Hersir A Hersir was a local Viking military commander of a hundred ( a county subdivision ) of about 20 men and owed allegiance to a jarl or king . They were also aspiring landowners , and , like the middle class in many feudal societies , supported the kings in their centralization of power . Originally , the term Hersir referred to a wealthy farmer who owned land and had the status of a leader . Throughout the Viking Age , Hersir was eventually redefined as someone who organized and led raids . In the 10th century , the influence of Hersirs began to decrease due to the development of effective national monarchies in Scandinavia . Hersir was again redefined later on , to mean a local leader or representative . The independence of the Hersir as a military leader eventually vanished , to be replaced only by the title of a royal representative . The " Hávamál " , which was the mythical advice of the supreme creator Odin to mankind , contains a number of verses emphasizing the virtue of cautious consideration and strategical attack . This theme , in its oral form , was one of the major influences on the mind of the Viking Hersir . Equipment . The main weapon of the Hersirs was the Viking sword . This sword is clearly distinguished by its “ Type H ” hilt . It was the most prominent type of hilt during the Viking Age . The material of the hilt ranged , depending on the wealth of the owner , from polished steel an with decorative wire inlays of silver , copper , and / or tin . The pommel and upper guard of the sword are formed in two separate parts , then bolted together with a twisted sterling silver wire between the pommel and upper guard . The blade is classified as a Geibig Type 3 , which is defined by a moderate taper in width and a fuller taper in width towards the point . The type can be dated to the period between second half of the 8th century to the second half of the 10th century . The sword is designed to symbolize power and authority , as well as cool level - headedness . For long - distance travel , men would often be on horseback . For overseas journeys , Viking longboats were capable of transporting thirty people to their destination , which would even include the reaches of inner Russia . Hersirs were always equipped with a shield , which was normally wooden and which accompanied the sword . Dress . War uniforms were often used as means of displaying wealth rather than functional battle purposes . The hersir was often equipped with a conical helmet and a short mail coat . The type of helmet , sword , and ringmail corselet worn by the Viking , demonstrated the wealth of the warrior . Often , a combined symbol of the cross , a hammer around their neck , accompanied with a wolf head decoration would be worn around their neck . Hersirs are typically thought to be very well groomed . Shoes and boots were typically made from cattle , seals , or reindeer . Hersirs usually wore more elegant boots than that of the ordinary military personnel . There are two main types of Viking shoe . The first and most common is by thonging around the top of the shoe . This can be seen in the Jorvik II ankle boot . The Jorvik I type is closed by a flap crossing over and closing with a button . The Hedeby shoe is an early type of turn shoe . This is the least common type found , but could be less costly , but less protective . Any of these types of shoes may have been worn by the Hersir . Baggy trousers made out of linen or woven wool that were either mid - calf or just below the knee were the typically worn . Tight fitting trousers became the popular style during the late 10th century . Tunics were usually knee length and gathered at the waist with a belt . The sleeves of the tunic were to the wrist or longer . From the elbow to the shoulder , the sleeve was tight fitting . Tunics were usually knee length and gathered at the waist with a belt . The sleeves of the tunic were to the wrist or longer . From the elbow to the shoulder , the sleeve was tight fitting . The overtunic would be constructed along the same pattern as the undertunic and made of wool . A richer Hersir would have had a tunic dyed in a bright color with tablet woven strips around the neck and cuffs . There is some evidence the undertunic would be longer than the overtunic , showing a contrasting color at the sleeves and hem . Military tactics . Vikings were very skilled sailors . Sailing instructions passed down from generation to generation paired with the advancements in technology allowed for the Vikings to dominate the waters . A common military tactic first used in 866 , was the transfer from boat to land by the use of captured horses . Despite the fact that Vikings often used horses , they were not cavalry men primarily due to the low amount of horses in Scandinavia . Horses were often used for overland routes but the Vikings always fought on foot . Ordinarily , they would align themselves in a shield wall formation with the Hersir at the front and archers and slingers in the back . In the shield wall , the Vikings would stand close together in order to overlap their shields , thus creating a wall out of shields . Another formation that was also used , called the ' ’ Svinfylking ’ ' , was a variation to the shield wall but with several wedge - like formations pointing towards the enemy , creating a zig - zag pattern . Religious views . Hersirs ' religious beliefs are somewhat unclear although they seemed to lie somewhere between Christianity and Paganism . Sometimes , Hersirs would be baptised , although it was most often not done for religious purposes . In many cases , Hersirs would be baptised in order to improve trade with the Christians or in obedience to a new king . Hersirs in history . Hersir was the name of a man in " Rígsþula " whose daughter Erna married Jarl , the first earl . A Swedish hersir , Jarlabanke Sigfastsson , has become notable for the about 20 Jarlabanke Runestones that he raised together with his relatives . Ketill Flatnose was a Norwegian hersir of the 9th century . In 1997 , there was a powerful hersir in Sognefjord called Bjorn , who lived at Aurland . His son Brynjolf inherited everything from him .