In this episode, we had an interesting chat with William Short and Reynir Óskarson who are experts in the experimental archaeology of Viking combat and weaponry. You know…the shiny, sexy stuff.
We talked about their methods for understanding fighting in the Viking Age, the famed Ulfberht sword, how Vikings may have trained and their battle tactics, and the honor-bound cultural ethos that was critical to life as a Viking.
And we were also surprised by what may have been the most common Viking weapon of all. We bet you will be too!
An audio-only version of this interview is available here on our Substack and also on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Learn more about their work at Hurstwic.
You can also read Reynir’s article about Glíma, an important method of fighting without weapons during the Viking Age and Iceland’s national sport to this day. Or if you fancy reading the original in Icelandic, you can find it here.
Check out their book Men of Terror: A Comprehensive Analysis of Viking Combat
What Were the Vikings' Favorite Weapons?