Viking ships, shown in yesterday’s post, enabled great mobility for Viking warriors. Fierce and well-armed, they became so feared that eventually all they generally had to do was show up. Those they invaded had two choices: pay up or fight. Plunder became extravagant as the countries they invaded paid the Viking pipers. The Viking exhibit at the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria shows both sides of the extortion equation: the weaponry and the booty. Gold and silver, of course, were prized. And so was glass, which was very rare in the Viking era. A replica sword in a plastic case is accessible to grasp and hold for weight and balance. Though the swords I’ve photographed look crude, the originals held a justifiably fearsome place in history.
The Vikings seem to have been crude and rude so a crude weapon would be understandable. Did you heft the sword to determine its weight? And what happened to all the Viking wealth. Maybe that was used to start the Volvo auto company and/or Absolut Vodka. Well, it could have!
Glad you liked that video. I watched it again and laughed out loud!
I remember once watching a documentary on swordmaking and the Viking weaponry. They definitely knew their stuff in that regard.
A wonderful collage that visualizes the areas of plunder and activity that you revealed in your comments re. Viking history.
The museum shows booty? My my my!