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The Viking warrior had no trouble finding work whether by proof on the battlefield or by reputation alone. They served as mercenaries as far as Constantinople. Their travels took them as far west as America, but the settlements in the Americas were not as successful....

Who doesn't think of a sword (500262) when talking about these brutal warriors? In fact it was so preferred and highly valued that a sword would be named and treated with reverence. Often it was passed down from father to son and then again until broken or buried with great honor with a chieftain. In the cases where the sword did pass to the afterlife with its owner it was also ritually killed. The reason this was done is not entirely clear, but...

A warrior would have had a helmet (300386) and sometimes a mail shirt (300170), but always a large round shield (801108). This was most often slung on the back when fighting with a spear or two hand axes (600642). The form of fighting with a shield was very open and swift and anything was fair play. Thought of as a defensive tool, it was actually used as an offensive weapon with devastating effectiveness. When holding the sword and shield an indi...