Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas: 3

A speculative reconstruction of one-on-one Viking combat based on fighting moves described in the Sagas of Icelanders, including:

---hearing the noise of the weapon slicing the air: Eyrbyggja saga, ch. 36
Þorleifur tók hana upp og reiddi skjótt yfir höfuð sér og hugði að setja í höfuð Arnkatli. En er Arnkell heyrði hvininn hljóp hann undir höggið...
Þorleifur picked it up and lifted it quickly up above his head, intending to bring it down on Arnkell's head. But when Arnkel heard the whistling sound of the weapon through the air, he ducked under the blow.

---picking up an improvised weapon: Svarfdæla saga, ch. 5
Greip hann þá ásstubba einn og barðist með.
He grabbed the stump of a log and fought with it.

---using two swords, one in each hand: Droplaugarsona saga, ch. 15
Grímur hafði tvö sverð því að Gaus kunni að deyfa eggjar. Grímur vó jafnt báðum höndum. Hann brá upp sverði með vinstri hendi en hjó með hinni hægri til Gauss og af fótinn fyrir ofan kné.
Grímur had two swords, because Gaus knew how to blunt sword-edges. Grímur fought equally well with both hands. He raised one sword with his left hand and struck with the right at Gaus, taking off one of his legs above the knee.

---using a cloak to make a sword ineffectual: Finnboga saga ramma, ch. 39
Finnbogi... spratt upp í móti og brá feldinum að sverðinu og snaraði að honum þegar.
... he sprang up to meet him, throwing his cloak on the sword and instantly twisting towards him.

---using a sword two-handed: Egils saga, ch. 66
Og er skjöldur Atla var mjög ónýttur þá kastaði hann honum, tók þá sverðið tveim höndum og hjó sem tíðast.
When Atli's shield was split right through, he tossed it away, took his sword in both hands and hacked away with all his might.

---kill with the edge of a shield: Bjarnar saga Hítdælakappa, ch. 32
Þá þreif Björn sporð skjaldarins hinni hendinni og rak í höfuð Þórði svo að hann fékk þegar bana.
Then Björn grasped the bottom of the shield with his other hand and drove it into Þórður's head so that he was killed at once.

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Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Viking
• combat
• saga
• Sagas of Icelanders
• fight
• sword
• shield
• axe
• spear
• sax
• historical martial arts
• HEMA
• Hurstwic
• Higgins Armory Sword Guild