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I'm Hello and welcome to the history of Vikings.

During the Middle Ages, seafaring Scandinavian marauders

wrought havoc in lands both near and far, from Iceland to Finland and

Cordoba to Constantinople. These were warriors who belonged to an altogether violent society.

They are known to us today as Vikings. One may read about their military exploits in Old Norse sagas in the chronicles of

Christian monks. Walk across the remains of warships and ring fortresses or behold their

carefully preserved weapons in some of Europe's finest museums. Yet it has always been unclear to me

how the Vikings fought. Did they use battle tactics?

Were young warriors formally trained for battle? How should we understand warfare as it relates to

the Viking way of life? Today on the podcast we'll be addressing all of this and more in an exciting episode about Viking combat.

Joining me to discuss this topic is William R. Short, manager and lead researcher of Hurstwick,

a New England-based organization devoted to Viking culture. In addition to co-authoring his latest book, William wrote Viking weapons in

combat technologies, along with Icelanders in the Viking Age. I'm also joined by Rainier A.

Oskerson, an Icelandic martial arts instructor and combat researcher at Hurstwick. Rainier has been recognized by the Wrestling Association

of Iceland for his study of Glema, the Viking Age empty-hand combat that evolved into Iceland's

national sport. William and Rainier authored a book entitled Men of Terror, a comprehensive analysis of Viking combat.

Before we get into my conversation with William and Rainier, I want to tell you that you can now

support the history of Vikings on Patreon as a way to support this podcast. Hosting the show is my greatest passion in life, and your help

makes all of this possible. Follow the link in the description of this episode, or go to patreon.com

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