Are there any surviving scripts on how the various battle axes were used in Europe through the Medieval ages? I'm especially interested in how the popular danish war axe was used. I've also read somewhere that the Varangians wielded large battle axes, maybe the same as the danish axes?

Cheers
Jimmie

Hi Jimmie,
There are no known surviving treatises for single handed axes, unfortunately. There are, however, treatises dealing with the poleaxe, and those techniques translated easily to smaller two handed axes with minor modification.

Further, the systems that were practiced weren't really "sword" or "dagger" or "staff" systems. They were complete martial arts. So if you study, say, the Liechtenauer tradition, even though it doesn't specifically show techniques for a single handed axe, you'd still be able to pick one up and understand how to use it based on the martial principles.

I will second what Bill said about pollaxe techniques and about using a weapon in the context of whatever system you've trained. I pick up an escrima stick/umbrella/garden hoe and I use Fiore's principles.

But also give the Hurstwic site a look.

http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manu...ng_axe.htm

That article is all about viking axes, if you scroll down to the bottom they give some ideas about combat with both single-hand axe and shield and two-handed axes.