Great Axe

The Great Axe

The Great Axe is a long-handled axe of Scandanavian descent. It was the Close-Range weapon of the Viking.

Stats

• Short Range
• 5 feet
• 7 lbs
• Wood handle with steel head

Description

The Great axe has a wide, thin blade with pronounced "horns" on the heel and toe of the curved bit. The head was moderately light and thin, with the bit being made of harder carbon steel to give it a sharper cutting edge. The wooden handle was up to 5 feet long.

Use

The great axe was used for powerful, overhand chops, taking advantage of the Viking's great height. Proportionally, it has more in common with a modern meat cleaver than a wood axe, and was highly effective in battle. It was also used for choping wood.

In Show test

During the test, the axe cleaved the gel dummy in half in two back to back downward chops, visually appearing to reach beyond the heart and lungs with the axe blade. It was compared to being hit by a train. In the season 1 aftermath it was commented as the most damaging ancient weapon of season 1 in terms of damage done to a test dummy. The axe was tested against the Samurai helmet, where the glancing blow failed to give more than minor trauma, but it was given the edge over the Katana do to the greater force of the hit.

However despite its effectiveness the axe tested was not the axe shown initially when the axe was presented, or the one used in final fight simulation. During the testing the axe was preplaced with a shorter axe more similar to a wood axe rather than a battle axe. But during battle vikings would use the great axe, farm axe, and the long-bearded axe.