Viking Age Sports: Sources, Training & Legends

Sources Below
Knattleikr was an ancient ball game played by the Vikings of Iceland.
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Sources
Poetic Edda
Prose Edda
Heimskringla
Sagas of the Icelanders-Laxdaela Saga, Egils Saga, Gunnlaugs saga, Kroka refs saga, Svarfdæla saga, Gísla saga, Eyrbyggja saga
Grettis saga
Gesta Danorum, Saxo Grammaticus
Víglundar saga
Magnússona saga
Finnboga saga
Þorskfirðinga saga
Gull-Þóris saga
Grágás Law code
00:00- Intro
02:00- Sports
06:30- Training
09:00- Athletes
12:00- Status
16:00- Glima Wrestling
19:30- Knattleikr
23:00- Events
24:00- Conclusion
The game was probably similar to early versions of the Irish sport of hurling, which also dates to antiquity. The exact rules of Knattleikr are lost, but some information has survived from the Viking Age in Iceland (beginning around the 9th century). Players were divided into teams, each with a captain. The game demanded so much time that it was played from morning to night. It was a spectator game, with tournaments drawing huge crowds from all over Iceland. Gameplay involved a hardball being hit by a stick, although players could also use their hands. Body contact was allowed in the fight for the ball where the strongest had the best chance to win. Thus, intimidation was a vital ingredient; several wars of words have been recorded in the old sagas. There were penalties and a penalty box. Vikings engaged in running, swimming, tug-of-war called toga-honk and wrestling. Vikings also played a ball game with stick and ball. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to get hurt or even killed, as Vikings played rough. Women did not participate in these games, but they would gather to watch the men.

[@user-ee1mz2yd3t]

Maybe the training was just daily life. Growing up outdoors having brothers to wrestle, chopping wood, hunting, climbing trees, breaking horses, running to the neighbors a mile away to borrow something for mom. Idk. Just a thought

[@philipplace9990]

Really interesting! In the Cumbrian area of England and parts of my native Yorkshire, the word "layking/laking" means playing. For example; "the kids are layking outside ". I love these connections to Viking times!

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@bUtterMuffn]

Much much love brother! Thank you for the genuine content. From a Visigoth descendant, salud

[@samuelrenwick9714]

One thing that may also help fill the gaps would be Persian Yoga. It has another name but I can't spell it lol. But it's something Persian warriors would do for combat and wrestling. It included wooden dumbbells that were shaped like shields, pushups, giant wooden clubs that they swing. A few more exercises they have but I could see these same training methods be used in the Viking age as well

[@victorrock1997]

Takk så mye for denne videoen! Helt interessant og informativ! Beste hilsener fra Romania! God Jul in advance!

[@afterzanzibar]

I believe in Grettir Saga, Grettir as a youth fought another boy on the ice during a ball game, as well. They later mended their problems, if memory serves.

[@tylerj6219]

I'd love a physical copy of your Norse calendar.

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@Strutability]

There is a link in the description 😊

[@frankmorris2603]

Love your work. Extremely interesting direction and seemingly not many others cover. 💪👍

[@maxrcrypto]

Interesting, never thought of this

[@gregoryleevandall1880]

Ty for continuing your amazing videos my friend …I hope life is treating you very well 😎 ✌️ ❤️

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@andrzejmaranda3699]

For me, this video is REALLY FASCINATING!

[@avstraffelse]

Growing up playing American football, and the battle between the o-line and the d-line flet like being in the shieldwall fighting.

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@ThorAnderson]

Good point about diversified skills this would have benefitted many types of athletes and certainly worriors

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@ThorAnderson]

@@taylorfusher2997 trolls are spiritual beings, as for god of war, I dont have Netflix

[@-RONNIE]

Thanks for the good video ⚔️

[@mrfawcett]

We still say Leik/Laike in Yorkshire. Meaning play Leiking out 👍🏼

[@jamesvaughan8395]

Knattleikr sounds bit like Gaelic hurly

[@miamo3567]

Interesting! We Finns still have competitions, such as carrying huge stones and playing football in the swamp. We also have a wife-carrying competition and throw Nokia rubber boots and Nokia mobile phones. We know how to have fun while competing. 💪😂Thanks for all the info you give on your channel!

[@MausTheGerman]

It would be super great if you would make a more detailed video about the crime of tearing down the Irminsul. I was in the village of Irmenseul two weeks ago where a large Irminsul was erected in 1996 when they celebrated their 700 years village anniversary. When I was there I learned about it. Very interesting and sad story.

[@corymoon2439]

Daily life definitely was a form of training by itself. However i think a lot of the Old Norse trained in what we call Strongman competitions now. Nordic people are well built for these huge frames that have explosive strength. In other words, Strongman was built for Nords in the same way Kenyans are built for marathons. Even now a lot of the high profile names in Strongman competitions are either Scandinavians or from countries the Vikings colonized.

[@deanamodeo4072]

Food Fight!!

[@sarahgilbert8036]

Still waiting for my calendar ...

[@timosavolainen9865]

Funny to see that in Finnish language we still use word leikki and leikkiä (verb)… but now it has a bit different meaning. It is for games like hide and seek basically everything that children do…. Peli/pelata (almost spela/spille) word is used for ”adult” games e.g., football…

[@ThorAnderson]

I think good werstlers would have not only needed to be strong but but also agile, skillful, and a supreme tactician. Especially when it comes to glima the way i understand it, which is to take your opponent down and then get out of their reach to claim the victory.

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@ThorAnderson]

@@taylorfusher2997 trolls are spiritual beings, as for god of war, I dont have Netflix

[@jandobber316]

The Franks had a axe trowing game described in roman sources and in a not so positive description they reluctantly sad to have thick or sturdy 'knees', this combined with a i think a Icelandic story about a elderly man that hangs up two man who owed him money or ripped him off by piercing there lower legs between the Achilles tendon and the leg bones made me think that calves where a thing a some point.

[@Strutability]

In Sweden, knatte is a slang word for kid so ut makes sense that knattleiker was only for younger people

[@XUtionerx]

*still has terms and conditions back then

[@ThorAnderson]

I would imagine that a lot of what they did in regard to training was spacialized. Runners ran swimmers swam and so forth

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@ThorAnderson]

@@taylorfusher2997 trolls are spiritual beings, as for god of war, I dont have Netflix

[@lowkey_gaming5956]

​​@@taylorfusher2997sum jotun are giant and tall as mountains. But there are also story's of jotun being human size so they can be both. There is not one specific type of jotun. They are different sizes

[@Sarge80]

I have a question NMB and its totally offcourse of this video, is it true that Ubbe Ragnarson's mother was Frisian?

[@kieranfitz]

Knattleikr is just hurling that got stolen on a raid in Ireland.

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@ThorAnderson]

I know some NBA players who would have gotten down gig time on that horse fighting sport!

[@who12315]

Hi

[@gbowman9429]

Hi

[@ThorAnderson]

Hi

[@rattlejaw9976]

Hi

[@taylorfusher2997]

To Norse magic and beliefs: Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@Ian-vj5pv]

In the strongman worldwide games, the most successful man in the history of the competition is a pure Slavonic and Polish man, Pudzianowski, hmmm...

[@Nina9835]

Slavic fantasy lmao

[@Ian-vj5pv]

@@Nina9835 the vikings and celts have to train harder instead of making myths about their own superiority

[@joeblow1748]

Why do you first have some green subtitles in the midle of the screen and then throw a bunch of pictures that has nothing to realy do about the topic on top and after behind that a clip of some random reality show behind that again? What is wrong with you content creators these days?

[@gallowglass2630]

knatleikr is hurling from ireland that the norse took with them when they came here.No evidence for that just being blindly patriotic and humourous.

[@taylorfusher2997]

Are trolls ugly looking giant creatures in Old Norse paganism before Christianity? Also is the trolls in God of War Ragnarok accurate with the trolls in Old Norse paganism before Christianity?

[@saxazax]

profanity