Viking halberd
Encyclopedia
The term "halberd" has been used to translate several Old Norse
words relating to polearms (specifically the atgeir
) in the context of Viking Age arms and armour
, and in scientific literature about the Viking age
.
The term "halberd" is not to be taken as referring to the classical Swiss halberd
of the 15th century, but rather in its literal sense of "axe-on-a-pole", describing a weapon of the more general glaive
type.
, the term halberd can be used to translate several words :
It is thus difficult to know what kind of weapon these translations, and the original texts, refer to. There are several interpretations. The first Icelandic-English Dictionary by Richard Cleasby
and Guðbrandur Vigfússon
, translates kesja as "a kind of halberd" and states that "kesja, atgeir and höggspjót appear to be the same thing".
Other translations have been used, most notably "bill
". For instance, in the 1892 translation of Eyrbyggja saga
by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson, atgeir
is translated in this manner: "Thou shalt go to Holyfell and get into the loft that is over the outer door, and pull up the boards of the floor, so that thou may'st thrust a bill therethrough; then when Snorri goes out to his privy, thou shalt thrust the bill through the floor of the loft into his back so hard that it may come out at his belly", which translates : "Þú skalt fara til Helgafells og ganga í loft það er þar er yfir útidyrum og rýma fjalir í gólfinu svo að þú fáir þar lagt atgeiri í gegnum. En þá er Snorri gengur til kamars þá skaltu leggja atgeirinum í gegnum loftsgólfið í bak Snorra svo fast að út gangi um kviðinn".
Egils saga
gives a description of what it calls a kesja:
The weapon would thus have a blade with a diamond cross-section at the end, and an additional spike attached to the socket, whose placement and purpose is not explained. The length of the weapons' shaft is unclear : it has been translated as "the shaft stood just high enough for the hand to grasp the socket", as above, but also as "no taller than might be grasped at the socket by the hand", which could mean that the shaft was just long enough to be grasped in one hand, and thus, no bigger than a sword's hilt
.
There has currently been, in fact, no clearly identified Viking halberd
or bill
found. Spears are the only type of polearms found in Viking graves. It is possible that halberds and bills were not part of Viking funerary customs, as opposed to other weapons that have been found in graves. Bills have been found in Frankish
graves from the Merovingian period, which predates the Viking age
; but their use by the Scandinavians is not attested and, if existent, seemed to have been rare.
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
words relating to polearms (specifically the atgeir
Atgeir
An atgeir, sometimes called a "mail-piercer" or "hewing-spear," was a type of polearm in use in Viking Age Scandinavia and Norse colonies in the British Isles and Iceland. It is usually translated in English as "halberd", but most likely closer resembled a bill or glaive during the Viking age...
) in the context of Viking Age arms and armour
Viking Age arms and armour
Knowledge about arms and armour of the Viking Age is based on relatively sparse archaeological finds, pictorial representation, and to some extent on the accounts in the Norse sagas and Norse laws recorded in the thirteenth century.According to custom, all free Norse men were required to own...
, and in scientific literature about the Viking age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
.
The term "halberd" is not to be taken as referring to the classical Swiss halberd
Halberd
A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on...
of the 15th century, but rather in its literal sense of "axe-on-a-pole", describing a weapon of the more general glaive
Glaive
A glaive is a European polearm weapon, consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata and the Chinese Guan Dao....
type.
Instances in literature
In a translated sagaSaga
Sagas, are stories in Old Norse about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, etc.Saga may also refer to:Business*Saga DAB radio, a British radio station*Saga Airlines, a Turkish airline*Saga Falabella, a department store chain in Peru...
, the term halberd can be used to translate several words :
- atgeirAtgeirAn atgeir, sometimes called a "mail-piercer" or "hewing-spear," was a type of polearm in use in Viking Age Scandinavia and Norse colonies in the British Isles and Iceland. It is usually translated in English as "halberd", but most likely closer resembled a bill or glaive during the Viking age...
- höggspjót, literally "hewing, beheading (högg) spear (spjót)", as in the 1866 translation of the Víga-Glúms sagaVíga-Glúms sagaVíga-Glúms saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It tells of a chieftain who kills several people and tries to cover his guilt. It is believed to have been written in the 13th century.-External links:****...
by Edmund Head: "He[Glúmr] had his shield and a halberd, with his sword by his side...", which translates: "Glúmur hafði skjöld sinn og höggspjót, gyrður sverði..." - kesja, as in the 1893 translation of Egils sagaEgils sagaEgils saga is an epic Icelandic saga. The oldest transcript dates back to 1240 AD. The saga is centered on the life of Egill Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald...
by W. C. Green: "So Egil prepared to go. He had his weapons, sword, halberd, and buckler," which translates: "réðst Egill til ferðar þeirrar; Egill hafði vopn sín, sverð og kesju og buklara." - krókspjót, literally "crooked (krókr: "hook, anything crooked") spear (spjót, cf. höggspjót above)", as in the 1914 translation of Grettis sagaGrettis sagaGrettis saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It details the life of Grettir Ásmundarson, a bellicose Icelandic outlaw.- Overview :...
by G. H. Hight: "Over Thorfinn's bed there hangs the great halberd which belonged to Kar the Old", which translates: "Yfir sæng Þorfinns hangir krókaspjótið stóra er átt hefir Kár hinn gamli." - skeggöx, literally "bearded (skegg : "beard") axe (öx)", as in the 1893 translation of Egils sagaEgils sagaEgils saga is an epic Icelandic saga. The oldest transcript dates back to 1240 AD. The saga is centered on the life of Egill Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald...
by W. C. Green: "He gave into his hands a halberd that he had been carrying. Such weapons were then customary", which translates: "Hann seldi honum í hendur skeggöxi eina, er Þórður hafði haft í hendi; þau vopn voru þá tíð...".
It is thus difficult to know what kind of weapon these translations, and the original texts, refer to. There are several interpretations. The first Icelandic-English Dictionary by Richard Cleasby
Richard Cleasby
Richard Cleasby was an English philologist, author with Guðbrandur Vigfússon of the first Icelandic-English dictionary.-Life:He was eldest son of Stephen Cleasby, and brother of Anthony Cleasby, born on 30 November 1797...
and Guðbrandur Vigfússon
Guðbrandur Vigfússon
Guðbrandur Vigfússon, known in English as Gudbrand Vigfusson, was one of the foremost Scandinavian scholars of the 19th century.-Life:He was born of an Icelandic family in Breiðafjörður...
, translates kesja as "a kind of halberd" and states that "kesja, atgeir and höggspjót appear to be the same thing".
Other translations have been used, most notably "bill
Bill (weapon)
The bill is a polearm weapon used by infantry in medieval Europe.The bill is similar in size, function and appearance to the halberd, differing mainly in the hooked blade form...
". For instance, in the 1892 translation of Eyrbyggja saga
Eyrbyggja saga
Eyrbyggja saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The name means the saga of the inhabitants of Eyrr, which is a farm on Snæfellsnes on Iceland. The name is slightly misleading as it deals also with the clans of Þórsnes and Alptafjörðr. The most central character is Snorri Þorgrímsson or Snorri goði...
by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson, atgeir
Atgeir
An atgeir, sometimes called a "mail-piercer" or "hewing-spear," was a type of polearm in use in Viking Age Scandinavia and Norse colonies in the British Isles and Iceland. It is usually translated in English as "halberd", but most likely closer resembled a bill or glaive during the Viking age...
is translated in this manner: "Thou shalt go to Holyfell and get into the loft that is over the outer door, and pull up the boards of the floor, so that thou may'st thrust a bill therethrough; then when Snorri goes out to his privy, thou shalt thrust the bill through the floor of the loft into his back so hard that it may come out at his belly", which translates : "Þú skalt fara til Helgafells og ganga í loft það er þar er yfir útidyrum og rýma fjalir í gólfinu svo að þú fáir þar lagt atgeiri í gegnum. En þá er Snorri gengur til kamars þá skaltu leggja atgeirinum í gegnum loftsgólfið í bak Snorra svo fast að út gangi um kviðinn".
Egils saga
Egils saga
Egils saga is an epic Icelandic saga. The oldest transcript dates back to 1240 AD. The saga is centered on the life of Egill Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald...
gives a description of what it calls a kesja:
The weapon would thus have a blade with a diamond cross-section at the end, and an additional spike attached to the socket, whose placement and purpose is not explained. The length of the weapons' shaft is unclear : it has been translated as "the shaft stood just high enough for the hand to grasp the socket", as above, but also as "no taller than might be grasped at the socket by the hand", which could mean that the shaft was just long enough to be grasped in one hand, and thus, no bigger than a sword's hilt
Hilt
The hilt of a sword is its handle, consisting of a guard,grip and pommel. The guard may contain a crossguard or quillons. A ricasso may also be present, but this is rarely the case...
.
Archeological evidence
The term "Viking halberd" has been used to describe a find in North America in the 1995 book Early Vikings of the New World, but it has been later demonstrated to be a tobacco cutter.There has currently been, in fact, no clearly identified Viking halberd
Halberd
A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on...
or bill
Bill (weapon)
The bill is a polearm weapon used by infantry in medieval Europe.The bill is similar in size, function and appearance to the halberd, differing mainly in the hooked blade form...
found. Spears are the only type of polearms found in Viking graves. It is possible that halberds and bills were not part of Viking funerary customs, as opposed to other weapons that have been found in graves. Bills have been found in Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
graves from the Merovingian period, which predates the Viking age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
; but their use by the Scandinavians is not attested and, if existent, seemed to have been rare.