Arms of offence—Defensive weapons—Swords: Their rich ornamentation—Scabbards—Belts—Figurative names of swords—Supernatural qualities attributed to weapons—Weapons as heirlooms—Spears: Their figurative names—Axes: Their figurative names—Bows and arrows: Their figurative names—Mythical arrows—Slings—Shields: Their figurative names—Coats of mail: Their figurative names—Helmets: Their figurative names. The finds, as well as the Sagas, fully corroborate the fact that from the earliest times the Northmen were a very warlike people. [Illustration: ⅖ real size. Fig. 782.—Sword-hilt of iron. The pommel and hilt inlaid with bronze.—Norway. ] [Illustration: ⅓ real size. Fig. 783.—Hilt of iron inlaid with silver.—Hedemarken, Norway. ] Their arms of offence were the sword, the axe, the spear, the bow and arrow, the sling, &c., &c. Those of defence were the coat of mail, the shield, and the helmet. The weapons are often described as being ornamented and inlaid with gold and silver. [Illustration: ⅓ real size. Fig. 784.—Double-edged sword of iron inlaid with silver; found with balance in a tumulus with charcoal, burnt bones, iron pincers, and remains of twine of lamp-threads.—Norway. ] [Illustration: ⅓ real size. Fig. 785.—Double-edged sword-hilt, inlaid with silver and bronze, with broken blade. In a tumulus with an axe, a spear-head cut and bent, three shield-bosses, two horses’ bits, two stirrups, a hammer, the end of a chain, a piece of a two-edged sword, &c.—Norway. ] [Illustration: ⅓ real size. Fig. 786.—Double-edged sword-hilt. In a round tumulus with fragments of bronze kettle, two sharpening stones, a pin with a mobile ring of bronze, amber bead, glass beads, remains of textile stuff with thread of gold weaved into it, two bronze fibulæ. About 2 feet higher were found an anvil, several hammers, pincers, two gimlets, a spear-head, a quantity of rivets; clinch nails and charcoal were scattered all over in the tumulus.—Norway. ] [Illustration: ⅓ real size. Fig. 787.—Double-edged sword with hilt inlaid with silver; in a tumulus with a hook of iron, a spear-head cut on purpose on one side; an axe, a shield-boss damaged with blows of an axe, a horse’s bit, a scythe blade, fragments of an iron kettle. These antiquities lay in a kind of sepulchral chamber. A big chain of iron, &c., was also found.—Norway. ] The hilts of the swords were of iron, bronze, or wood, often inlaid and ornamented with precious metals, garnets, ivory, &c., &c.; when made of wood they were sometimes adorned with silver-headed nails. The handles of some of those swords belonging to the period of the earlier iron age are nearly identical in form with those of the bronze age. [Illustration: Fig. 788.—Hilt of a double-edged sword, ⅓ real size, inlaid with silver, placed over an urn containing burnt bones.—Bohuslan. ] [Illustration: