The Illustrated Guide to Viking Axe Types

A Viking axe was first a tool, cheap to make and in every household, and only second a weapon. Because iron was affordable while a sword was a costly status object, the axe became the most common arm of the Viking Age (793–1066), buried in the graves of both warriors and ordinary people. This guide sets out the real head shapes, the standard scholarly typology, dated museum finds, and where the history parts ways with the fantasy.

Every Viking axe has two parts: an iron head and a wooden haft. Smiths built the body and socket from tough, shock-absorbing wrought iron, then forge-welded a strip of harder, high-carbon steel onto the cutting edge, so the tool kept a keen edge without being made entirely of scarce, expensive steel. Hafts were cut from hardwood, usually ash or sometimes oak, typically around 70–90 cm for a one-handed axe and longer for a two-handed one.

Beneath the scholarly type-letters, Viking axes fall into three practical families: the light utility / hand axe that did everyday work and fought when it had to; the bearded axe (skeggøx), whose extended lower edge made it a fine dual-purpose tool and weapon; and the wide, thin, two-handed broad axe (breiðøx), the purpose-built war axe better known as the "Dane axe."

The standard scholarly framework for Viking axes comes from the Norwegian archaeologist Jan Petersen, whose 1919 study De norske vikingesverd classified axe heads into a lettered series, commonly cited as twelve types (A through M, with J omitted). It has been refined by later Scandinavian and Baltic scholars but never replaced. The table groups the letters by family; because most surviving hafts are lost and iron corrodes, dates are approximate and given at century level.

Across the Viking Age the axe stayed close to its farming roots. The National Museum of Denmark notes that "whilst the swords of the Viking Age were preserved for the use of just a few, many Vikings owned axes," and that it is often "difficult to tell whether an axe was used as a weapon or a tool." Early heads were small and light; over the 10th–11th centuries a distinct class of large, long-hafted war axe emerged.

That two-handed broad axe, the Dane axe, became the signature weapon of elite bodyguard troops: the huscarls of Anglo-Saxon England and the Varangian Guard of Byzantium. It is one of the most prominent weapons on the Bayeux Tapestry (embroidered c. 1070s), wielded by the armoured axemen around King Harold at Hastings in 1066.

A handful of surviving axes anchor the whole subject. Two are prestige pieces with verifiable dates; the rest show the plain, functional reality, plus one late, ornamented example that is the exception rather than the rule.

The Langeid broadaxe (Museum of Cultural History, Oslo; acc. C58882/4) deserves its own mention: a two-handed war axe from Setesdal, Norway, dated to the early 11th century, with a cutting edge just over 25 cm and a rare band of brass wrapped around its wooden haft. The brass's corrosion products preserved a stump of the original handle. It is the clearest surviving example of a purpose-built Viking battle axe.

The most important axe finds cluster across Viking-Age Scandinavia (Norway, Denmark and Sweden), with the two-handed war axe reaching Anglo-Norse England. The map below locates the sites named in this guide.

Much of the popular image of the Viking axe was invented long after the Viking Age. Here is where the evidence actually stands.

• See how the two great fighting forms differ in Bearded Axe vs Dane Axe.
• What Is a Bearded Axe? explains the skeggøx and its beard in full.
• Viking Axe Throwing Guide covers technique, targets and safety, plus the francisca myth.
• The Best Viking Axes rounds up our hand-forged pieces built on these historical forms.
• Use the Rune Translator to write your name in authentic Norse runes for your axe or jewellery.

What were the main types of Viking axe?

Two forms matter most: the bearded axe (skeggøx), an early dual-purpose tool and one-handed weapon whose lower edge is drawn into a "beard," and the wide two-handed broad axe (breiðøx), the purpose-built "Dane axe." Both sit within Jan Petersen's 1919 typology, which runs from Type A to M.

Did Vikings use double-bladed axes?

No. Every surviving Viking axe is single-bladed. There is no archaeological, artistic or written evidence for a double-bitted Viking axe. The twin-headed axe is a modern forestry tool later adopted by fantasy art and film, not a historical Norse weapon.

How heavy was a Viking axe?

Much lighter than most people expect. One-handed axe heads weighed roughly 0.5–1 kg, and even the large two-handed Dane axe was only about 1–2 kg because its blade was thin, often just 2–5 mm at the bit. Cutting power came from balance and haft length, not weight.

What is a bearded axe?

A bearded axe, or skeggøx, has its lower rear edge extended downward into a hook-like "beard" below the haft line. This adds cutting edge without adding weight and lets the hand grip close behind the blade. It appears early (8th–9th century) and served as both a woodworking tool and a weapon.

Is the francisca a Viking axe?

No. The francisca is a throwing axe of the Franks, typical of the Merovingian period (about 500–750 AD), before the Viking Age began in 793. It is often confused with Viking axes but belongs to Frankish, not Norse, culture.

Where can I see a real Viking axe?

The National Museum of Denmark holds the silver-inlaid Mammen axe; the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo holds the Langeid broadaxe and the Gjermundbu grave; and museums such as the Swedish History Museum and the Met display surviving axe heads. Many collections publish openly-licensed photographs online.