All Vikings would carry a round wooden shield for protection. 'Berserkr' is an Old Norse word meaning 'bear skin' and berserkers were Viking warriors who went into battle wearing wolf or bear skins.

Grab your horned helmet, axe and shield and ... but the Norse heritage of the city is still preserved in one of the UK's most popular tourist attractions, the Jorvik Viking Centre.

Vikings did not wear much armour. Some chieftains wore mail coats, made of thousands of metal rings but most relied on a round wooden shield for protection since these were very expensive.