Viking Age Arms and Armor.docx
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Viking Age Arms and Armor.docx
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VikingAgeArmsandArmor
VikingAgeArmsandArmor
VikingShields
IntheVikingage,fightingmenusedlarge,round,woodenshieldsgrippedinthecenterfrombehindanironboss.Areproductionshieldisshowntotheleft,andahistoricalshieldfromtheOsebergshiptotheright.
ShieldsrepresentoneofseveralinstanceswheretheliterarysourcesandarchaeologicalsourcesdonotagreeonhowVikingweaponswereconstructed.
TheNorwegianGulaþingandFrostaþinglawsspecifytheconstructionofashield.Theshieldshouldbemadeofwoodwiththreeironbandsandahandlefastenedtothebacksidebyironnails.Alaterrevisionofthelawsaysthattheshieldshouldbemadeofadoublelayerofboards(tvibyrðr),andthefrontshouldbepaintedredandwhite.
AfewshieldshavesurvivedfromtheVikingage,notablytheshieldsfromtheGokstadship,whichdatefromthe10thcentury.Theshipwasequippedwith32shields,severalofwhichsurviveintact.Theyweremadefromasinglelayerofplanksbuttedtogether,withnoironbands,andthefrontswerepaintedblackandyellow.
TypicalVikingshieldswere80-90cm(32-36inches)indiameter.Somewerelarger,suchastheGokstadshields,whichwere94cm(37in)across.Basedonsurvivingremnants,someshieldsappeartohavebeenassmallas70cm(28in)indiameter.Presumablywhenamanmadeashieldforhimself,hesizedittofithisbodysizeandfightingstyle.Ashieldneedstobebigenoughtoprovidethedesiredprotectionbutnobigger.Ashieldtoosmallexposesadditionallinesofattackthatanopponentmightexploit,whileashieldtoolargeslowsthedefensiveresponsesandexhauststhefighterunnecessarily.
Allthesurvivingexamplesaremadefromsolidbuttedplanks,althoughliteraryevidence,suchasthe10thcenturyFrankishpoemWaltharius,andtheGulaþinglaws,suggeststhatshieldsweremadeoflaminatedwood.NoarchaeologicalevidencesupportsthisstyleofconstructionduringtheVikingerainNorselands.
Survivingshieldsaremadefromspruce,fir,orpine.Again,literaryevidencecontradictsandsuggeststhatshieldsweremadewithlindenwood(Tilia,commonlyknownasbasswoodinNorthAmerica).Thewordlind(linden)isusedtomean"shield"inpoemssuchasVöluspá(50),andthetermlindiskjöldr(lindenshield)isusedinsomesagas.Lindencertainlyhasadvantagesoverotherspeciesofwoodforshielduse.Itislightweightanddoesnotsplitasreadilyunderimpactasdoothertypesofwood.
TheGokstadshieldswereapproximately7mm(1/4in)thicknearthecenterandwerechamferedsotheywerethinnerattheedges.Mostsurvivingshieldsareintherangebetween6mm(1/4in)and12mm(1/2in)thick,althoughshieldsthickerthan30mm(1-1/8in)havebeenfound.Egilssaga(chapter53)saysthatÞórólfrwasequippedwithalarge,thickshield.Laterinthebattle,hethrewhisshieldonhisbacktowieldhisspearwithtwohands.
Thereproductionshieldshowntotheleftischamferedsothatitisabout12mm(1/2in)thickinthecenterand6mm(1/4in)attheedges.Themarksofthetoolusedtoshaveoffthethicknessontheshieldfaceareclearlyvisibleinthephoto.
Atthecenteroftheshieldwasadomedironboss,whichprotectedthehand.A10thcenturyshieldbossfoundatHemlainsouthIcelandisshowninthephotototheright.ThebossshowntotheleftisfromtheearlierVendelperiod,butthisstylewithitslongneckandknobattheapexwasalsousedintheVikingage.Themanynailsontheflangethatheldthebosstotheshieldarevisible.
Ithasbeensuggestedthattheneckandknobwereusedtocatchandtrapincomingswordblades,allowingthebladetobetwistedoutoftheopponent'shand,orpossiblytobesnappedintwo.
Bossesweretypically15cm(6in)indiameterandhadathicknessof3to5mm(about0.1to0.2in,orbetween6and10gauge).Thebossmustbelargeenoughtocomfortablyadmitthehandandallowtheshieldtoshiftfreelyaroundthehandasthecombatantmovestheshieldfromonesidetotheother.Earlierbosseswerehemispherical,whilelaterbossesweremoreflattened.Somebosseshadacylindricalneckbetweentheflangeandthedome,suchastheVendelerabossshownaboveandtotheright.Flangeswereusuallyround,althoughbosseswithmoreelaboratelyshapedflanges,suchastoothedflanges,havebeenfound.
Broadheadedironnailspassedthroughtheflangeandwereeitherflattened,orclenched(bentover)onthereversesideoftheshieldtoholdthebossinplace.Theclenchednailsonthereversesideofareproductionshieldarevisibleinthephotototheleft.LiketheGokstadshields,thisreproductionshieldhasnoironreinforcements,andasinglewoodenhandgriprunningacrossthediameteroftheshield.
Theshieldwasgrippedfromtheinsideoftheboss,asshowntotheright.Thearmdidnotslipthroughanystraps,andasaresult,theshieldcouldberotatedfreelyfromsidetoside.
Atleastonepassagefromthesagascanbeusedtodisputethisinterpretationofthehandgrip.Inchapter32ofBjarnarsagaHítdælakappa,theauthorsaysthatBjörnheldtheshieldwithhisarmthroughthehand-grip(Björnhéltáskildinumsváathandleggrhansvarímundriðanum...).
TheinterioroftheVendelerabossisshowntotheleft.Thisbosshasahandgriprivetedtotheinsideoftheboss.Clearly,noarmcouldpassthroughthishandgrip.
Thehandgriptypicallyranthefulldiameteroftheshield.Manyshieldsusedasimplewoodenhandgrip,asshownonthereproductionshieldtotheleft,whilesomeusedwoodincombinationwithiron,nailedtotheshield,asshowninthereproductionshieldtotheright.Someofthesurvivingironhandgripsaredecoratedwithsilverorbronze.
AlthoughtheGulaþinglawsrequiredthreeironreinforcingbarsonthebackoftheshield(right),archaeologicalevidenceisveryslight.Iftheywereusedatall,thesereinforcementswouldhaveaddedstrengthtotheshieldandservedtoholdtheplywoodorplankingtogether.
Theshieldwasprobablyrimmedwithleatherorrawhide(left)tokeeptheshieldfromsplittingwhenhitonedge.Theedginghelpedtobindtheshieldtogether,aswell,sincetheleathershrunkafteritwasinstalled,forcingtheplanksmoretightlytogether.Thebenefitsofthiskindofedgingareshowngraphicallylateronthispage.
TheGokstadshieldshaveaseriesofsmallholesallaroundtheperipheryoftheshields.They'reabout20mm(3/4in)infromtheedge,spacedat35mmintervals(1-3/8in).Itisthoughtthattheleatheredgingwasheldinplaceontheseshieldseitherwithironnails,orwithstitchingthatpassedthroughtheseholes,asshownonthereproductionshieldtotheleft.
Someshieldshaveevidenceofironorbronzeclampsaroundtheedge,perhapstoholdtheleatheredginginplace.Aspeculativereconstructionofanironclampisshowntotheright.Occasionally,theseclampswerenotuniformlydistributedaroundtheedgeoftheshield,suggestingthattheywereusedtoreinforceandprotectadamagededge.
Thereisnegligiblearchaeologicalevidenceforiron-rimmedshields,althoughinchapter40ofGrettissaga,itissaidthataberserkcarriedaniron-rimmedshieldtoaduelagainstGrettir.WhenBersiandSteinardueledinchapter12ofKormákssaga,Bersi'sswordstuckintheironrimofSteinar'sshield.Ahighlyspeculativeinterpretationofaniron-rimmedshieldisshowntotheright.
TheshieldfragmentfoundatBaldursheimurinnorthIcelandsketchedtothelefthasbeeninterpretedaseitherafragmentofashieldrim,orasafragmentofareinforcementontherearoftheshield.Withsolittleoftheoriginallefttogoon,eitherinterpretationseemsspeculative.Thefragmentisjust8.5cm(3.5in)long.
Aleathersling,usedtocarrytheshieldovertheshoulder(right),wouldhavebeencommon.Therearemanyinstancesinthestoriesinwhichafighterthrewhisshieldoverhisbackinordertowieldhisweaponwithtwohands,suchasinchapter53ofEgilssaga.DuringabattleagainstEarlHringr,Þórólfrthrewhisshieldoverhisbackandthrustwithhisspearusingbothhands,eventuallythrustingitthroughtheearl'schestandouthisback.
Shieldswereslungovertheshoulderwhennotincombat,aswell.Inchapter14ofGull-Þórissaga,Þórirwentouttotrimthemanesofhishorses.Heworkedwithhisshieldhangingbyhisside.Bljúgrattackedunexpectedly,thrustingatÞórirwithhisspear.Thespearglancedofftheshieldandenteredthehorse'sbelly,killingtheanimal.
Theslingcouldsometimesbeadangerousnuisance.BjarnarsagaHítdælakappa(chapter18)saysthatEyvindrattackedBjörnwithhisaxe.TheattackhitBjörn'shelmetandglancedoff,butthebackoftheaxecaughtBjörn'sshieldstrap,redirectingtheblowintohischest.Björnreceivedminorwoundsinhischestandlegfromtheattack.Björnthrewhisshieldaway,andstruckatEyvindr,causinghisdeath.
Thefrontofsomeshieldsmayhavebeencoveredwithleather.Theleathermadetheshieldmoreresistanttotheimpactofweapons,althoughitalsoaddedsignificantweight.Thegrainoftheleatherfacinginthereproductionshieldtotheleftisclearlyvisiblethroughthepaint.Thebenefitofafacingsuchasthisisshowngraphicallylateronthispage.
Alternatively,shieldsmayhavebeenfacedwithlinen,heldinplacewithhideglue,aswasdoneonthereproductionshieldshowntotheright.Thelinenaddsnegligibleweight,butthefibersgreatlystrengthenthewood,holdingthestructuretogetherevenifthewoodsplits.
Somesurvivingshieldsshowevidenceofpaint(mineralpigmentsgroundintoanoilbase)onthewoodsurface,suggesti
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