Although I have retired since joining this group...

[w0nderer]

92. Bearded viking axe

i have a similar one irl, shorter handled though

vikings kinda 'elected' their kings and they weren't 'better than' they were "first among chiefs" kinda thing

the tradition lived on in Sweden at least partially to 15-1600's (some of it lives still..the Eriksgata (where the king rides all over the country in a carriage without much of a guard) is one of them

in the old days it was a 'do you have the guts' and 'do you have the support' proof in one trip

a few Swedish kings were....voted out with one (axe, or spear, or sword, or ...) but since the axe is a little symbolic of vikings along with saex and scaemasaex ( long and short knifes)

for me.....it's a sorta reminder to the 1%... the ultimate recourse of any confrontation is physical action, from the 1% they... send by way of politicians..riot police or national guard, for the people the reply is rebellion (historical facts)

bear in mind the bearded axe was also used to build houses, boats, cut firewood and so forth, it really was a tool more so than a weapon, but when a viking couldn't afford a sword and the time to train with one...why not use the thing that's most comfortable in hand and he DOES have some training with

/end history lesson