34. Scandinavian Spiritual Beliefs Accidentally Led to Stronger Swords
Scandinavians in the Iron Age only had access to bog iron – an impure and soft metal. That put Scandinavians at a disadvantage when fighting neighbors who were armed and armored with better iron. However, Scandinavian religious beliefs led them, unwittingly, into forging an early version of steel swords. That gave them a literal edge over their opponents.
Scandinavians believed that mixing the bones of killed animals with the iron used in forging swords would imbue the resultant weapon with the spirit – and strength – of the killed animal. That was mumbo jumbo, but the swords that emerged were pretty strong, nonetheless. It was not because of spirituality, however, but science.