Historical reenactment is not limited solely to the military world, as it encompasses varied aspects such as culture, festivals, or diverse events. It also includes the recreation of traditional sports, with the most popular cases being in Italy: Florentine Calcio Storico, the Palio of Siena, or the Venetian Vogalonga. The transalpine country is not unique in this, as other practices are being revived, such as the Mapuche palin, Mesoamerican ulama emulating tachtli, Native American lacrosse, or even the peculiar Maasai Olympic Games. Today, we’ll discuss a lesser-known one: Viking knattleikr.

Just as there are many recreations of the Tercios in Spain, ancient Rome in Italy, and the Napoleonic era in France, Scandinavia frequently engages in reenactments of the Viking Age, the period when that people lived their glorious years between 789 and 1100 AD. Many medieval fairs set in this context are held, featuring artisans, conical helmets, round shields, drakkars, and, for some time now, traditional games linked to their folklore, with knattleikr gaining popularity. It has even made its way to university campuses, not only in the Nordic countries but also in New England (USA), where Yale, Clark, Brandeis, and Providence universities established a league in 2007.

Knattleikr is a ball game, an object whose origins are lost in the dawn of history and found in various civilizations worldwide, from China to Mesoamerica, passing through Greece and others. Although the archaeological record only reaches the second millennium BC, it is likely that the sport has been part of human life since earlier times, along with music, serving as logical forms of entertainment in societies without writing where physical activity played a significant role, such as hunting, war, etc. Hence, there are historical references in the Fertile Crescent, Asia Minor, the Far East, and more.

Kåre Johannessen en una recreación/Imagen: Toxophilus en Wikimedia Commons

These sports practices evolved and refined, moving away from weapons to adopt other tools like the mentioned ball, sticks, nets, and the like. In the case of knattleikr, a hard ball (wood, leather, felt?) had to be struck with a stick (uncertain if similar to baseball or flatter, like cricket) and sometimes – not always – on an icy surface, which would require the use of skates or, at the very least, covering the footwear sole with sand and tar to prevent slipping. Probably, all societies had some characteristic and native form of exercise adapted to their environmental conditions (water, ice, mountains…).

The Vikings were no exception, as recounted in the Icelandic sagas that serve as documentary sources. Five sagas provide more details: Grettir the Strong’s Saga (13th-14th centuries), Gisli Sursson’s Saga (1270-1320), Egil Skallagrimson’s Saga (13th century), Eyrbyggja Saga, and Vapnfirdinga Saga. These sagas mention the sticks (called tre, meaning wood) and the ball (knattgildra), which, due to its hardness, would bounce on the mentioned ice, causing injuries to the players.

Some sagas describe matches played on the frozen surface of a lagoon, but since most were played in summer, it may not have been common. Specific places are mentioned in some texts, such as Hagi, Hvítárvellir, Seftjörn, Öxl mountain base, etc. The number of players varied from a few to several dozen, indicating that the field dimensions were not always the same.

Un partido de hurling/Imagen: Sheila1998 en Wikimedia Commons

The appearance of knattleikr in the sagas is anecdotal, merely contextual, but of enormous testimonial value. However, the information is limited, providing only a few details insufficient to precisely determine the rules of the game. What is clear is that two teams, each led by a captain and generally consisting of a couple of members (though more were possible), used a stick to hit the ball. The non-possessing team member could use their hands. Physical strength and aggression were advantageous, verbal threats were tolerated, and disputes were common among players.

According to historical sources, despite a penalty system, knattleikr was a contact sport, tough or even violent, attracting large crowds eager for intense excitement. Some scholars have described it as making rugby and American football seem like children’s games. Danish historian Kåre Johannessen, an expert in the era and a reenactor who broke his knee playing knattleikr, defined it as a kind of psychopathic ultra-violent version of round ball but pointed out that it was also the most enjoyable ball game he had experienced.

The round ball (rundbold in Danish, brännboll in Swedish, brennball in German, and slåball in Norwegian) is somewhat reminiscent of baseball, involving hitting a ball and making a circuit around bases. It is an exclusively amateur sport but very popular in Northern Europe, especially among children in schools. In the US, influenced by Scandinavian immigrants, a version called softball has developed. Canada has a variant called broomball, similar to ice hockey but without skates, introduced by Icelandic immigrants.

However, some scholars believe that knattleikr likely derives from Gaelic hurling, whose origins date back four thousand years – it is believed to have been introduced to Ireland by the Celts. In hurling, players use sticks called lances, similar to hockey sticks, to hit the sliotar (ball) and score points in the opponent’s goal, which is similar to rugby’s. Like knattleikr, players can catch and advance a maximum of four steps (then they must pass it to a teammate) or kick it. Shoulder charges are allowed as long as the opponent has at least one foot on the ground.

In 1908, Icelandic scholar Dr. Björn Bjarnason published a book titled Íþróttir fornmanna á norðurlöndum, proposing a reconstruction of knattleikr. According to him, two pairs of players faced each other on a delimited field, hitting the ball with their sticks. The defender had to return it with one hit before it touched the ground, and then everyone would chase, grab, and hit it in a confusing and brutal melee, with the less robust at a disadvantage. A point was scored when the ball crossed the opponent’s defensive line, and that was the only pause (except when the ball went out of bounds or a player was immobilized by others on top of him).

In any case, the distinctly physical nature of knattleikr and the looseness of its rules are evident, both accentuated by the possibility of lasting until the limits of endurance: a match lasting a whole day is mentioned, stopping at sunset and continuing the next day. The sagas also mention a knattleikr adapted for children called sveinaleikr. The Vikings and their games were truly unique.

This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on July 25, 2019. Puedes leer la versión en español en Knattleikr, el popular pero brutal juego de pelota vikingo

Sources

Angus A. Somerville, R. Andrew McDonald, The Viking Age | Snorri Sturluson, The Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson | Saga Eyrbyggja | Grettis Saga | Vopnfirðinga saga | Hurstwick | Wikipedia

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