Viking era axes were TOUGHER than swords!

[atomic_wait]

The really important point is that you can tell 'Let me AXE you a question!' before bringing the thing down on your opponents skull.

[scallopohare]

Love the jolly tone regarding fearsome weapons. 😂

[ryanlastname]

Hey Matt just FYI it's hard to access the link from the description on mobile, instead there's a way to embed the link in the short itself. Hope this helps!

[OasisTypeZaku]

I love the axe. Especially the poleaxe. That thing was every infantryman and Knight's friend. Like a long Dane axe but it's long enough to be a polearm and would often have a point for stabbity, stabbity, business.

Thanks for your continued content, Matt. Your a Legend!

[DelK]

Well, as long as there's going to be context...

[adrianaslund]

Its the most iconic weapon of the vikings for a reason.

[kizcqhl]

I always get a headache when everyone is portrayed with swords, when spears and axes were more numerous in LARGE periods of the "sword and shield" eras depicted in movies. I quite like the axe myself for it's versatility.

[argiedude]

Also if you don't want to dull the edge against a helmet, you can just hit them with the back of the axe.

Alternative mode, the bonk

[theprancingprussian]

Swords can do relatively large damage for their weight ideally
-if hitting a bunch then dullness turns it into more of a lightweight club
-expensive
-even gambeson can do fairly well against them and can limit damage done in cuts, mostly sidelined against maille
-a bunch of practice needed to get the alignment right

[KieranSearleTheDracul]

They are also great for random throwing to break a target's intentions, as are maces.

[colemair]

Well axes were pretty common thing for someone to own even if they weren’t a solder.

[CWCvilleCop]

Now, for CONTEXT, it is quite difficult to block effectively with a hand axe. But if you DO block an incoming blade with the head of your axe, your opponent will be crying over the damage whilst your axe will earn itself a little knick and war story to talk about.

[Loksog]

Please provide the link for the axe video.

[warpdriveby]

Matt...this is true for the entire span of history from the creation of the first sword. Excepting odd individual items like a glass axe or huge pu-dao blades that are more cleaver than sword, any axe in a given period will be FAR more durable than any sword in use, and it's still true now.

[FranssensM]

Axe benefits? You can get your friends to throw them at a drawbridge. You jump the gap and climb up the axe ladder.
Well? Kirk Douglas did it in that film.
Can’t recall the name of it.
I’ll blow this rams horn to call the villagers, see if they know the name of the film.

[Wildwest]

Makes sense why the ax was so prevalent in that era.

[WTM]

They are also a tool! You could use them like wedges split wood hammer steaks they had so many uses in a pinch :D

[OlNeb-kb]

There are times when I’m romanticizing ye old days and wished to have lived back then……then I remember we have antibiotics and no longer have that feeling lol.

[comet]

you can block with the top of the axe and not worry at all about hurting it. an axe requires a lot less skill and time to produce than a sword.

[nUmBskulLL]

Grab the shield with the axe and pull it down or away