The Vikings opened most engagements at distance. A shield-wall fight typically began with a volley of thrown spears, then arrow exchanges if both sides had archers, and only then closed to melee. Naval combat — where two longships locked together and fought across the gap between them — was even more dominated by missile weapons. The four weapons collected here cover that distance-fighting kit, plus the formation thrust-spear that was the bedrock of Norse infantry.
Viking Spear
The bread-and-butter weapon of the Norse infantryman. A leaf-shaped or lozenge-shaped iron head, 20 to 50 centimetres long, socketed onto an ash haft of 180 to 250 centimetres. Cheaper than a sword, more versatile than an axe, and lethal in formation. The spear is what most Vikings actually carried into combat.
In the shield wall, the spear was a formation weapon. Two ranks could deploy spears at once — the front rank thrusting, the rear rank reaching past them to extend the line of points. Outside formation, the spear was a ritual weapon: Norse tradition held that battles should open with a thrown spear cast over the enemy line, dedicating them to Odin, who hung pierced on the world-tree by his own spear, Gungnir.
Atgeir
The saga-weapon. The atgeir appears repeatedly in Norse literature wielded by named heroes — Gunnar Hámundarson in Njál's Saga, Egil Skallagrímsson in Egil's Saga — but the archaeological identification is uncertain. The Old Norse word means roughly "at-spear," and the best modern reconstructions converge on a long polearm with a composite head: a thrusting blade above, secondary cutting edges or a hook below.
Used two-handed, the atgeir gave its owner roughly twice the reach of a sword-and-shield opponent, the option to cut as well as thrust, and a hook for catching shields or sweeping legs. Gunnar's atgeir famously "sang" before battle — a high ringing tone the saga treats as an omen of death. The phenomenon may have a real basis in vibrating composite metal under tension, although the prophetic element is harder to defend on archaeological grounds.
Throwing Spear
The lighter cousin of the thrust-spear. Old Norse skotspjót, "shot-spear." A shorter haft (150 to 200 centimetres), a smaller narrower head designed for penetration, and a total weight of around 600 to 1000 grams. Balanced for casting at the opening of an engagement at effective ranges of 25 to 30 metres with reasonable accuracy.
Throwing spears were especially important in naval combat. Two longships locked together for boarding fought their first phase as a missile exchange: thrown spears, arrows, and anything else heavy enough to hurt. A Viking longship carried bundles of throwing spears in the bilge — twenty or thirty per warrior was not unusual on a long raid. The same throwing spear that opened a battle could also be the one dedicated to Odin in the opening cast.
Hedeby Bow
The Norse longbow, named for the famous 10th-century specimen recovered from the harbour of Hedeby in modern Schleswig. The Hedeby bow is the best-preserved Viking-age bow known, and the type-example for what Norse archers actually shot. A yew self-bow, around 191 centimetres long with a D-shaped cross-section, drawn to an estimated 90 to 130 pounds. A serious war bow capable of penetrating mail at close range.
Bows were primary in naval combat, useful in skirmish on land, and the universal hunting weapon of the Norse household. The most famous archery moment in Norse literature is from the Battle of Svolder in 1000 AD: the young archer Einar Tambarskelfir, firing for King Olaf Tryggvason, had his bowstring snap mid-battle. Olaf asked what had broken with such a great crack. Einar replied: "Norway, lord, from your hand." Olaf was indeed defeated at Svolder.