Markland Merchants – Vikingr (Raider) – Type L Fighting Axe
This hafted version of the Markland Merchants Raider Axe is a robust, real axe meant for serious reenactors and enthusiasts and was designed by a Viking reenactor who wished to make a higher quality and more accurate Viking axe available. It is crafted to a higher level of quality than many other axes with attention paid to fit and finish, such as the fitting of the axe to the stained Hickory haft being tailored to each haft by using the historical techniques of clamping and bending the points of the axehead into the wood to make it very closely fitted to the haft and highly resistant to movement. The fitting of the axe socket is futher enhanced by a sheet of malleable copper to form-fit the interior of the axe socket to the haft which is a fine bit of practical detailing that is historically accurate, but rarely executed with modern replicas. Please Note: we recommend using Butchers block wax to re-seal and moisturize the handles to keep them from drying out and shrinking over time. Replacement hafts will be made available in the near future.
“Vikings” is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe. Our Petersen Type L fighting axe, which we have called the Vikingr, is one that any Viking warrior of the time would have been proud to carry and is based on the dimensions and weights of historical examples. The head weighs approximately 1lb, and when mounted on a haft of the right length – it becomes a very quick and balanced weapon that is an absolute joy to wield. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear the sails rippling in the wind, feel the salt spray on your face, and taste the sea air seasoned with a slight hint of burning thatch.