Viking

Viking
Weapons	Great Axe, Long Sword, Spear, Shield
Origin	Scandanavia
Activities	Raiding and pillaging
Service	700s-1000s AD
Battle Status	Defeated by the Samurai
Experts	Casey Hendershot (Viking Weapons Instructor) Matt Nelson (Viking Combat Expert)

"A Viking would not fight fair. He was there to win, to kill you, and to take your possessions, bring them back, and feed his own family." -Matt Nelson, Viking combat expert.

The Viking, battle-crazed berserker who terrorized Europe;

The Samurai, Japan's lightning-fast dealer of death.

Stats

• Height - 5' 7"
• Weight 175 lbs
• Gear - 65 lbs
• Armor - Chain Mail
• Symbol - Great Axe (Iconic Viking Weapon)

History

As Vikings did not have a written language: not much is known about them except for accounts written by their enemies. What was known is that the Norse lived in Northern Europe (which is what the word 'Norse' meant). This biome was too cold for agriculture and as populations grew; hunting and fishing drove the region to famine. This forced the Norse to raid in order to survive.

On June 8th 793 AD, the catholic monastery of Lindisfarne was the seat of the bishop for Northern Britain. The monastery was wealthy but relatively defenseless; making it the site of the first Viking raid against Christian lands.

Vikings  sailors  and warriors that settled across the lands of northern Asia, Europe and areas connected to the Arctic and Baltic Sea. They pirated and pillaged lands to obtain its natural resources and valuables. While considered barbaric by other people, the vikings fought not only for the wealth of plunder but also to die in battle, The Norsemen believed that to enter Valhalla (the viking heaven), one had to die in battle.

Viking's were also brilliant explorers and tradesmen, trading as far away as the Middle East. Their bold nature and skills as explorers lead them to settle Iceland and Greenland and to discover the Americas more than 400 years before Columbus. However the Vikings saw no reason to colonize America; especially since the Native American populations were still relatively big enough to defend themselves (as the Natives were not affected by European plagues at that time).

Many Viking kings would create the foundations of modern European states; most noticeably the Norman William the Conqueror in England and Rurik Prince of Novgorod in Russia and Ukraine.

The 1060s were seen as the end of the Viking Age with the Norman conquests of England. After this, Viking raiding faded away. Most Vikings by this time converted to Christianity.

Weapons:

Weapon	Viking	Kills
Close Range:	Great Axe	134
Mid Range:	Long Sword	175
Long Range:	Spear	92
Special Weapons:	Shield	77

Three other long range weapons the Vikings used were the Bow and Arrow, the Sling and the Javelin.

Vikings have also been known to use Improvised Weapons: Rocks, Sticks, Boathooks, Whale Bones, Scyths, Clothes Beaters, Boat oress, anvils, mane shears, and sled runners.

During times of siege vikings used siege engines (Ballistas, Battering rams, Mangonels and Catapults). They also used other siege tactics (Mining and Fire).

Along with Chain Mail vikings also wore clothing padded with heavy (and possibly light) leather.

Viking Symbol

Weapons in Deadliest Warrior: The Game

• Close Range: Long Sword, Skeggox
• Mid-Range: Great Axe, Atgeir
• Long-Range: Spear, Double Spear Throw
• Special Weapon: Langsax
• Finisher: The Viking slashes into the victim's shoulder with his langsax, embedding it in their body. As the victim staggers away, the Viking pulls out his great axe (or atgeir) and brings it down in a powerful overhand chop into the back of the victim's head. Finally, he grabs the handle of his weapon and wrenches it out of the dead victim's head, walking away.

Battle

The battle starts with the Viking throwing his Great Axe to the ground as the Samurai approaches him with his Yumi Bow and Naginata in hand. He lets out a battle cry and then pulls out an arrow. He fires at the Viking and hits him in the shoulder. He pulls out the arrow and looks up, only to find a second arrow coming at him. It hits him in his helmet and dazes him. The Viking pulls out two spears and charges at the Samurai. When he gets close, he hurls them both at the Samurai. The Samurai attempts to dodge them, but he is struck by one and thrown to the floor. The Viking pulls out his Great Axe and rushes at the Samurai. The Samurai gets up and grabs his Naginata. The Viking swings his axe but is blocked by the Naginata. The Samurai twists his Naginata and throws away the Viking's axe. He hits the Viking with the Naginata, but the damage is slightly reduced by the Viking's chain mail. The Viking recovers his Great Axe and begins swing wildly at the Samurai. With a heavy blow, he knocks the Naginata out of the Samurai's hands and kicks the Samurai. The Viking swings the axe at the Samurai's back, but like the chain mail against the Naginata, the Samurai's armor manages to prevent the axe from tearing into the Samurai and killing him. The Samurai pulls out his Kanabo club and hits the Great Axe, once again knocking it out of the Viking's hands. He tries to swing at the Viking, but the Viking blocks with his Shield. The Samurai begins to savagely hit the Shield with his Kanabo, and manages to chip off a small portion. The Viking then gets up and charges at the Samurai with his Shield. He pushes the Samurai all the way to a bridge and then off of it. The Samurai falls into a ditch below and loses his club. The Viking draws his Longsword and jumps down. The Samurai manages to get up and pulls out his Katana. The two begin to clash swords, with the Samurai getting in blows at the Viking. The Viking swings at the Samurai, but the sword just slides off of his armor. He tries to once again push the Samurai. The Samurai moves out of the way, and the Viking crashes into a tree. The Samurai swings at his legs and forces the Viking to his knees. The Samurai raises his sword and thrusts it into the Viking's back. He pulls out his sword, and the Viking falls to the floor. The Samurai turns over the Viking and prepares to thrust his sword again, but sees that the Viking is dead. He cleans the blood from his sword and puts it away, and then turns around and slowly limps away.

Expert's Opinion

The Viking's defeat was credited to his reliance on force and brute strength, which were countered by the Samurai's superior technique and armor.

Trivia

• Vikings never wore horns in battle. Horned helmets did exist in other Pagan civilizations, but primarily for religious purposes. Horned helmets are expensive, get tangled easily and can be grabbed onto by enemy warriors; giving the warrior a significant disadvantage.
• William the Conqueror was of Viking descent, his great-great-great-grandfather Hrolf, latinized as "Rollo", was a Danish or Norwegian leader who settled in northern France. His Norman soldiers were also descended from Vikings.
• Historians believe that some of the first Russian kingdoms were decedents of Vikings; who brought stability to the region. 
• Dublin was founded by Vikings and used as a naval base. Vikings would launch many of their raids on Great Britain from Dublin.
• The Louvre in Paris was built as a fort against Vikings before becoming a palace and later a museum.
• Beserkers were Vikings that were drugged and violent, being a feared warrior. The Deadliest Warrior experts couldn't legally test the effect of the drugs on a person. Some historians believe that the berzerkers worked themselves into a rage rather than using drugs.
• In a manner similar to Celts or Native Americans, Vikings were not part of a single nation. There were multiple Viking tribes and many of these tribes were hostile towards each other.
• In the Battle of Stamford Bridge 1066; a single Viking soldier blocked King Harold's army on the bridge and killed 40 of his English men before being ambushed by an English spearman from under the bridge. There is much debate over the accuracy of this tale or if this warrior even existed.
• When Iceland was settled by the Vikings; 70% of the female population immigrated from Ireland, not from Northern Europe.
• One of the most infamous victims of the Vikings was Charles the Fat (III). Considered politically incompetent and weak, he surrendered twice to Viking invaders.
• Yuletide comes from the word Yule; a winter Viking feast the emphasized evergreens. This was one of the major influences of modern day Christmas: as Christian missionaries allowed these Pagan traditions to continue in order to maintain the spread of Christianity.
• In Birka, Sweden a female Viking skeleton was discovered; although there is much debate over the role of this norsewoman and if she was a true warrior.
• Erik the Red, one of the first Vikings to settle Greenland, went to the island primarily because he was exiled from Norway and Iceland for his brutality (even by Viking standards).