The Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts (eBook)

3

THE SWORD

‘The sword ye have, Bersi, is longer than lawful’

The sword, from no matter what era or in any form, is the emblem of the highest forms of the martial arts. To hold a sword brings out the warrior in most men and to watch it swing in silver arcs through the air rouses the blood. The Viking sword is no different. This chapter on swordsmanship reveals the dynamics of Viking sword combat and the bloody truth found at the end of a blade. The sword was an expensive piece of equipment, often handed down from generation to generation. Early blades were made of strips of wrought iron twisted with mild steel that were then forged and a hardened edge (usually edges) added.

When thinking of swordsmanship do not think of the slow movements of ‘sword and sandals’ or ‘merrie England’ cinema, instead one should think of a very dynamic interaction between the combatants that usually only lasts for a short time before either a bloody end is brought about or the situation changes. The art of the sword in Viking times was fast and terminal.

THE OVERHEAD CUT

This is a basic cutting action that can be found in all martial arts across the world. The primary target is the head with the intent of splitting the opponent’s skull and it is a lethal cut in all its applications. It can be assumed that this cut was primarily done with a single handed grip and would probably have been delivered with a directional step to improve the power of the cut through body dynamics. It appears that this cut was not intended to be a lacerating cut but one that would cleave the head and the body using as much force as the attacker could muster while retaining balance. Such a cut is drastic and deadly, as can be seen by the references in the sagas. What is unknown is how this strike was initiated. In the Katori Shinto-ryu sword school of Japan this cut is started with the swordsman moving his hand upwards and to the left side of his head before he reaches the start of the downward cut. This is done to avoid the samurai’s helmet and crest. A start similar to this is in Viking warfare is possible but not definite, as Viking helms did not have large crests or any obstructive decoration. However, if this cut is made while holding a shield then it would have to start in one of two ways. It would either have to swing around the front of the shield, as in the case with the samurai helmet, or it would have to come up to a position from the rear/right quarter. The downward swing of the sword could come from a wider possibility of angles if done without a shield.

Version 1: The Overhead Cut from around the shield.

Version 2: The Overhead Cut from the right quarter.

Saga References

Unsurprisingly, the references in the sagas show just how devastating a blow like this can be, either fatal or causing extreme maiming. Modern tests of replica weapons confirm how destructive a blow this is to the human body.

II

‘Bardi, who was the swiftest of those men, and hewed at him with the sword Thorgaut’sloom, and hewed off well-nigh all the face of him’

‘Now Thorgisl (Hermundson) smites a stroke on him down his nose from the brow, and said: “Now hast thou gotten a good mark befitting thee; and even such should more of you have.” Then spake Thorgisl the Hewer: “Nought good is the mark; yet most like it is, that I shall have the heart to bear it manfully; little have ye yet to brag over.” And he smote at him so that he fell and is now unfightworthy’

III

‘axes hard driven, shields cleft and byrnies torn, helmets were shivered, skulls split atwain, and many a man felled to the cold earth’

III

‘…and clave him down, both helm and head, and mail-clad body’

IV

‘…and smote his sword into his head, and clave it down to the jaw-teeth’

V

‘Then An went into the dairy hard and swift, and held his shield over his head, turning forward the narrower part of it. Bolli dealt him a blow with Footbiter, and cut off the tail-end of the shield, and clove An through the head down to the shoulder, and forthwith he gat his death.’ [Here we see evidence of anachronism. The author is describing a kite shield and not the earlier round version attributed to the saga age.]

VI

‘Dromund took the sword, at once raised it aloft and struck a blow at [a shallow] angle. It came into his head with such force that it penetrated to his jaw’

‘As Vigbjod bent down to pull his sword clear again, Onund dealt him a blow on his shoulder, severing his arm and disabling him’

‘First he went for Steinolf of Hraundal and cleft his skull down to his shoulders’

XI

‘Now the king takes his sword Kvernbit with both hands, and hewed Eyvind through helm and head, and clove him down to the shoulders’

THE STRIKE TO THE NECK

This is a strike with the sword to an area of the neck with the intention of decapitation. The angle of attack may vary and will depend upon the situation that the swordsman is in and his relative position to his enemy. However, we can establish that version 1 is a cut made to an opponent’s face and directed to the left side of his neck above the shield line. We see this strike in all swordplay. The Japanese have a similar cut called Kesa-Giri, which is usually executed with a forward step. This cut is meant to cut across the top of the collar bone and to the opposite armpit.

There is a third cut, which is not illustrated here. The sagas reference decapitation from behind or simply a straightforward decapitation with the opponent stood in an erect position. This would constitute a third version, however the cut is identical to the ‘Horizontal Cut’ (version 2) described further on in this chapter and is simply a neck level version of this strike.

Version 1: A strike to the side of the neck.

Version 2: It is also probable that this cut was made on the opposite side and that the swordsman moved his sword to his left and struck at the right side of the opponent.

Saga References

Decapitation is a prime method of killing in a warrior culture; the concept of the ‘head cult’ or ‘head-hunting’ is found throughout most warrior cultures and is clearly evident in the Viking world. What is interesting to note is that sometimes it may come as a surprise attack and be done from behind as an assassination, as opposed to a duel.

II

‘Thorbiorn leaps at Bardi, and smites him on the neck, and wondrous great was the clatter of the stroke, and it fell on that stone of the beads which had been shifted [as when] he took the knife and gave it to Nial’s son; and the stone brake asunder, and blood was drawn on either side of the band, but the sword did not bite’

III

‘Let him smite the head from off him then, and be only lord of all that gold’

‘…and therewith he drew his sword Gram and struck off Regin’s head’

VII

‘Then Flosi came up and hewed at Helgi’s neck, and took off his head at a stroke’

‘So he ran in up the hall, and smote Gunnar Lambi’s son on the neck with such a sharp blow, that his head spun off on to the board before the king and the earls, and the board was all one gore of blood, and the earl’s clothing too’

XIV

‘Then Kalf struck at him on the left side of the neck’

THE DOWNWARD STRIKE TO THE SHOULDER

This is almost the same as the ‘Strike to the Neck’ therefore the images above in the last section will suffice, the only difference being that the cut has a deeper angle and is intended to cut from the shoulder joint down to the opposite hip, thus using the images from the last technique there can be the following two versions.

‘Downward Strike to the Shoulder’ damage.

Version 1

The cut is intended to cut the human torso in half from a diagonal angle and could be said to exactly replicate the Japanese Kesa-Giri cut mentioned above.

Version 2

As with the ‘Strike to the Neck’ cut, it is possible to make this cut from the opposite side, especially if the swordsman does not have a shield in hand. If the swordsman is using a shield then he would have to either dip the shield and turn the edge towards his neck so that it did not obstruct the blade or he would have to expose the inside of his shield and open his body to attack. This would only be done if the strike was a powerful full step and a fully committed stroke. Alternatively, it could involve an extension of the arm and a strong ‘flick’ style execution, an attempt to sever the shoulder muscles and disable the arm. However, this last cut is merely speculation as most of the references talk of a ‘mighty blow’ and severed limbs, which probably came from the swordsman’s right and dominant side.

Saga References

This appears to be a most devastating and powerful blow and usually ends a fight and is effective even if the sword does not ‘bite’. A crushed collar bone or severed arm both result in the loss of use of the limb. One must remember that the opponent would have to be without shield or the swordsman would have to have used a gap in a shield-bearer’s defence to make this cut.

I

‘She blunted Cormac’s sword, so that it would not bite, but yet he struck so great a stroke...