Hole in axe cheek?

W

waxbytes

Joined
Nov 8, 2015
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I have noticed that there are on some viking age axes a small, usually round, hole just behind the blade in the cheek of the axe.
I don't seem to be able find any information as to the hole's purpose. I was wondering if anyone on this forum might know the reason for such a hole.
Hopefully the reason is not so obvious as to make me appear dense.

Thanks :)
 
Likely for the head to be pinned on. It would be An added measure for when that may be hooking with it.
 
What he said. You put a pin through it to hold it even better. Thought about doin it to mine for added insurance


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I have noticed that there are on some viking age axes a small, usually round, hole just behind the blade in the cheek of the axe.
Click to expand...

Could you provide a link or example? I've never noticed an additional penetration on the original Viking era Axes I've seen from museums and collections. Some Viking era Axes have a decorative penetrations, crosses, etc., through the Bit of the blade, but not on the cheek. However, I have seen it on a newly manufactured 'Firestone Carving Axe'. I'm not sure how effective it is?

SJ
 
ScooterJammer said:
Could you provide a link or example? I've never noticed an additional penetration on the original Viking era Axes I've seen from museums and collections. Some Viking era Axes have a decorative penetrations, crosses, etc., through the Bit of the blade, but not on the cheek. However, I have seen it on a newly manufactured 'Firestone Carving Axe'. I'm not sure how effective it is?
SJ
Click to expand...

I second SJ’s remarks. I have never seen holes in the cheeks of Viking battle or working axes either, only in the bits of some votive/pendant axes:

http://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/3250115-early-medieval-bronze-viking-axe-pendant-51-x-39-mm
 
waxbytes said:
Perhaps I'm using the term 'cheek' wrong?
I meant something like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beard...wedish_Iron_Age,_found_at_Gotland,_Sweden.jpg .
Click to expand...

I don’t know what is the purpose or meaning of the hole in these axes, but of he hole on the Gotland axe in your link is in a similar spot as the one in the pendant/amulet axes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axe_of_Perun

It also has the same protrusion behind the heel.
Could it be that the Gotland axe was also an amulet axe rather than a full size battle axe?

Here is the photo of a bronze Viking pendant shaped as a battle axe, which looks similar to the Gotland axe, but without the hole:

http://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2016/3/7/5/8/8/588408b8-e4b4-11e5-9d45-e2ff000da948.jpg

http://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2016/3/7/5/8/5/585fb9f4-e4b4-11e5-9125-9e0d2f20c9b2.jpg

There is a round indentation in the place of the hole, but not a true hole.

Other ones, with more decorative pattern:

http://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2015/8/18/c/c/8/cc8b8d0c-4582-11e5-82f5-744b2fb3cabd.jpg

http://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2015/10/22/3/f/4/3f41ef84-7892-11e5-9caf-60b4a497bdb7.jpg
 
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It is quite possible that some full size Viking (or Viking inspired) axes had a hole in their bits.
It could have been a purely decorative feature, a trade mark or could have some other symbolic meaning.

I could not find any actual photos of the original Gotland Skeggöx your Wikipedia link shows, only the same reproduction of the drawing.
I am not sure the people doing the reproductions know what is the actual size of that axe.

Here is a not so accurate reproduction of the Gotland Skeggöx:

https://www.viking-shield.com/skeggox-viking-axe/#ProductReviews

It lacks the elegant slimness of the original and the protrusion near the heel is sharp, which may or may not have been the case in the original.
 
Ok, thanks for all the replies and I guess I'll just chalk it up to one of life's mysteries, like why the bread always falls buttered side down.
 
While browsing on the net, I found that there is a booming “Viking artifact” cottage industry in the Eastern EU countries and the neighboring Ukraine.
The shear volume of the “artifacts” for sale on eBay is mind boggling.
If these were true artifacts, according to the laws of these EU countries in question (Latvia, Estonia and Bulgaria) and even of Ukraine, the items should have been either the states’ property or if in private collections, couldn’t have been sold without the state’s approval. In other words, if the items were authentic, they were looted from archeological sites or stolen from museums.
The more likely alternative is that they are simply fakes.
Some of these “Viking axes” are clearly reproductions of styles, forms and shapes found in books or publications, and they sport the hole wax bytes inquired about in this thread:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ancient-Vik...851594?hash=item2eeffd510a:g:6UcAAOSw6btXTd7X

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-14-...060750?hash=item281af69a0e:g:6QcAAOSwmtJXa3hp

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-12-...094658?hash=item281af71e82:g:hoYAAOSwGIRXa4tG

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANCIENT-Per...1fbe35a&pid=100009&rk=1&rkt=1&sd=201594851594

This latter item is indeed too ‘perfect’ and likely a cast “replica".

Since these are most likely reproductions based on drawings, there is no guarantee that they are true to the size and other aspects of the originals.
 
You mean that it may be a way to tie on a wooden or horn edge guard? This would make sense.
The issue I have with seeing the hole as a way to hang up an axe is that the bearded axe is easy to hook over a peg or nail by it's very design. No hole needed.
 
waxbytes said:
You mean that it may be a way to tie on a wooden or horn edge guard? This would make sense.
The issue I have with seeing the hole as a way to hang up an axe is that the bearded axe is easy to hook over a peg or nail by it's very design. No hole needed.
Click to expand...

It could be used to secure an edge guard, if they were in use, or it can be used to tie down the axe head with a minimum of cordage but still preventing it from slipping and turning.
This could be an advantage if the axe is transported around on a bumpy road, on foot or on horseback, or even in a boat.
The hole can also be used for example by a merchant to string several axe heads together, to minimize storage space and prevent them to bump into each other.

Of course all this is a pure speculation, and it could be that the hole had some religious or spiritual meaning, completely dissociated from the practical purposes we try to assign to it.
 
I went back to one of the primary sources cited on the Wikipedia article about the ‘Axe of Perun’:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axe_of_Perun

It is a Russian archeological publication with the title ‘Ancient Russian Axe Amulets”, Древнерусские амулеты-топорики:

http://www.organizmica.org/archive/505/drat.shtml

In this article the author twice mentions these holes as “сквозное отверстие для крепления чехла на лезвии” and “посредине лезвия имеется отверстие для крепления чехла”, in translation: “a hole through the blade to secure a slip cover” and “in the center of the blade there is a hole (used) to secure a slip cover”.

I don’t know if this function is inferred by the author or based on historic documents and/or surviving usage.

If the holes were used indeed as the author suggests, it means that even these axe amulets were supposed to have an edge guard, either because they were sharpened to a functional edge or because the edge was supposed to be covered due to superstition or a religious rule.
 
Perhaps even a legal or social custom? Maybe walking around with an uncovered axe blade had the same meaning as an unsheathed sword?
Could this even be an Eastern Baltic or Rus custom which is why it does not seem to be done in Southern or Western Scandinavia?

Speculation of course.
 
The reason for the hole in the Viking Axe blade ;in order to prevent the blade from getting stuck in the body of the opponent a stop was inserted into the blade ,due to their purpose they were often lost in battle or rotted away into the ground depending on what the stop was made from.
 
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