Your Approval Fills Me With Shame...

(Source: lightandwings)

(Source: everything-legendofkorra)

art-of-swords:

The Viking Sword

The Viking sword was the main type of sword used in North Western Europe during the Viking Age. Although called “Viking sword”, this style of sword was not exclusively limited to Vikings and was used by others as well.

It was a development of the Roman spatha, evolving out of the Migration Period sword in the 8th century, and into the classical knightly sword in the 11th century with the emergence of larger cross-guards.

Blade length varied from 28 to 33 inches. Early example have single, deep, wide fullers running the full length of the blade. Later examples have multiple narrow fullers. A fuller reduces the weight of the blade without compromising the strength. This weight reduction would allow the wielder to swing faster and harder strokes.

All have short single-handed hilts with pyramid, lobed or cocked-hat style pommels. Pommels were made of iron and were heavier than on the earlier Migration Period sword. They started to act as a counterweight to the blade. While the pattern of hilt and blade design of this time might readily be called “the Viking sword” to do so would be to disregard the widespread popularity swords of this sort enjoyed.

All over continental Europe between 700-1000 AD this design and its small variations could be found. Only the wealthier Viking goðar, jarls, and sometimes selected freemen wielded swords, while ordinary freeman tended to carry axes, spears or/and slings.

Info source: Wikipedia

Photo source: Weyer of Toledo 

tuckthis:

isabeaubeau:

#ALL THAT KNOWLEDGE #LOST #FOR #FUCKING #EVER

If Doctor Who came to my house and let me choose where and when to visit, I would choose the Library of Alexandria.

fyeahhistorymajorheraldicbeast:

[top: watch the avengers for a third time

bottom: spend entire movie cataloguing what Captain America has missed]

Steve seems like a not-jerkassy human being, so I’m sure civil rights and feminism won’t give him much pause, but - hm. He slept through Nixon and Watergate, so he wouldn’t have the inherent distrust and cynicism towards the federal government. He might think Black Widow is a communist, but I’m guessing “commie” wouldn’t hold the same negative connotations as someone who had actually gone through the Cold War. He’d be pretty shocked at the changing attitudes towards the armed forces in the wake of My Lai and Cambodia and Iran-Contra and the Kandahar massacre. Vacuum cleaners are weird but they perform the same function as a carpet sweeper and he’s not an idiot so they won’t confuse him. Modern art - he’s an artist, right - that - that might be a bit jarring. Huh. Has he ever eaten a kiwi? Does he know what a kiwi is? Has someone in SHIELD explained to him that smoking cigarettes for your asthma is actually a really terrible idea? Has someone explained inflation to him so he doesn’t literally faint when he goes to gas up his motorcycle? Does he have a license for that? What were popular American attitudes towards the Middle East in the early 40s? Were can openers - yeah, can openers had been invented by then, so - 

ooh omg CHITAURI GO SPLODEY I shall shut up now

prostheticknowledge:

Queen Elizabeth II firing an SA80 [via Reddit]

Appropriate as here in the UK we are celebrating 60 years of reign this weekend, the Diamond Jubilee.

(Source: kimlennox)

(Source: mastodonstorm)

4risas:

El maquinista fantasma

(Source: fiveoclockninja)

how to walk like a queen [x]