What Did the Varangian Guard Really Wear?

Varangian guards are commonly represented as being very heavily armoured, with lamellar armour over mail armour, and wielding two handed axes. And that image is not wrong. But it is also a little incomplete. The Varangian Guard existed for centuries, and its soldiers came from different places: Scandinavia, the Rus world, and later Anglo-Saxon England. Some may have arrived with their own equipment. Others adopted Byzantine weapons, armor, helmets, and shields over time. So a Varangian Guard in the 10th century may not have looked the same as one in the 12th or 13th century. So what weapons and armor did the Varangian Guard actually use? 0:00 Introduction to the Varangians 1:08 Origins and identity 3:47 Role and recruitment 7:31 Lack of uniform equipment 9:38 Primary and secondary weapons 16:41 Shields and tactical evolution 18:10 Armor and protection 23:12 Helmet types and development 27:56 Legacy and returning home