Dane Axe The Dane Axe is an early type of battle axe , primarily used during the transition between the European Viking Age and early Middle Ages . Other names for the weapon include English Long Axe , Danish Axe , and Hafted Axe . Construction . Most axes , both in period illustrations and extant artifact , that fall under the description of Danish Axe , possess Type L or Type M heads according to the Petersen axe typology . Both types consist of a wide , thin blade , with pronounced " horns " at both the toe and heel of the bit . Cutting surface varies , but is generally between 20 cm and 30 cm ( 8 and 12 inches ) . Type L blades tend to be smaller , with the toe of the bit swept forward for superior shearing capability . Later Type M blades are typically larger overall , with a more symmetrical toe and heel . The blade itself was reasonably light and forged very thin , making it superb for cutting . The fatness of the body on top the edge is as thin as 2mm . Many of these axes were constructed with a reinforced bit , typically of a higher carbon steel to facilitate a harder , sharper edge . Average weight of an axe this size is between 1 kg and 2 kg ( 2 and 4 pounds ) . Proportionally , the long axe has more in common with a modern meat cleaver than a wood axe . This complex construction results in a lively and quick weapon with devastating cutting ability . Based on period depictions , the haft of a Longaxe for combat was usually between approx . 0 . 9 m and 1 . 2 m ( 3 and 4 feet ) long , although Dane axes used as status symbols might be as long as 1 . 5 to 1 . 7 m ( 5 to 5½ ft ) . Such axes might also feature inlaid silver and frequently may not have the flared steel edge of a weapon designed for war . Some surviving examples also feature a brass haft cap , often richly decorated , which presumably served to keep the head of the weapon secure on the haft , as well as protecting the end of the haft from the rigors of battle . Ash and oak are the most likely materials for the haft , as they have always been the primary materials used for polearms in Europe . History . In the course of the 10th - 11th centuries , the Dane axe gained popularity in areas outside Scandinavia where Viking influence was strong , such as England , Ireland and Normandy . Historical accounts depict the Dane axe as the weapon of the warrior elite in this period , such as the Huscarls of Anglo - Saxon England . In the Bayeux tapestry , a visual record of the ascent of William the Conqueror to the throne of England , the axe is almost exclusively wielded by well armoured huscarls . These huscarls formed the core bodyguard of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings . The Bayeux Tapestry also depicts a huscarl cleaving a Norman knight ' s horse ' s head with one blow . The Dane axe is also known to have been used by the Varangian Guard , also known as " pelekyphoros phroura " ( πελεκυφόρος φρουρά ) , the " axe - bearing guard " . One surviving ivory plaque from the 10th century Constantinople depicts a Varangian holding an axe that is at least as tall as its wielder . Although the name retains its Scandinavian heritage , the Dane axe became widely used throughout Europe from the 12th century , as axes gained acceptance as a knightly weapon , albeit not achieving the status of the sword . They also began to be used widely as an infantry polearm , with the haft lengthening to about . The 13th and 14th centuries also saw form changes , with the blade also lengthening , the rear horn extending to touch or attach to the haft . The lengthened weapon , especially if combined with the lengthened blade , was called a " sparth " in England . Some believe this weapon is the ancestor of the halberd . While the use of the Dane axe continued into the 14th . century , axes with an armour piercing back - spike and spear - like spike on the fore - end of the haft became more common , eventually evolving into the Pollaxe in the 15th century . The simple Danish axe continued to be used in the West of Scotland and in Ireland into the 16th century . In Ireland , it was particularly associated with Galloglas mercenaries . Famous historical figures associated with the axe . After the Battle of Stiklestad , the axe also became the symbol of St . Olaf and can still be seen on the Coat of Arms of Norway . However , this is because the axe is the implement of his martyrdom , rather than signifying use . King Stephen of England famously used a Danish axe at the Battle of Lincoln 1141 after his sword broke . Richard the Lionheart was often recorded in Victorian times wielding a large war axe , though references are sometimes wildly exaggerated as befitted a national hero : " Long and long after he was quiet in his grave , his terrible battle - axe , with twenty English pounds of English steel in its mighty head . . . " - " A Child ' s History of England " by Charles Dickens . Richard is , however , recorded as using a Danish Axe at the relief of Jaffa . Geoffrey de Lusignan is another famous crusader associated with the axe . Robert the Bruce famously killed Sir Henry de Bohun at the Battle of Bannockburn with a single blow of his axe . The blow was so powerful it split de Bohun ' s helmet and skull open and snapped the shaft of the axe . In the 14th . century , the use of axes is increasingly noted by Froissart in his Chronicle , with King Jean II using one at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and Sir James Douglas at the Battle of Otterburn in 1388 . Bretons were apparently noted axe users , with Bertrand du Guesclin and Olivier de Clisson both wielding axes in battle . In these cases , we cannot tell whether the weapon was a Danish axe , or the proto - pollaxe .