Norwegian battle axe

The Norwegian battle axe, also called Norwegian peasant militia axe, Norwegian peasant axe or peasant battle axe (Norwegian: bondeøks or bondestridsøks), is a tool and weapon from Norway, which was an important part of the Norwegian national defense in the 1600s.

Description

The axe has great symbolic worth in Scandinavia, and appears in the coat of arms of Norway and as a symbol of Saint Olav, the patron saint of Norway. The peasant axe has a mostly straight shaft with a distinct curve towards the blade.^[1] The blade is crescent-shaped blade and single-edged. It is assumed that the axe is a further development of the Viking axe, also known as the Danish axe. The shape of the shaft favors a cutting effect from the blade. Peasant axes were often highly decorated and had a high status in the Norwegian culture as a symbol of the free farmer.

Gallery

• 
  The former coat of arms of Telemark county between 1970-2019 showing a rising peasant axe.
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  Norwegian axe from Gudbrandsdalen, ca. 1654
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See also

• Dane axe
• Shepherd's axe
• Bearded axe
• Pike pole

References

Further reading

• George Cameron Stein, Donald J. LaRocca: En Ordliste med Bygging, Innredning og Bruk av Våpen og Rustninger: i Alle Land og til Alle Tider. Verlag Courier Dover Publications, 1999, ISBN 978-0-486-40726-5 (Opptrykk), side 80.
• Norheim, Per Terje, Fuglseth, Erik: Våpen i Norge, Damm forlag (2000) ISBN 8251205239 (Norwegian)
• Mathisen, Trygve: Fra bondeoppbud til legdshær, Gyldendal (1952) (Norwegian)
• Kong Christian den Fjerdes norske Lovbog af 1604 (Norwegian)

External links

• Norwegian military small-arms & blades » The Norwegian Battle axe
• Økser som våpen hos Maihaugen (Norwegian)
• Picture Gallery at DigitaltMuseum