longest neck-would have been extra vulnerable to a felling axe.
I was wondering about the collar. Thanks for the explanation.
Really enjoy your vids, I learn quite a bit from you. Cheers.
I feel that if two swords were better than sword and shield, then the world would not have been one in which almost everybody from revolting peasant to professional soldier chose sword and shield.
“Not for felling trees anyway”
Lmao
"Mothers-in-law", gotta love the impeccable grammar!
10 years old and still great content!
I love your sense of humor ;) it makes your videos a joy to watch not to mention they're very informative ;)
Lindy, you are just fabulous. The enthusiasm you have for the things you talk about just makes the videos even more gripping. I love listening to educated people who speak with a passion. I also love learning about real history. Thanks
This is why when I played an axe-wielding dwarf who made his own weapons and armor I declared all my axes were bearded axes - you get the wide blade, thinner weight, yet the axe head still looks intimidating, plus a dwarf with a beard with beards on his axes just makes for the perfect dwarven imagery.
HowDo ILogin Nice, I assume they were some form of poleaxes for the extra reach due dwarves having short arms? Say, a dwarven longaxe from pathfinder? Preferably with a spike on top for stabbing those uppity humans.
angelowl89 Dwarven Poleaxe > Spiked Chain. Gimme 2d6 damage, reach, x3 crits, set vs. charge, and trip over that 2d4 no special crit gimp fetish garbage.
angelowl89 ,
Because if the effect of the wounds caused by the heroes' arrows were realistic, those heroes might seem cruel. Better that the bad guy's minions die peacefully and quickly.
Hahaha, it's ditty!
Jeff Benefiel Diddy. Ditty means scatterbrained or stupid, diddy means small and cute
A guy i play D&D with uses his axe to chop down trees and have them fall on the enemy. The first time he did this i was like "You're telling me he can chop down a tree in 6 seconds?" and the rest of the table was like "Ugh yeah, it's a greataxe" while looking at me as if i was a moron.
Energy dilivered is a square function of speed. The small contact area concentrates the impact. That dilevers the energy even through armor.
Love how the background hasn't changed in over a decade
"oh, you want some too" said the mighty warrior
1:33 I love how extremely well you can mime holding an axe, WTF
even after ten years the soundeffects are still effective.
Twohanded axes had the advantage of being able to strike the sword-arm side of an enemy, making it much harder for him to defend himself or attack without exposing himself greatly. Other than that, they would use the ''beard'' of the axe to pull the enemy soldiers shield, ankels and so forth. It has the advantage of being able to cleave unarmored enemies, crush armored enemies and scare the willies of everyone else. Their range could also make them quite efficient againts cavalry and such.
Very good video, you fixed a lot of issues I’ve been questioning from knight/squire excerpts.
Thank you
Always do a excellent job explaining and describing!
Yes, the symbol was a common one. It may have meant that the slinger was from Crete, which many were.
I'm lving this channel. Very nice work. Entertaining as well as very educational. This bodes well for the internet vs television. Bravo
Got recommended this 10 years after it's posted. But what a chaotic energy this man has.
A Very nice summary of the use and appearance of real battleaxes.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who try to argue that huge fantasy style axes, dual wielded weapons etc have a basis in reality.
I noticed that war hammers were way smaller than you see in movies and TV shows and figured the same thing. It must not take much at all to drop a soldier with one, and any weight above what's necessary is just wasted.
I've seen this 3 times now. The first in 2013, then around 2018, then this morning. Thanks youtube
I'm a Dark Ages - Middle Ages nerd, and I've never heard many of your facts. So I'm very glad to see these videos, because they're a SUPERB source of knowledge that I can't find anywhere else. Keep them up, they're EXCELLENT!
I was only now recommended this and I am glad of it
yep same here
I just love to watch your vids! Truly entertaining and informative! The information that you give us is also spot on 99% of the time. It would be great to see you have a 30min or so TV show here in the U.S. (BBC America perhaps?). As an edged weapon collector and an old guy (60) I actually have learned quite a bit from you in regard to my fairly new hobby (26months), keep up the great work, looking forward to other vids! Dan, Landers, CA USA
You're amazing, Lindybeige!
the joke at the end lightened my mood, but very good points
"Knot of Justice" Guild Wars 2. Amazing!!!!
this makes so much sense, the smaller head will concentrate more force into a blow, making armor weaker against it. It would also allow deeper cuts.
I doubt that they were shaped that way specifically for that purpose, but it was a thing you could do with an axe. I've tried it and it isn't a very useful move on your own, but it can help to open up an opponent to an attack by a friend of yours. Most axes could do this - it wasn't something unique to Viking ones.
thank u youtube algorithm for recommending me videos about battle axes from 10 years ago
It was effective, certainly. Whether it actually came all the way through is another matter, but sheer percussive effect could do the job.
@EgholmViking I don't know of any evidence that stone age axes were used for battle. I think they were mainly for display and for felling trees.
Gooooooood point. Been chopping wood blocks in my village of a little less than a million since my teens on and off with an axe that is doing most of it's work with weight instead of edge. Of course (when nobody was watching) i would attempt to fight invisible enemies with it. The only way i could move relatively quickly with this tool is to use it two-handed. And it'd still be slow to turn around right after a swing and prepare a parry or attack.
Brilliant wrap-up about the mother-in-laws.
Yes, you could make one very heavy bash with a heavier axe, although the enemy would see it coming a long way off. If the axe is too light it becomes ineffective. The equation seems to balance at optimum efficiency with an axe head smaller than fantasists imagine.
Can't believe im watching this 11 years later
@Nickkraw The Normans were famed for their cavalry. Most Viking soldiers who used horses used them for getting to the fight, but then fought on foot. Some were perhaps a bit like dragoons.
Love the word play at the end. Very funny.
Excellent mother-in-law joke, Les would be proud. I love fantasy axes as drawn by the classic 70's artists, but I also favour function over form. :D
Even RUclips thinks that Nikolas has been slow with new videos. They're re-hashing his earliest vids.
Yup. Norman Light Cavalry was very effective, and was often the only way they could intercept the quick raids of Vikings. Some of the reasons Vikings/Norsemen did not use horses for combat was that Scandinavia does not have good conditions for mounted combat. Forests and mountains. They also had horses that were built for colder climate and heavier work, instead of the more agile horses from further south.
I read a book in my library while ago. it said the viking axe came about when they were farmers and they got raided, they use their wood axe. Some vikings used that still cause they were dirt poor but others made it really light. Designed for a quick blow to a skull. The Danish axes i read were more lethal pulling out of the enemy than the chop itself.
And then, in the late medieval period, they had all-steel axes, to go with their all-steel maces. They were tired of the wooden ax handles breaking.
And the guy who made modern carpentry hammers with a long steel tuning fork inside a lightweight fiberglass handle was --a GENIUS! Swing an old iron and wood hammer all day and your arm and shoulder are ruined, but these modern hammers are great on reducing weight and vibration.
Lloyd covered that point in his previous video about double-bitted axes.
'Disconcert them quite a lot' 😂😂😂
The spontaneous ax attack imitations reminded me of that old man pretending to be an angry dog.
I like the Ancient Nord axes in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. They have an L-shaped blade on a wooden shaft with a pointy bit on the back.
You're so full of information. I'm glad you decided to share it with us all.
(no sarcasm, I really do mean it)
yeah, same here. I actually had a store clerk tell me off before the shaking got too bad.
"its ditty"!!
@Oiaku
They were used for hooking quite a bit. You would hook someone's shield away, sidestep, blade to the neck. Or, anything really, once you eliminated their shield, you could do pretty much whatever.
@Thane4 In a a two and a half minute video, I can't deal with everything, nor even all aspects of one thing. I struggle enough sometimes to make one point about one thing. I've never used a bardiche.
One big (no pun intended) advantage of a battle axe was cost. In the ages where metal was at a premium, they were an effective alternative for a less well-off man at arms.
Greetings traveller, RUclips is bringing you here now as 2021 will require you to use this knowledge, rest and take heed.
Makes sense. Look at what the DOG brothers fight with. It's a tool to hook over the top of a shield or pull a spear shaft or something. And the striking point could just as well be a spike. Thanks for making this video I enjoyed it.
On the other side, for a siege (hacking gates, breaking doors, opening ways into palisades or barricades or whatever), the big, double axe is quite useful - and in the world of (even early) firearms assaulting a fortification, the only bladed weapons you'll ever see are bayonets and siege axes.
And I totally agree that the axe I'm talking about is a tool, not a weapon - but it's almost exactly what's depicted in games, fantasy movies, and so on.
Now, while you do make a great point, and you are absolutely right, the axes that the vikings used were exceptionally well made and well blanced, which allowed for a greater weight than if the axe was poorly balanced and had a wider axe head.
What is also important to remember is that the Skeggöx, or bearded axe, used by the vikings were thin, rather small closer to the handle, but the head was very wide when looking at it from top to bottom which allowed for greater hacking power
@iainmud I have a hypothesis that the Dane axe was meant as a way to counter shield walls by reaching over the shield and coming down on the head.
@jaskamakkara Not really. One could argue that the development of the late halberd was a way of getting through better armour, but that was making the haft linger, not making the head heavier.
2 words for you: hydrostatic shock.
Bullets make a shockwave when they enter the body and slow down. A 9mm doesn't have much of one when compared to, say a .45 cal or a 5.56mm round, and no, there are only a few places on the body where a gunshot would be immediately fatal.
that's really the reason I like axes more than most other weapons. it's bladed so it has a low area of impact, increasing damage, and the head weighs enough to cause damage even if you don't pierce armor. worst case scenario you manage to make a dent in the armor that a spear, arrow, or sword can later stab through during the battle, even if you yourself die.
i love your sound effects :D
A+ for sound effects young beige.
He's wielding the worlds smallest battle axe in the thumbnail
Thanks for the information! I just was on a kind of vikings festival and there were guys fighting with really small axes and I was wondering :D btw: best quote: They wasnt there for felling trees, but for felling people xD
No matter how fearsome it might be, I don't think anyone went into battle wielding his Mother - In - Law.
i love your sound effects
Actually, viking berserkers used "Bearded Axes", a war axe with a long "Beard" (The blade extends downward) on the blade. They usually wielded two of these (Talk about ambidextrous) and would either pull down a foes weapon and shield and headbutt them, or pull down a shield and go for a killing blow. It was a very effective battle strategy, especially since it meant they could attack fanatically whilst still defending themselves.
I can see this guy doing axe-katas in the parking lot during his lunch breaks... disconcerting indeed
Lloyd's hair was surprisingly tame a decade ago.
They don't take long to shoot. They take far longer to edit. When I get the opportunity, I set the camera up and shoot between four and ten at a time. It's just a bloke talking.
Hahaha love the end point about mothers-in-law. Brilliant, keep up the great videos!
@checkboard I don't think the back end was intended as a striking surface in battle.