[Tomas Kringen]

Hello there.

I seem to recall viewing some pictures about a year or two ago of some sturdy and handsome looking men wearing chain-mail tunikas and wielding large axes

I'm currently doing historical research for a computer game modification and I'm hoping someone here would post me a link or two. What I'm looking for is from the period 1080-1400.

Cheers.

[Nathan F]

are you looking for scandinavian arms and armour within this time frame? thats a HUGE change within these periods you are looking at the end of the viking period into the introduction of plate up to its full use of al whyte harnesses never mind the weapons i could help more if you narrowed down exactly what it is you want.

[Elling Polden]

Handsome? axe? Mail hauberk? Sound like me...
the military equipment in scandinavia developed along with continental europe, so the span is huge. The main difference is that they continued to fight on foot, and rely on popular mobilization, so you have a lot leidang troops with kite/heater shields and spears, and armour to match their income, led by the king and his hirdmen.
Large axes seem to have been a prime dress accessory.

You could also try poking around on http://forum.blankvaapen.org/

What kind of game, btw?

[Scott Woodruff]

This is the exact area and span of time that I am most interested in. The Viking Age seems to get all the attention, but the Scandinavian "flavor" continues to be quite distinct into the 17th century. I'll summerize a few things i have learned about the post-viking developement of Scandinavian arms and armor.

The first and best source you ought to check out is the "Speculum Regale" or "King's Mirror." This wonderful mid-13th century manuscript describes arms and armor of the period in great detail, a.s well as giving advice on their use.

Check out the "Help with N. European sword" do-it-yourself thread for some pics of distinctly Scandinavian swords. Also try the "funky viking shield" thread about 12th-13th century Nordic buckler-shield. Other distinctly Scandinavian weapons include the svardstaff, a sword-on-a-stick with large s-shaped guard. A German mercenary named Dolstein sp? wrote a diary of his experience fighting Swedish militia in the early 1500's, complete with detailed illustrations of militiamen in all sorts of outdated armor, mostly carrying crossbows and svardstaff with a few really large swords on their belts.

While it is true that Scandinavian arms mostly follow continental trends, they tend to lag behind the rest of Europe and to develope their own very distinct and unique arms.

[Nils Anderssen]

Since you are living in Oslo you can also easily visit the museums there. It is a really good source of information that you are lucky to have so close to you

For the period you are interested in I can highly recommend Kulturhistorisk Museum (Museum of Cultural History) and Forsvarsmuseet (The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum).

Good luck!

[Jimmy Eriksson-Werf]

Here are some good pictures that are accurate according to findings:

Viking warrior:
http://histvarld.historiska.se/histvarld/drae...index.html

14th century infantryman:
http://histvarld.historiska.se/histvarld/drae...index.html

Fighting nobleman, late 14th century:
http://histvarld.historiska.se/histvarld/drae...index.html

Gunner, late 14th century:
http://histvarld.historiska.se/histvarld/drae...index.html

Infantryman, late 15th century
http://histvarld.historiska.se/histvarld/drae...index.html

[David Clark]

[Jimmy Eriksson-Werf]

Well, try google translator? That should help you out some at least.