What does it take to become a warrior?

How do we people become warriors? And how do we become people again when the war is over? Through four warriors from different times and corners of the world, the special exhibition Warrior takes us on a journey in time and space, and gives an insight into the objects, actions and rituals that create a warrior.

INTRODUCTION

00:00 / 00:00

Introduction to Warrior

By anthropologist Anders Emil Rasmussen

It is striking how much warriors and war not only take up of the today’s news, but also of human history. Our aim is for the exhibition to provide an insight into and perspective on a theme which has become more pressing than we like to admit.

Mads Kähler Holst, Director of Moesgaard.

Samurai, legionary, Sepik warrior and Danish soldier

In the exhibition we meet four different warriors: a Roman legionary from around AD 100, a Japanese samurai from around 1600, a ritual warrior from the Sepik area of New Guinea in the 1920s and a present-day Danish soldier. The four people have very different backgrounds, but have one important thing in common: they are all on their way to becoming warriors.

We follow the warriors from their first selection to their targeted introduction into the world of war. On the battlefield, belief, magic and mental training give them strength and courage. Protected by armour, good luck coins and gods of war, the warriors are all now confronted with death – either that of the enemy or their own.

Did you know?

The special exhibition Warrior can be experienced at Moesgaard until 19 October 2025, after which it will move to the Danish War Museum in Copenhagen. Here, Warrior will become part of the permanent exhibition.

Worth knowing

There is no minimum age limit for the exhibition, but it deals with war and weapons, and can be a difficult experience for some children. The exhibition does not include photographs or moving images of war – only animated depictions. We recommend that that, as a parent, you make your own decision about what your child can tolerate and provide them with support through the experience. Military veterans suffering the psychological after-effects of participation in war should be aware that the exhibition places the guests in a battle scene involving gunfire. The sound of modern war can, however, be taken away if you remove your headphones.

The Warrior exhibiton is supported by

Open today 10–17