Having read Egil's, Njal's, and Grettir the Strong's sagas, I've noticed a common trend to shields; they break. A lot. For a big heavy man made circle of wood that's sole purpose and function is to withstand attack, it sure seems like they do a pretty awful job at it. Also, the attacks that they break to in some cases just don't in my mind hold enough power to shatter it, and not to mention the fact that these blows almost always end up killing the person wielding it, which spurs an entirely different series of questions.
Before looking into if shield breaking is actually a common occurrence in battle, I can see why the authors would decide to make these less realistic blows a part of their stories; they're awesome. Giving a hero somewhat supernatural strength, especially when it comes to battling it out with an adversary, makes heroes all that more heroic. A great way of proving that heroic strength is just by making it harder for the hero to win, but then have them pull through it anyways. So if a normal person could kill with a well placed sword strike, the big mighty hero can do the same through a shield. That's why it's like "plot anti-armor", it's purpose in the writing is for it to break and the person holding it die to make the hero look good!
So, I decided to get into it. See what I could find and learn about old Nordic shields, how they are made, and if these blows could actually split them down the center. Here's what I found;
Old Nordic shields of the time during the sagas are made of spruce, pine, or fir wood, with a metal dome in the center. Inside the dome is an iron bar that is used to hold the shield, the dome being to protect the hand. Being from 1/4"-1/2" thick in the center, they are made to balance sturdy with the fact that they have to be carried around, a shield being too heavy also being slower and harder to use in a fight. An example is actually given on how six wooden planks are glued and butted together, and the iron dome is attached with nails. And with this example, the people who made it decided to give it a go and see how a blow would damage it (Super amazing god send source that you should go look at: http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_shields.htm):
Above, this guy's using a shield replica of the same design and materials to make this as accurate as possible for both the shield and the ax he's about to hit it with (plus he has a really cool looking helmet). In the source, it also states that no "wind up" was given to the blow to make it more accurate to an "in battle" situation. (The attention to detail in how they did this is amazing)
From this side, the ax cut right through, but the damage to the shield itself doesn't look that bad! Until...
Oh... yikes. Turns out, these shields are actually very breakable, and even split apart, shatter, and allow blows to even pass through to the person wielding them if they are unlucky enough.
After pulling the ax back out, the shield planks show more clearly how much damage just one hit made. Now, this is only on a direct hit that a shield will split apart like this, and the source emphasizes that these plank shields are not to be used like a wall. Instead, as the heroes (or anyone who manages to block with the shield they're using) typically do in the sagas, the shield is instead intended to glance away blows, the force of the hit on a turned shield having much less impact and power to damage it with.
In conclusion, my initial guess that these shields are normally able to take a blow like this is correct, to a degree? Only if used right (or lucky enough) will these shields block an attack, and it is very possible for them to break and leave the person who was holding it hurt or dead. Regardless, it still serves an incredible mental image to think of someone getting chopped in half, even with their shield
up trying to block the blow, and I can see why the authors would use that element in their heroic battles.
In the research I've done, the Viking shields would indeed break pretty easily. Catching blows on the metal boss (metal dome in the center) or using it to bash and enemies were its primary purpose. They were an offensive weapon as much as a defensive one.
ReplyDeleteI find this very interesting, I really wonder how they would hold up to arrows? In reading the sagas it always seems like shields are completely useless. I remember reading I believe about Grettir that he would carry a sword and a halberd and from this research it seems that this tactic was really smart of him. Interesting point about how shields are used to glance away blows I never thought out of it like that because usually in movies this is not the case. I wonder how the change from wooden shields with reinforced metal to just metal and iron shields changed battle? Last point; I can't imagine how terrifying it would be to face a halberd that sings swinging at you while you just hold your flimsy wooden shield!
ReplyDeleteI think the primary purpose of the shield was to block arrows and maybe a couple weapon swings as you get in range to attack. The blade going through the shield isn't necessarily a downside either if it gets stuck. If they can't pull it out they can't attack, and you could just pull it out of their hands. If they don't let go you just stab them.
ReplyDeleteI guess, shields are less of a "survive the entire battle wielding it” sort of thing, and more of a “I’m going to block this very specific blow because I can’t dodge it, rendering my shield useless” sort of thing. If that makes sense? Like, maybe they’re intended to block the heavier blows, and not necessarily all blows. Or maybe they’re primarily there for arrow protection. Honestly, these things seem pretty heavy… I can’t imagine lifting one, let alone maneuvering it around to block projectiles and attacks. I wonder what happens when their shield breaks in the middle of a raid, though. I guess they’re left shieldless throughout the rest of the journey?
ReplyDeleteGreat research. Never would have thought to go that in depth on shields, but you're right they do serve an "anti-plot armor" purpose in the Viking narratives. They do use them as a way to set the heroes apart, even if it seems like every character is strong enough to break a shield. We have to remember that these stories are full of great heroes and there's tons of "redshirts" or regular people that can't split a shield in half with a killing blow.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite "red shirt" example I can give is the guy who's just cooking meat in a pot at the Allthing at the end of Njal's saga (pretty sure it was Njal's, may have been Egil's though) who only appears after the fight breaks out. He shouts an insult, gets picked up, and tossed into the giant pot of meat and killed instantly. Really, the disposability of some of these characters is truly hilarious in its own sort of way.
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