can i assume that the viking sword is about a metre long? because thats an AWFULLY tall daneaxe, and how tall is that one handed spear then, by comparison to the sword it looks nearly 3 metres tall. the axe looks like its not that much shorter tall, it looks more more like a halberd wthout a fluke and topspike.

The daneaxe is exactly 2m. The spear was shafted today, and I have not measured it yet.
The walking axe is ca 1,2 m, the handax ca 90.

A short clip showing the strikes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdRo7jval-s&feature=youtu.be

that is very interesting how you semed to be partially shielded *although your shield seems of a lenticular design compared to the flat sdesign of most viking roundshields. so that might help cover your shoulder abit better.
i gave it a quick try and i can see the merits..

but why exactly is that daneaxe so big?

OK, OK,

Let me get this straight.

So some folks are saying a 3-4 ft. length, some a 4-5 ft, and some a 6 ft. length?? :wtf:

I tend to think the axe would be longer, like say 5-6 ft. I cannot see the benefit of a 3-4 ft. dane axe, as it is not ideal for 1 handed use with a shield and it is too short to keep some distance from the opponent(s). In addition, there is no artwork showing a dane axe of this short length.

I'm just not seeing any consensus here.

On the leidang law. I do not believe that the broadaxe they speak of as a substitute for a sword, necessarily has to take the exact length of a sword to replace it. I believe more that it is considered a weapon of equal strength. in the phase of the battle where spears are used, use a spear, in the phase when a sword and shield is used, use that, or, if you dont have one, use a broadaxe... its about bringing the right tool for the right job.
depictions show all kind of lengths...

mine is 1,8m, and well... its useable in linefighting, reenactment style, although I would have used a longer one in real life line fights. It's really good for duels, against most other weapons, and I would have kept that length in real life. i like that length for pollaxes as well... (well, maybe add a dague to that)
but this is very subjective, its not presented as an argument, but a sugestion for a good length to choose:)

if you look at petersens work on axes, you will see a development of the big azes through the viking age. in the beginning, the axeheads seems to small to be called a dane axe. maybe they had long axes with small heads, but i doubt it. then comes the larger bearded axes, good for cutting, not perfect for stabbing, and then they gradually grows a forward point, and looses their beard, and by the 11th.c. they have a head that has a absolutely devastaing stabbing effect.
(the back of the point on the axe works as a plow, pushing the edge of the axe sideways as you push it forwards, digging diagonally into the object, and maximizing the cutting effect of the edge..)

so, the use of the axe changes through this limited time period, so we can assume that it developed both before and after this time period as well. we have stones carvings of bronze age axes that seem to be 2,5 meters long, and well, the multitude of offspring from the daneaxes that show up in the middle ages speak for itself.

as for whatever you choose as a corect length for your axe, at least now you have enough information to start a long an potentially boring lecture on axe lengths during your period of interests, and thats all we ask for, right? :P

oh, oh, an adittion to ellings pointers on the use of the axe in lines. in reenactment line fights, we use the daneaxes a lot to fortify our line. when we push, the axe does the pushing, and when we are pushed, the daneaxe holds the pushing back. they are very good at taking ground, holding ground and dominate ground...

I've chosen to go with a long haft with a light head, so that I can easily cut the haft down if I feel that the six footer is too long.

Thanks, everyone!

This might be too far off-topic, but:

Is there a historical basis for putting a polearm on a sling? As an example, when the shield wall breaks or during a skirmish, does one simply abandon one's spear or longaxe when its reach becomes a liability or was/is there a method of retaining the polearm? If there was not, assuming that the Anglo-Saxon Huscarls fought without a shield as depicted on the Bayeux tapestry, might they have retained their long axes in the left hand while using sword or axe in the right?

Josh: It is quite posible to hold the axe in the left hand while using a sword. Simply let go of the axe with the right hand and go for the sword.
Personaly, I sometimes hold my sword in the rigth hand while fighting with the axe or tow handed spear when I expect to rush or be rushed. To do this you need a slender griped sword, of course.

The only preserved "Dane" axe (Petersen type M) haft that I know of is that from grave 37 at Kirkkomaki, Finnland. It measures 108cm in length. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ST5Hd4X3BhgJ:vddb.laba.lt/fedora/get/LT-eLABa-0001:J.04~2007~ISSN_1392-5520.N_8.PG_302-309/DS.002.1.01.ARTIC+jorma+leppaaho+sword&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh81uMhpHGkAzwBxV5__W4j01cN1Pc5cMEJner_7E-WyLodizO2v7GephltA-TK9iq_5zBirvIu7kNsT1gS7N0tcSOQ_MUngIRaQdANjBQypmnBoNiwpmqTGkLmt7IhWxN-Dej5&sig=AHIEtbQ4vYNxN4k_4goI_zofQhMyAkVRvg

it still feels odd that this is the only one we have, then again the vikings had a habit of bending swords and snapping spear shafts before putting them in for burial.

so maybe there is less oppertunity for spear shaft preservation in the form of stains.

My group uses dane axes as a primary weapon next to spears. After trolling through the sagas and other period source documentation we use the weilders armpit as the length of our dane axes. We found that with a danish axe head 3-4ft was too short. With the haft at 5ish ft (armpit length) you hold it with your hands at about 1/3 (R) and 2/3 (Left hand nearest the axe head) on the haft with the head over the weilders shoulder (haft just below horizontal) the lower third of the haft facing forward can be used for parrying opponent which is also the start of the attacking swing. Having the right hand nearest the foot of the axe allows for better control when parrying (assuming the weilder is right handed). We use hewing spears in a similar fashion.

Of all the original danish axe heads that I have seen I'd have to say 85% are too big to be weilded on anything less than 5ft

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This axe weighs 1350g (just under 3lbs and that shield is about 3ft across. I make these axes if anyone wants one. AUD$110 for the head or AUD$180 with haft

One thing to keep in mind is that these really large type M axes make up only a small proportion of finds, most are of much more moderate size according to Peterssen. The Finnish example alluded to above with the 108cm shaft was one of the large-headed variety though.