Antiqued Danish Axe

Leif Erikson had a strong family background in exploration. His father Erik Thorvaldsson, Erik the Red, was a Norwegian Viking, and is remembered in the sagas as having founded the first settlement in Greenland. "The Red" most likely refers to the color of his beard and hair. Erik’s father Thorvald had been banished from Norway for the crime of manslaughter when Erik was a child, and they had moved to Iceland. Erik followed in his father’s footsteps and was later banished from Iceland for the same crime. There had been Norse attempts to colonize Greenland before, but Erik the Red was the first permanent European settler there. When Erik returned to Iceland after his exile had expired, he is said to have brought with him stories of "Greenland". The branding-strategy worked, and Erik returned to Greenland in 985 with a large number of colonists. Erik remained a follower of Norse paganism, unlike his wife who commissioned Greenland's first church. Erik was supposed to leave on further explorations with his son Leif Eriksson, but fell off his horse on his way to the ship and took this as a bad sign. His son, Leif Erikson, started the journey without his father, and went on to discover Vinland, North America, centuries before Columbus.

The Danish Axe by Hanwei is undoubtedly a fine example of the use of peacetime agricultural tools as weapons in time of war. Equally at home felling trees or adversaries, the axe evokes a fearsome picture of the woodsman at war. This axe has some serious heft to it; at nearly 2.5 kg it hits like a sharpened sledgehammer, and is definitely not for the faint-wristed. Made to be used, with this axe in hand you can feel like the Viking settlers of old just chopping wood in your backyard. A leather sheath to protect you and the edge is included.

Made by Hanwei. Specs will vary slightly from piece to piece.

• Axe was a poor man’s weapon during the Viking Era; an axe for woodwork could be found in every household
• Leather sheath included
• Overall lenght: 46 cm
• Blade lenght: 26 cm
• Weight: 2.3 kg
• Sharpness: sharp
• Material: Carbon steel
• Manufacturer: Hanwei