ABSTRACT

Presenting a range of evidence for these diverse styles, from Roman art to early medieval bracteate amulets, and from classical texts to Beowulf, the Edda and Icelandic sagas, Professor Speidel here details seventeen different Germanic warriors styles, including berserks, wolf-warriors, club-wielders, long-hairs, ghost warriors and horse-stabbers, and how they indicate an unbroken continuity of customs, beliefs and battle-field tactics.

Ancient Germanic warriors played a decisive role in historical events from 200 BC, when Germanic culture first became identifiable, to AD 1000 when Christianity swept through the Nordic countries. Arising from beliefs and states of mind, a variety of warrior styles manifested themselves in differences of dress, weaponry and fighting technique.

Fully illustrated with over fifty photographs, this vivid and fascinating survey adds a colourful new dimension to our understanding of the history of Europe.

chapter |8 pages

INTRODUCTION

chapter |1 pages

Part 1 ANIMAL WARRIORS

chapter 1|24 pages

WOLVES

chapter 2|7 pages

BEARS

chapter 3|5 pages

BUCKS

chapter 4|4 pages

MARTENS

chapter |1 pages

Part 2 FRIGHTENING WARRIORS

chapter 5|22 pages

NAKED BERSERKS

chapter 6|3 pages

GHOSTS

chapter |1 pages

Part 3 STRONG MEN

chapter 7|10 pages

CLUB-WIELDERS

chapter 8|3 pages

WIELDERS OF HUGE SPEARS

chapter |1 pages

Part 4 SHIELD WARRIORS

chapter 9|6 pages

SHIELD CASTLES

chapter 10|4 pages

CHANTING

chapter 11|12 pages

WAR DANCES

chapter |1 pages

Part 5 CHURLS

chapter 12|2 pages

DART-THROWERS

chapter 13|2 pages

ROCK-THROWERS

chapter |1 pages

Part 6 HORSEMEN

chapter 14|6 pages

LANCERS

chapter 15|4 pages

SPEAR-THROWERS

chapter 16|3 pages

WHEELING RIGHT

chapter |1 pages

Part 7 FOOT AGAINST HORSE

chapter 17|14 pages

HORSE-STABBERS

chapter 18|8 pages

HORSE-HEWERS

chapter |1 pages

Part 8 OUTSTANDING WARRIORS

chapter 19|6 pages

LONG-HAIRS

chapter 20|9 pages

HELMET-WEARERS

chapter |1 pages

Part 9 WARRIOR STYLES THROUGH THE AGES

chapter 22|3 pages

END AND AFTERGLOW

chapter |1 pages

CONCLUSION

chapter |2 pages

TIMETABLE