The Danish War Museum opens the new exhibition “Warrior”

What does it do to a human being to become a warrior and go to war?

This is one of the fundamental questions explored by the Danish War Museum’s upcoming exhibition Warrior.

In the exhibition, visitors encounter four very different warriors: a Roman legionary, a Japanese samurai, a ritual warrior from the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea, and a contemporary Danish soldier. Although they lived in different times and parts of the world, they all share the experience of entering the warrior’s world after undergoing intense mental and physical training.

Humankind has always gone to war, but the exhibition is particularly relevant in the new world order we are living in today. Museum Director David Høyer explains:

“War has returned to Europe, and we cannot rule out that Danish soldiers may eventually be required to go to war for NATO. Warrior helps us understand what it does to a human being to become a warrior, and the mental and physical forces at play in the extreme situations of war, which fluctuate between life and death. With this exhibition, we aim to provide insight and perspective for understanding the time we are living in right now.”

You Must Kill

Warrior follows the four warriors before, during, and after combat and, through their training, weapons, and rituals, offers insight into how a warrior is created—and how the warrior undergoes a transformation to become ready to assume their role on the battlefield. Protected by war gods, amulets, armour, and weapons, death awaits: either the enemy’s or the warrior’s own.

“Although the four warriors in the exhibition come from vastly different backgrounds, they nonetheless share several dilemmas, conflicts, and choices—among them being trained to carry out a task that is otherwise subject to a strong taboo in most societies: namely, killing,” says exhibition curator Mai Stenbjerg, who has been involved in developing Warrior.

She adds:

“The exhibition provides perspective on this duality faced by the warrior and raises the most fundamental question of all: What does it do to a human being to become a warrior?”

Facts

• Warrior opens at the Danish War Museum on 4 February 2026.
• The exhibition has been created in collaboration between the Danish War Museum, the National Museum of Denmark, and Moesgaard.
• In addition to specialists from the two museums, a number of researchers from institutions including Aarhus University, the Royal Danish Defence College, DIIS, and Aalborg University have contributed to the exhibition.
• Warrior is supported by the Augustinus Foundation, the A.P. Møller Foundation, and the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation.