Why Shields Are Disposable

[svensson]

Viking age group called Hirdmenn demonstrating the center-gripped round shield [aka 'Viking round shield'] vs. the famed Danish Axe. Watch till the end, there's more to this than first appears.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by svensson

[Ian_W]

If you're trying anything with that shield other than parrying the haft of that axe, you're doing it wrong.

 

Apart from anything else, that block done against a blow six inches higher is going to cause a great deal of pain against the left hand of the shield bearer, which may well interfere with the rest of the fight.

[svensson]

3 minutes ago, Ian_W said:

If you're trying anything with that shield other than parrying the haft of that axe, you're doing it wrong.

 

Apart from anything else, that block done against a blow six inches higher is going to cause a great deal of pain against the left hand of the shield bearer, which may well interfere with the rest of the fight.

Well, that's a mistake on the part of both combatants... with the axe and the shield they both can dictate the striking distance of the fight. Both choose to extend their arms out almost full distance. Given that neither are wearing armor, that's not a dumb idea in a demo like this.

What's more, the point of a shield is to deflect the blow, not block it. The idea is to divert the force of the attack rather an absorb it.

[Ian_W]

2 minutes ago, svensson said:

Well, that's a mistake on the part of both combatants...

It's not a mistake, it is showing skill in a showfight, where both participants are trying to keep the other safe.

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Ian_W

[Akhôrahil]

Disposable by design. Shields are heavy, which is tiring in a battle. If your shield comes out in great shape, that just means you could have made it lighter.

[Darius West]

Records suggest that weapons would become caught in Viking shields, and with strength, the shields were used to disarm opponents.  This demo seems to show how that could happen.  Some Viking duelists would let their enemy batter away and shatter up to seven shields, allowing them to tire out before the duelist would then finish them from a relatively fresh position.  Records suggest that disposable shields were quite real.