Its use was rare among Viking warriors, but there are traces that it was used in the Viking Age. Oval shield : Analogous to the round, but with a more oval appearance.In addition to these shields there were others less used. In the Bayeuxl Tapestry we can appreciate this type of shield. It was used at the end of the Viking Age, between the 10th and 13th centuries of our era. It had the appearance of an inverted teardrop, it was a circular shield breakthrough. These measures were increasing over time. The size of the shields ranged between 45 and 120 centimeters, although they normally measured between 75 and 90 centimeters in diameter. It was light and thin, but enough to make a shield wall. The most used in the early years of the Viking age and up to the 10th century. In this way we can distinguish, in principle, two types of shields. Archaeologists and historical evidence prove the inequality between the different shields. It is widely believed that Viking shields were all round, but this claim is flatly false. Many things have been found in it, and among them, Viking shields. The greatest source of knowledge about these shields comes from what was found in the Gokstad funerary ship, which is buried in Noregua. Of the importance that the Viking gave to his shield, it is only necessary to say that they dedicated poems to them, including Ragnarsdrápa, from the 9th century AD. They did it on the ship's railing, and this allowed the crew to protect themselves from the waves and the wind, and they also always had them at hand, expanding the space for the warriors to move inside the ship. Curiously, the Viking ships had a special place to store the shields. As benefits of this element of war, we can say that its use was very flexible, because, on the one hand, it could be combined with the Viking sword or axe, and secondly, it allowed the famous shield wall to be made. The Viking shield was the first defensive weapon of this Scandinavian people, since armor and helmets were very expensive, which most of the Viking population could not access. No two offensive or defensive weapons have ever been the same. When they went into battle they did so naked and painted blue, and to intimidate the enemy they shouted, beat their shields and blew their war trumpets.īoth Celtic swords and shields were small works of art. They were protected with shields, generally made of wood. They generally covered their bodies with skins from their herds. These were fortified and located on high ground. The Celts lived in places called castros. Shields have been found in La Tène tombs with an umbo formed by an iron cylinder with two wings nailed to the shield blades.Ĭeltic shields used to carry emblems and were profusely decorated with elements of great value -above all, the British ones. Those of the Gauls and Irish were distinguished by being larger, elongated and oval -sometimes also rectangular. Like most Central European peoples, the Celts have used shields. When surrounded, this type of defensive formation could move by adopting a circular position. The first line stood shoulder to shoulder with the shields, while the spearmen were placed in the second row. The shield wall so typical in the fights against the Vikings was to make a kind of wall. At first they were convex until little by little they became flat models. The Viking kite shield differs from the round one due to its greater weight and the addition of a fastening system. They were painted in bright colors and curiously had no arm support. The round shield was formed by stripes of wood, mainly linden, placed horizontally, and a metallic ring around its entire contour. The comet shield replaced the round shield because it better protected the combatant, not only the torso but also the legs. It was used between the 10th and 13th centuries. An advance on the round shield was the comet shield. The most widespread size fluctuated between 75 and 90 cm. It was very light and not very thick, allowing the shield wall to be made. The round Shield, which was the most common until the 10th century. Mainly we can distinguish two types of Viking shields. The wall of shields that these warriors made is also well known, and numerous shields hung on the railings can also be seen on Viking ships. The shield was for the Vikings their main defensive weapon, which also allowed them to use the Viking sword and ax with the other hand. You have all the Viking and Celtic shields right here, you can buy a shield as a decoration or a functional one ready for battle if you are a recreationist.
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