Which Norse Weapon Should You Wield?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Which Norse Weapon Should You Wield?
Image: mikkelwilliam/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

In the time of the Vikings, Scandinavia was not a very nice place to live. Sure, it had views and fish, but it didn't have a lot of good farmland. The Norse developed a peculiar lifestyle to compensate for their lack of local resources. This lifestyle involved training young men to navigate the rivers, lakes, and seas in and around Europe, and to fight. This fighting wasn't just so they could confront armed military retainers when they landed in a well-armed fiefdom, it was so the Norse could kill unarmed Christian monks, and villages of helpless peasants, including women, children, and old people.

Viking weaponry was, from a design perspective, unsentimental and straightforward. Only with many years of use, and stories of Viking heroes, would Viking weaponry attain legendary status. Some weapons we associate with the Vikings, such as hammers, weren't actually either favored or invented by the Vikings. The god Thor may have had a hammer, but the warhammer was a very different object and did not have origins in the north. Some Viking weaponry was a sign of social status, because steel weaponry was expensive to make, while some other weapons took tremendous, specialized skill to use well.

Let's go viking (raiding) together! Answer some questions for us, and we'll tell you which Norse weapon you should wield!

How much do you like to get your hands dirty?
I hate it.
I love it.
I can bear it.
I will do it when I must.
How useful is your "everyday carry"?
Not very. I have a pen and a wallet.
Very. I carry a Swiss Army Knife, a pen, a notebook, my wallet, a multitool on my keychain...
I just have my phone and wallet.
I think my brand new phone is all I need really.
What is your favorite sport?
Baseball
MMA
Football
Chess

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Are you a good judge of people?
Not the best
Not at all
I'm okay.
Yes
How good is your depth perception?
Excellent
Terrible
It's okay.
It's better than average.
Do you mind backing people into a corner, and then forcing them to make a hard choice?
No, I'd rather I make all the choices.
I really like the sound of that.
That's too much thinking for me.
That's not devious enough for me.

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How important is camaraderie to you?
Not very
Not at all
Very much!
It's important, but it's tied with a lot of other things.
What is the most important resource in battle?
The high ground
Technology
Numbers
Surprise
Do you consider yourself particularly elite?
In my merits, yes
In my natural abilities, yes
No
In every sense of the word

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What's the most valuable thing you might take back from a Viking raid?
Gold
Heads
Slaves
Intelligence
What country are you most likely to invade?
France
England
Germany
Russia
What would you do on a Viking ship?
Act as lookout
Man the sails
Man an oar
Man the tiller

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How much are you involved in politics?
All of that's over my head.
I have my "team" and that's all.
I don't pay attention to politics.
I live for politics.
How steady are your hands?
As still as the grave.
They're not totally dexterous anymore.
They're about average, I guess.
They can be still when I need them to be.
How strong is your back?
Not at all
Fairly strong
Very strong
About average

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How quick are you on your feet?
About average
I'm a little slow.
Very!
I can move quickly but only short distances.
How good of a leader are you?
About average
I'm pretty good.
I'm not a good leader.
I'm a great leader.
How would you fare going toe to toe with someone in a fight?
I'd get hurt badly.
I'd win.
I might fare well.
I'd win, because I'd fight dirty.

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How strong is your stomach?
Not at all strong
Very strong
It's not bad.
I can steel myself for anything.
How much gear can you carry?
Not much at all
I can carry all my own gear without a problem.
I can carry a lot of gear.
My strengths are better put to other things.
Do you feel a strong connection to the gods?
Sometimes
I pray they do not see the things I've done.
I don't know much about the gods.
I feel the stand with me.

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How good are you at making things?
I'm handy.
I can make a few specific things.
I can whittle.
I can't make anything.
How are your carpentry skills?
Basic
Pretty good
Terrible
I have none.
How likely are future generations to sing songs about your Viking exploits?
It's possible.
It's likely.
Not at all
Very

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What would your Viking nickname be?
Eagle-Eye
Blood-Beard
Justin
Bluetooth
What portrayal of Vikings appeals to you the most?
"Pathfinder"
"The 13th Warrior"
"Vikings"
"Norsemen"
What culture do you feel produced warriors most like the Vikings?
Japan
The Middle East
Mongolia
America

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What modern weapon of war do you think is the coolest?
Tomahawk missiles
The G-36 rifle
The bayonet
The mind of a Special Operator
What branch of the American military would you volunteer for?
The Air Force
The Marines
The Army
The Navy
Would you rather be a member of the Vikings or of the cultures they plundered?
The Vikings, clearly.
I'd rather be in one of the more successful Viking cultures, like Denmark, but if not that, I'd rather be French.
I'd much rather be in one of the other cultures.
If I'm in charge, I'll go either way.

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You Got: