Hank Reinhardt's The Book of the Sword (18 page)

Probably the most important item of defensive armor was the shield. You could be in real trouble if you were caught without one. But a shield is also a nuisance to carry, so a lot of people were caught without one. It is obvious from the sagas that the thickness varied a great deal. You can read of thin shields and some that are described as thick and strong.

Round reproduction shield made by Peter Fuller for Hank Reinhardt. HRC401.

Vikings shields were generally round, and varied in width from 20 to 42 inches. They were made of boards glued together on the ends. The center of the shield was cut out for the hand, and the hand was then covered by a bowl shaped piece of metal called a boss. Often the rim of the shield would be covered by a strip of rawhide that was laced, or even glued to the edges. This was good protection, and also helped hold the boards together. On rare occasions the rim of the shield might be reinforced with iron. The shield was gripped in the center where there was a grip, usually of iron. There may, or may not, depending on personal preference, be a strap to secure the left forearm to the shield. While primarily a defensive tool, it could be used offensively, too. A punch to the side of the head with a ten-pound shield can easily break someone's neck. The shield can also be used to drive an opponent's shield in a direction that will open him up for a sword cut.

Reproduction shield made by Peter Fuller, back.
Photo by Peter Fuller.

Although round predominated, it was not the only shape. You can have oval ones, and square ones, and later you will have the typical kite shaped shield that is referred to as "Norman." There is very strong evidence that suggests that the kite shaped shield originated in the Near East, and was brought back to Europe by returning members of the Varangian Guard in Byzantium. Nevertheless, there was a lot of individual preference.

Reproduction shield made by Peter Fuller.
Photo by Peter Fuller.

For someone living in our standardized age it is frequently confusing and even difficult to grasp that nothing was consistent or standardized. Uniforms were still several hundred years in the future. The Viking Age didn't end at 12 midnight October 14, 1066, with everybody jumping around shouting "We're now in the Middle Ages." Armor and swords didn't change overnight, and a blade could be in use for well over a hundred years, and a mail shirt that belonged to grandad might just fit you. One of the hardest things in discussing this subject with someone who is just getting started, is that there are no hard and fast rules. If someone doesn't have a helmet, and gets hold of one that is two hundred years old, he'll wear it. Better to be old fashioned than to have your skull split!

Reproduction flatiron shield made by Peter Fuller for Hank Reinhardt. HRC381.

The kite shield began to dominate Europe by the 11th century. It was ideal on horseback, as it protected most of your left side, and on foot it gave good protection to the left leg. True, it wasn't quite as effective a weapon as a good round shield, but it could be used that way. As coverage of the body in armor increased, the shield became somewhat smaller, soon ending up in the classic flatiron shape so beloved by all. After all, it is a great way to display your arms, and looks really cool hanging in back of your high seat.

The kite shield was fairly thick, being close to an average of one-half inch in thickness. These were generally covered in leather and decorated in gesso, with a weight of ten to twelve pounds. They were very sturdy, and their primary purpose was to divert the lance of the opponent. Foot soldiers at this time carried all types of shields, but as armor improved and became more accessible, it was more important that they carry a weapon that could defeat the armor, a two-hand weapon, and so the shield began to lose favor. It never fully went out of use but its popularity did dwindle considerably starting about 1400.

A warrior who wanted to survive had to be familiar with all types of weapons: sword, axe, bow, spear, halberd. Although he may have a favorite weapon, he may not be guaranteed that he has it when he needs it. If you're attacked when you're out cutting wood, you'd better know how to use an axe. If you had thrown your spear, you needed to be able to pick up some dead guy's halberd and use it.

Although there are a surprisingly large number of Bronze Age, Iron Age, Dark Age and Viking Age weapons still in existence, there are also a lot of weapons of which we do not have samples. Consider the Maceijowski Bible. It shows sword-like items, strangely shaped spears and weird polearms, none with existing copies. Similarly, we read of the hewing spear, but have no remains that we can identify as the specific weapons.

Reproduction of chopper from the Maceijowski Bible. HRC51.

So I would first like to clarify the definition of "halberd." This term is used in the English translation of the Norse sagas, as well as "bill," and both these are translations from the Icelandic for the term "hewing spear." The hewing spear was clearly a very formidable weapon, and used by many. It appears all through the sagas, and is a source of frustration for me—and tracking it down might be termed my personal quest. For I have been unable to determine what the weapon looked like, and I've been searching for thirty years or more, so far with no success. But I am convinced that in the basement of some museum there is a strange looking weapon, and no one knows exactly what it is and, alas, does not care.

Viking hewing spear as envisioned by Hank Reinhardt.

We do know from written descriptions that the hewing spear is a polearm, and one that is light enough to be thrown, though probably not very far, but with tremendous force. We know that it has a very sharp point, with a blade long enough to go all the way through someone, and we also know that it has a blade capable of cutting a man in half. Thorolf kills Earl Hring by stabbing him through the body, and then picking him up and planting the halberd butt first in the ground, and leaving him there. Another time a different hero, Gunnar, cuts a man in half with one.

In
Egil's Saga
there is a description of the halberd. "The thrusting spear he carried had a blade two ells (approximately six feet) long with four edges tapering to a point on one end and broad at the other. The socket was long and wide and no taller than might be grasped at the socket by the hand, but wonderfully thick. There was an iron spike in the socket and the whole shaft was bound with iron. It was the kind of spear that is called a halberd."

I can fantasize and sketch my thoughts, but I still don't know what it looked like. But I have hopes that one day I'll run across something that will give me a more positive clue than just my imagination.

The spear was by far the most common weapon. Its length gives it a definite advantage over the sword alone, and it can be hurled as well. Many people are amazed at how effective a quarter staff is as a weapon. The spear has the same capabilities, with a sharp point on the end. It was also not as expensive as the sword. But the desire to decorate one's weapon takes hold, and richly ornamented spears are not only mentioned, but have been found as well.

Indeed, grave finds have been rich in spears, with several being found in just one grave. The abundance of the weapon shows how prevalent its use was. Only rarely have the mostly wooden shafts been found, and these are usually quite decayed. But traces show the length of the shafts in many cases. Size ranges from about five feet to well over eleven feet! This longer length must have been difficult to manage. Although there is no record of the Vikings using the lance on horseback, it probably occurred very late in the period. After all, the Normans still had some ties with their homeland. But one use for a spear this long would have been when two ships were about to join for battle. This reach would have been an advantage, and once the ships were joined together the spear could have been dropped in favor of a shorter weapon.

Shafts seemed to be about one inch in diameter, with a few being slightly larger. The most common wood used was ash, although it appears that other woods, such as oak and elm, were also used. Hard, tough woods are a necessity in a spear shaft, and even using these woods it was still possible to have them cut in half. Although we have a large number of spears, we are unable to tell exactly into what class each one falls. The Vikings mention a "hoggspjot," which translates as a hewing or cutting spear; a "gaflak," which was a type of javelin; an "atgeir," which appears to be a type of halberd or bill; a "skepti-fletta," which appears to be a spear with a cord attached; a "kesja," which is somewhat undetermined; and a "snoeris-spjot," which is a string spear.