Viking Era Shield Fighting Techniques Against Swords

Considering a few fundamentals about the use of the shield in the viking, or early medieval, period. This specifically considers the 'dark age' boss-gripped shield and how it was perhaps used against swords of the time.
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[@WolfgangBrehm]

"never make absolute statements" nice paradoxon :D

[@virgosintellect]

"9/10 quotes on the internet are misquoted" -Abraham Lincoln

[@Lucius1958]

"All generalizations are false."

[@nooneofinterest234]

He must be a Jedi, since they don't deal in absolutes.

[@mortenovergaard7397]

Sometimes absolute statements are warranted.

[@holyknightthatpwns]

"Never make *categorical* statements about a period of combat that we know so little about." There's no paradox if you quote him faithfully.

[@InSanic13]

I see that Matt understands the value of avoiding absolutes. After all, only a Sith deals in them.

[@indieWellie]

b-but ... that's an absolute ...

[@briankearney5994]

Also, only a sith deals in crossguards!

[@InSanic13]

@@briankearney5994 Jedi Master Roblio Darté would like a word...

[@villehammar7858]

@@indieWellie Well, TECHNICALLY speaking dealing refers to the action of making deals, not statements, so it's not really *dealing* in absolutes... :P

[@Gabdube]

@@villehammar7858 the point is that it's making a universal statement about universal statements. The statement must therefore also apply to itself, otherwise it is self-defeating.

[@pedroxdev]

I would expect vikings to use shields like a boss.

[@lylachristopherson865]

BOOOoooooo!!!

[@pedroxdev]

Lyla Christopherson I believe the word you are looking for is: BOOOoooooosssSSS!!

[@virgosintellect]

Buckler's use a boss like a shield.

[@oldschooljeremy8124]

Tip your valkyrie! He'll be here all eternity! :D

[@INTERNERT]

OldSchool Jeremy **she

[@karstenfritsche820]

This is a very interesting topic, at least to me. I won't say I have done "experimental archeology", but I have fooled around with weapons of the early medieval era in training for years. My usual combination was a centre gripped shield, a speer and a seax. Early on during my training I used to block attacks with the flat of my shield, supporting it with my forearm. That was until someone hit my shield with a mace and the blow felt like he broke my arm. After that I never blocked with the flat again. I always used the shield more offensive and hit the forearm or wrist of the attacker with the rim of the shield to counter an attacking blow. This is very effective against swords and especially axes. Don't try this against spears. You can use the "strong" and "weak" against spears, but it's a totally different technique.

[@jorgen-ingmarcastell2864]

That is indeed important. Different way against different weapons. Against arrows, just cover as much as possible, against Spears and similar the "the strong and weak tactic", against shorter weapons be more offensive.

[@flamenmartialis6839]

I once read some historian saying that viking shields couldn't be use in battle because they was to thin. My thoughts is that vikings had to find a balance between durability and usability, you could do a shield that withstand all blows but would you be able to use it then.

[@etepeteseat7424]

Off topic, but I love that Soundgarden shirt, Matt!

[@CSGraves]

Aye, takes me back to having Badmotorfinger as a highschooler. Looking back, I realize it was Kim Thayil's guitar which drew mean in.... Chris Cornell's vocals? Not so much. :-p

[@TonyGillis]

John Lance I read that too. I blew my mind. Never let it be said the musicians aren’t tough.

[@Aalienik]

I remember in one of the classic viking novels "Röde Orm" (Orm the red) by Frans G. Bengtsson, the protagonist Orm is fighting a duel and is worried about his sword getting stuck in his opponents shield and breaking or getting wrenched out of his hand. Ever since reading that book as a child I always considered swords getting stuck in your shield to be a feature rather than a bug. Another thing about that duel that always stuck with me was that it's mentioned that Orm is left-handed and his Opponent right-handed. Making for a difficult situation for both of them, since their shields and swords are directly facing each other, making it harder to block incoming cut's. Something I had never thought about before.

[@MossTheGnome]

Having fought a mix of left and right handed fighters, the lefties are often at a natural advantage because of this. Right handed fighters may deal with a lefty once in a blue moon. Lefties have to deal with that im 90% of their fights. Experiance is a powerul teacher

[@EattinThurs61]

A very good book. Röde Orm, the translation to English is not good though but the translation into German is very good, or learn Swedish and read it in original.

[@SuperOtter13]

@@MossTheGnome we had the advantage in my family of 2 left handed brothers and 2 right handed. So growing up we all trained against right and left handers on a regular basis. Was always surprised that other right handers had trouble fighting my little brother. They liked to complain that it was him being a lefty causing them to loose, (actually it was that he was tough as hell.)

[@Hades-im1ml]

Orm the red, one of best books I read !

[@moonshadowmagic7116]

I agree that the English translation is a bit clunky, but whether Red Orm or the re-titled The Long Ships, It is among my favorites. I remember also that in that duel, Orm carried a smaller, metal shield, so did not have to worry about his opponent getting his sword stuck in it and overbalancing .

[@DerSchlechteChirurg]

Cat Easton, if you are still alive and need help, try to smuggle a hidden message in one of Matts Videos. He is constantly claiming to know many ways of skinning a cat and has a serious number of bladed implements in every room. We are very worried. :D

[@septegram]

My first thought when I heard "might get stuck in your shield" was "you say that like it's a bad thing."

[@beavisbutt-headson3223]

Right? I'm sure that's also not entirely true but to me that sounds like an almost universally good thing.

[@rippervtol9516]

Roland Warzecha has a video with thran? I think, testing exactly that. sharp sword into the edge of a period correct Viking shield, the sword got stuck very easily and the sword holder could not get it back out a simple twist of the shield and the sword was wedged in the layers of wood and could not be removed.

[@dtownknives]

In a 1v1 trapping the weapon could absolutely be an advantage, but I can certainly see how it could be a problem when fighting in groups. Sure you disable one enemy's weapon, but your shield also becomes more unwieldy.

[@tl8211]

@@dtownknives In a group you're on a shield wall most likely, and so you can't really move a shield to change where you're catching the blows. They'll probably always strike on the edge.

[@randalthor741]

I love how much you emphasize that people shouldn't make absolute statements about things like this. There are multiple channels that specialize in various historical content that I refuse to watch because they constantly make absolute statements about how this or that was *always* done, and then jump to conclusions based on those absolutes.

[@Riceball01]

@ That's because he always puts in their, wait for it. . . context.

[@dlatrexswords]

So the complaint was “don’t use the edge of your shield or you risk turning it into...a sword breaker?” I can think of worse scenarios to be in. You bring up good points as always Matt.

[@storyspren]

That gives me an idea. A shield, but there's a metal rim all around it (or certain parts of it) and it's covered in those barbed swordbreaker hooks.

[@nathanielkidd2840]

I could imagine that getting the opponents sword stuck in my shield would be a positive, if there aren’t too many opponents. If in a large pitched battle, it would be a bad thing. In a smaller skirmish, raid or ambush...

[@storyspren]

@@nathanielkidd2840 Yeah, you can only carry so many extra weapons before it gets tiring and even impossible.

[@Dark_Plum]

and if you turned your shield into sword breaker there is only one thing you can do - run away in panic.

[@nevisysbryd7450]

@@storyspren I imagine the metal that that would take would make the shield a lot heavier, nevermind the cost of production and maintenance.

[@JosephKerr27]

Love the shoutout to Roland! I was thinking of his seminars during this whole video.

[@AndrewTheFrank]

On the sword stuck in shield question, one of the things Roland shows in a few of his viking shield videos is that the easy movement and rotation of the boss tipped shield that you can easily immobilize, disarm or imbalance your opponent. And what some of his investigations into the shield show that the objective of the shield might have been to catch enemy weapons in them.

Perfect. It’s so arrogant to me when people think they have figured it all out and claim to be the expert. Battle was about survival and using your tools the best way to achieve that. I have no doubt they practiced their techniques in the past, but to say one should only use the flat,, I think Vikings did what it took to survive the fight. I think you are spot on with this and love the humbleness you speak with, never claiming to be absolutely right.

[@qg786]

2:23 I'm sure Cat Easton would strongly disapprove. 🙀😅

[@fireman2375]

I remember when Thegn Thrand was discussing this topic back when they were making their seriers of techniques based on Anthony Cummins book on Viking Martial Arts. Their conclusion was that unless the shield is already badly beat up, the attacker is usually at a strong disadvantage, as it is far easier to manipulate the sword out of the hand, than pulling the sword out of the shield or even the shield from the defender's hand. Furthermore, there is evidence, that Vikings actually brought spare shields on a campaign - and even for duelling, I believe there were up to three allowed? If shields are expected to be replaced during a single duel, they obviously get dmaged easily - meaning that everyone is already accounting for the fact that after the battle, the shield will be in need of replacement. Of course, this is not something that a reenactor would voluntarily do as shields cost money, swords cost money, there's a higher risk for injury and with a blunt reenactment weapon, you're not going to get the desired result anyway...

[@stephens2241]

Regarding reenacting I have a friend who used to do a lot of early mediaeval reenactment and used deliberately weak shields so that they could easily get visibly destroyed. This apparently always got the best reaction from spectators.

[@Riceball01]

I wouldn't necessarily read too much into the fact that they were allowed up to 3 shields in a duel since we don't know if they used special duelling only shields, or their normal everyday shields. Granted that chances are that they used regular shields in their duels, we don't know that for certain and we shouldn't make any assumptions unless we either know for certain or with a high degree of certainty.

[@tomgilesmarvoloryley]

"The prince in his wisdom puts trust in such men Who hack through enemy shields." from the Haraldskvæði saga

[@chrisdawkins3375]

Totally agree. For sure it's a worse situation to have your sword stuck in your opponents shield than the other way around. They've basically got control of your sword point and you have a terrible mechanical disadvantage. Imagine holding a stick at one end, and someone else holds it at the other end. Now you have to try to control the point of the stick (that the other person is holding), while they resist. It's basically impossible. So you're stuck in a desperate battle to free your sword whilst not being disarmed or thrown off balance, whilst the other guy's sword is free and able to take advantage of any openings. Sounds like a really bad deal to me!

[@chrisdawkins3375]

@@tomgilesmarvoloryley I'm sure viking axes could do some hefty damage to a shield. After all, you don't chop a tree down with a sword....

[@Dannyboyefc]

I’d block with any part of the shield I can at that time if it saves my life

[@ieuanhunt552]

That's fine but HEMA isn't just about what you would do in a life or death struggle. It also discusses best practices for drills and training whilst not in a combat scenario.

[@Dannyboyefc]

Ieuan Hunt thing is tho Vikings didn’t do Hema they done it for real

[@71simonforrester]

Me too, I'd be Bloody petrified and on the edge of panic I imagine!

[@richard6133]

@@KurtFrederiksen Or, one might say that if it's down to whatever part of the shield will save your life, you're losing the fight. If you're to that point, you need a new strategy. Time to get creative. Remember that if you're not cheating, you're not trying.

[@onionsoup6813]

It seems like a big consideration might be whether you're part of a shield wall or other troop formation with a bunch of other vikings. You might not be able to pull off a lot of fancy shield play if holding tight ranks is a higher priority.

[@nicholasbenjamin3826]

Moreover, your shield wall isn't much of a shield wall anymore. So Mat's advice holds very well for a one-on-one duel, but you wouldn't want to try that trick in the middle of a battle.

[@AndrewTheFrank]

but still might be advantageous to take an attack on the rim and not the flat. Especially if receiving on the flat means breaking the shield wall but the rim means removing enemy weapon from the fight.

[@JakimAkim]

@@nicholasbenjamin3826 you make it sound like the shield is useless after one cut, i mean they wouldnt just fall apart. Right?

[@michaelmorrissey5631]

Good video Matt. Roland W. Has a video specifically addressing this use of the shield edge in a Viking age context... I believe the shields used were reconstructions based upon actual archeological finds.

[@jeydex5348]

In Ukraine we assume that primary part to block with that kind of shield was boss, but here we also agree with idea that shield could be used as trap for a blade weapon if it blocked on an edge of a shield. This is debatble but It`s the best we have at the moment

[@killerkraut9179]

it make a Differents in Duel or Battle . To use the Shield as a Sword Trap Make more sense in a Duel then in a Battle after my Opinion .

[@jeydex5348]

@@killerkraut9179 that's makes a lot of sense and a agree. We also know that for holmgang combatants could use up to 3 shields so I can assume that shields where really disposable in a duel

[@Nerdslayer09527]

@@killerkraut9179 Well in a battle you would probably have your shields up against the shields of your comrades next to you in a shieldwall, so it would be harder to individually move them around, meaning that most axe and sword blows would probably land on the edge of your shield anyways.

[@oliverlee4033]

Question: do you have any good techniques for breaking rusty cages and/or running? 🤔🤓

[@CSGraves]

Talk to the shirt... or use a Ouija board to consult Johnny Cash. Too soon?

[@shawn6860]

I saw the shirt, too.

[@stein1919]

with a spoon, man

[@robertscott2210]

Very interesting information. 🗡👍 Dualist 1954 sent me here.

[@brinehound]

First off, i would like to say thank you to Matt Easton for your wealth of knowledge regarding CQB(close quarters combat). Secondly, i add that as an Amtgarder(look up Amtgard) we typically use Boffer weapons which are quite light and thusly dont practice traditional sword play, however, the application of shield and weapon placement do at a quasi level apply, notice as Mr. Easton places his shield diagonally across his body, but with boffers one attempts to reduce exposed area as much as possible. Imagine extending your "sword" like a straight jab but pulling it like a whip. Amtgard fighting techniques can be a simple as keeping your gaurd close and waiting for an opening or, throwing multi shot combos to open up your opponents guard giving you an opening. Again, quasi sword fighting.

[@acvarthered]

If I recall correctly there is a viking poem about a duel in which they use special shields that don't have an edging so the shields were better at catching the opponents weapon.

[@Gurfbagel]

Great video Matt, I appreciate your perspective.

[@johnladuke6475]

I'm sure that someone else addressing this point gave examples of some surviving shields that show repeated edge damage and repair, which seems to imply that getting a sword trapped in your shield and living to have it repaired was not uncommon.

[@holyknightthatpwns]

Well, that could also be that looting a dead person's shield and repairing it was common, as well. I don't think getting a weapon stuck in your shield was lethal for you, but I also don't think the existence of repaired shields necessitates that people survived those injuries to the shield.

[@Beardshire]

I'm excited to see what's in the viking burial ship they are uncovering.

[@skeffmaestro]

If you haven't watched Roland who you mentioned testing with Thrand this exact topic, they basically show that you are 100% right, and that it is somewhat likely they spent extra effort manufacturing the shields with a thinner edge to catch opposing blades

[@andrewl9612]

Hi I do Viking Renactment, I got told it actually a good idea to block with the shield on the edge, for that reason, as the speed you can spin your weapon, you can disarm them.

[@jeffwebb727]

Excellent video with some nice points made, and excellent shirt!

[@RuerlKhan]

Small critique here Matt: The shield you use are very much on the small side for a viking era shield - at least for the vikings, the few sources we have on shields seems to indicate that a shield would be significantly bigger in comparison to the person than the one you wield - and as such have other benefits and drawbacks. One potential benefit for example is in the forward thrust you mentioned - being bigger gives you more protection as you thrust and allows you a wider variety of options, including slamming it into the armpit of your opponent to effectively hinder him from moving the sword arm at all (albeit very very briefly) - a disclaimer as always, i'm no expert either, there are no "experts" in this field. I do a bit of viking reenactment though and the missus is an archeologist, so I am slightly more than passingly familiar with the source material.

[@joegillian314]

I've seen Roland do a disarm technique by binding the opponent's sword with the shield edge.

[@kairyumina6407]

Thegn Thrand I think did some work experimenting with intentionally not completing the rim of a shield, IE leaving a section of the shield rim without the leather edge, and then intentionally using that section of your rim to catch enemy weapons in. It leads to your shield deteriorating very quickly, but can also COMPLETELY lock down your opponent's weapon

[@tasatort9778]

I believe that some boss gripped shields that had a few inches left un-rimmed were made that way in order to capture an opponents blade and possibly twist the sword out of their hand. I can't prove thats why it was done; but it's certainly plausible.

[@DamonYoungYT]

Yeah, I was taught very early to (inter alia) slam the edge of the shield right up into the opponent’s armpit. This protects from the downward blow, immobilises the sword arm, and leaves their torso vulnerable.

[@voidecho8811]

It has happened to me during full contact fights that weapons (once a sword and once a spear) would go through the shiled. The sword did go through the edge but, when I twisted the wrist the "cut" kind of widened and the weapon got free quite easily. The spear instead did hit on the flat, pierced through and got stuck: in such case was an amazing advantage to retain the spear in the sheild, close the distance advantage the opponent was having and proceeding to hit him several times. Notice that when he decided to drop the spear and continue with the saex, I couldn't use the shield properly since I had to drag the weight of the spear itself. Hope my experience adds a bit to the topic.

[@johnyater1804]

Great information. I appreciate your honesty and accuracy. By the way, Duelist1954 sent me.

[@UraDrider]

in my experience with round shields keeping the edge of the shield as a threat is a huge advantage as it gives you an offhand jab extension, having the option to ram that edge into your opponents face makes a big difference especially against passive shield users

[@cadethumann8605]

Out of curiosity, what you say about the idea of ramming someone down with your shield? How reliable is it? Why do people use different techniques instead of just ramming opponents down? How do they counter a ramming shield?

[@00DarkWookiee]

Interestingly the very first technique ever I saw demonstrated with a viking type shield was exactly this kind of trap to catch the opponents weapon in your shield. And since then I never met a self-proclaimed expert who claimed this was a bad thing. Especially not on KZbin since I guess everyone watched this particular video. I would very much like to know who this expert you were talking about is, since I never heard any kind of reasoning against receiving a blow to the edge so I think it would be interesting to hear the full story.

[@sgtmajtrapp3391]

Duelist1954 sent me to your channel, very interesting tremendous history on edged weapons. Will have to subscribe.

[@KF1]

6:27 this makes sense, similar to iriminage in Japanese martial arts, roughly translated as "entering (counter)attack", which does not allow the time or space for their strike to gain the necessary speed and momentum, cutting it off before it can apex. Even Tai Chi uses the same principle of preemptively occupying the line and thrusting forward. Would definitely work for a shield.

[@smokerxluffy]

Getting their weapon stuck in your shield is GREAT. You can pretty much disarm them by just turning your hand.

[@magnusjohansson295]

It is also interesting to discuss wether in the viking era, the shields were held in front or if they used to keep their swords in front of their shields. Well, well. The only answer to all these questions is of course that we will never know.

[@digger68]

Matt, I'm a long time subscriber, big fan of what you do, and now I know you have great taste in music as well. Cheers from the Superunknown!

[@Lurklen]

I wondered if you'd mention Roland. I really like his stuff, there's a lot of exploration.

[@nicolepino8675]

No Superdry shirt and a short video, Matt has been replaced!

[@TemenosL]

As if I didn't like Matt enough, he enters the stage with a Soundgarden shirt.

[@TonyGillis]

Soundgarden was one of the best grunge bands to come out of Seattle.

[@Setrus]

I'd say any block from a shield that keeps an attack from re-arranging your insides is a good block.

[@Likeitornot91]

Rocking the SG shirt, hell yeah Matt

[@hatuletoh]

That is a damn sweet Soundgarden t-shirt. The "Badmotorfinger" album cover, I believe, which was the best SG album, hands down. I regret that I was too young to have seen them on that tour (not that I didn't beg my parents to just take me), but I did at least pool together with my friends $65 to order the pay-per-view, live from Paris, Guns 'n Roses concert at which SG was the opener. And thankfully, I had a driver's license before they before they broke up so I managed to see them once before that happened, even if it was obvious by then they weren't havint much fun. But later I saw Chris Cornell having a lot of fun on tour in support of his first solo album (which I was brilliant; subsequent solo CC albums not so much, but "Euphoria Morning" is way underrated); and I even caught Audioslave at Lollapolloza once. But SG and CC were at the absolute tops of their games during the "Badmotorfinger" era. RIP Chris Cornell.

[@paulrichardallen8953]

I’m seeing a lot of comments about this technique being used to disarm and yes I totally agree, disarming someone like this is possible and probably happened regularly. I imagine that a even more common result and probably desirable result was the few second of control and leverage you gain over their sword and more importantly their sword arm. People don’t tend to let go instantly of their weapons when they are grabbed, trapped or are bound. This leaves what I believe would be a primary target with this era of sword, the sword arm, nicely vulnerable. And while your opponent may be trying to defend that arm with their shield then other limbs and targets become open.

[@moumantai6337]

wish more expert talks more about how different shield function, for example wooden or leather shield absorb impact while metal shield deflect them

[@geoffreynelson8012]

It occurs to me that the circular shield might indicate a preference for circular movements. The bit about the shield visually concealing the weilder's grip was a good point. Also, once a weapon is burried in a sheild edge, a circular move vs . a ripping move is more lilkely (i think) to disarm the opponent. Love the video.

[@callumbiasnow4825]

I was watching Rolland and Thrands vids on this earlier this week. Rolland should tests show that depending on the direction on the wood grain you can choose to catch or block with the shield edge. I imagine it’s not an exact science but seems very plausible to me.

[@cptmachine]

The trapping technique does compromise the shield but it certainly works. Given the boss it would be easy to return to a shield maker with the reminding boss to get another one made. I think what you got was some advice that re-enactors get as even in a mock viking battle you can end up with a spit shield depending on how you block a blow. And a split shield while realistic is an annoying outlay for someone interested in living history.

[@robertnadal9295]

As always, an excellent look at combat.

[@jeffreyragsdale3569]

Another thing to think about is that the wood on a viking age boss grip shield is usually tapered. This might be a good indication that shields were designed so that the edges can be bitten into an the thicker wood traps the blade. As you've demonstrated, the handle can provide a moment to introduce torsion. It could be enough to wrench the weapon out of the opponent's hand or just enough of a distraction to open them up for attack.

[@AzureBeatPony]

Or it could indicate that you were supposed to deflect a blow with the face, or catch blows in the stronger center, and so weaker edges were acceptable to make a lighter and faster shield.

[@davidbunner6708]

any block that works is a good block! Some are better than others...

[@simonepagnotta5112]

Hey, Matt. I know it's not historically accurate because we lefties were usually "reformed" but could you talk about fighting left-handed vs right-handed? Shield techniques seem to me to be thought for when used against an opponent who's using the weapons in the same hands as you are (you raise the shield in your left to stop the sword coming from right in front of it - your left, your opponent's right). But what if it's not always specular? How do you deal with sword/axe/whatever and shield if the two shields bash into each other and the main weapon is also on the same side? Thanks.

[@kurtschmidt5005]

It would be fun to see Matt and Roland have a friendly duel with various “Viking age” weaponry!!!

[@NoName-lo9ym]

Catching an opponents sword in your shield is a very good way to relieve them of both their weapon and their hand

[@Eulemunin]

Also the grain direction mater a great deal.

[@bel-sb6kx]

Sweet shirt Matt

[@fredericmari8871]

Someone was saying that shields like that weren’t circled in metal exactly for the purpose of allowing the opponent weapon to bite into the edge and thus get trapped... he was also pointing out that the edge of the shield was thinner than the center - helping to pull off that tactic

[@qkdfaust29]

I heavily enjoy your content, beautifully explains the usage of particular weapon and for this reason I'd like to make a suggestion or a request. Would you be open/ like to make a video about glaives, more specifically the Chinese GuanDao. How and where they were used. I've seen some clips ( but there are incredibly few) however poor explanation and more preoccupied in praising the weapon focusing on the legendary Chinese hero who used it. While, I personally would like to know how, when and under what circumstances was used. Thank you.

[@munaabd4205]

Great video by the way 👍

[@APV878]

Never deal in Absolutes.....Absolutely true. (I) run into similar problems with the Roman period and combat "techniques and styles". Let's face it, building a Time Machine would be easier and cheaper. Also: Your "high" held shield position and using the edge made me think of the ideas that Hurstwic in the US have been playing with. Also Also: "taking a blow on the edge vs flat with the sword".....Yeah that sounds familiar.....Ugh.

[@HebaruSan]

I wonder if anyone ever experimented with dazzle camouflage for shields. Your mention of the opponent not knowing how your grip was oriented made me think the decorations might give it away, but maybe you could go the other way and make the decorations visually disorienting?

[@Luziferrum]

I had the same thought. Patterns like a cross, spiral, triskelion, swastika or animals running in circles would be beneficial while everything with two distinct halfs would be detrimental. We'd have to look at period pictures closely. But I have the feeling that the aforementioned patterns are indeed more prominent with round shields than "split in the middle"-patterns. Could just be for aesthetic reasons of course. On the other hand: If everybody in a shield wall had the same "red half-yellow half-split-pattern" but oriented differently, this would be super confusing to the opponent.

[@Tananjoh]

Just when you think the debate on flat vs edge parrying had finally died down...

[@OzzyCrescat]

You should look into Roland Warzecha's work. Even if I disagree with some of what he says, his statements and analysis make a lot of sense.

[@aaronwright5799]

Great shirt!

[@scottmcgee6154]

Great video! Love the Soundgarden shirt too!

[@sharmanah]

Hey Matt, I had the same t-shirt in the 90's, wore it to threads.

[@dancingwiththedarkness3352]

If your opponent gives you the opening, catching his chin with the edge and positioning his neck for a sword thrust seems to be a useful move. Would it be possible to break a arm or leg with the shield edge if your opponent gives the opening? These people trained from childhood and certainly had faster reactions than someone who fights as a hobby. Always interesting to see your take on how these weapons were actually used!

[@71simonforrester]

Imagining the horror of wedging your sword into an enemies shield, only for him to withdraw it, dragging you off balance and simultaneously running you through with his sword. Ancient combat was brutal!

[@veiledrecalcitrance4314]

You know, a lot of the time I ignore (especially YT) experts when it comes to medieval battle/weapons/strategies etc because they all act like they were there and they know more than everyone else even out of the experts. It’s why I like this channel, you’ll say you don’t know for sure, that there’s little info on that era, and openly exclaim that this is all theoretical based on experience, the little info known, and guessing. I’m far more likely to listen/watch, and trust someone (like this channel) who is honest and humble about their own expertise, unlike other jackasses who claim they know all and go so far as to argue their own personal beliefs against everyone (and fairly regularly). I automatically assume those people don’t know anything, or very little. Arrogance def does not make one intelligent

[@Naluukti]

Sword question: I am making a scabbard for a claymore with a blade 47-1/2" long (61" overall) - how would one carry a sword of such size in a sword belt? What sword belt design works best? Am I better off wearing it on my back? I know most period soldiers would simply carry the naked blade on their shoulder and have no scabbard, but the local constabulary make take issue with me running around with something that can decapitate, not to mention what it can do to car interiors during transport, thus why I'm building the scabbard.

[@hairutheninja]

I love the shirt great album

[@andrewjohnson6716]

One could say that you should never *train* to do a certain thing. On the battlefield you do whatever you need to do at the moment to protect yourself.

[@erikjarandson5458]

They knew very well how to rim a shield with iron, or even steel. It wouldn't even have added much weight. If getting a sword stuck in the rim was a problem, they could've secured against it, gaining quite a bit of function. The only possible explanations for why they didn't do this is that it either wasn't a problem, or that it was an outright function that they wanted. Quite obviously, having a shield stuck to your sword will make the sword utterly useless. Having a sword stuck to your shield would be less than optimal, but the shield would still be useful. Importantly, with the boss grip, you'll be able to rotate the shield with more force than the opponent can hold on to the sword. With better leverage, you can also move the shield, and thus the sword, laterally. You might disarm him, or just use it to manipulate him. If, at the end, you loose your shield while he looses his sword... Well, a shield is a very useful thing, but, if I could have only one or the other in a fight, I'd go with the sword. We can't know with certainty, but I venture that the only rational conclusion is that catching your opponents sword in your shield was a design function of the Viking era shield.

[@oshagg16]

Well....I thought you were pretty cool before....but THEN you took it to the next level...with a Soundgarden shirt.

[@animalxINSTINCT89]

Even if your opponent's sword buries itself in the shield in such a way that it makes the shield unusable... well now you just have a sword and your opponent just has a shield and I like those odds.

[@Tuikkari]

I think it is clear that catching enemy sword is a good thing. He can either try to get it back and be vulnerable or let it go and be disarmed.

[@joemaloney5956]

Lindy beige did a good video similar to this topic a few years ago about the thickness of shields and their use

[@LenPopp]

Change of sponsor? Superdry -> Superunknown

[@kungpochopedtuna]

Nithing better than a little context on a saturday afternoon

[@LordPiddlington1912]

7:50 onward; considering that shields of the period are referred to being made of linden wood, rather than more sturdy materials (flexibility being their strength) and that they were expected to fail (why else would the hólmganga permit specific numbers, commonly three) it's not outside the realm of possibility to assume if your shield's on it's last legs, you could take an attack on the edge, letting your opponent's weapon bury itself into the soft wood, rotate the centre grip (a quasi-disarm) and have your merry way with your disarmed opponent.

[@barkerm9]

I think a modern “experimental archaeologist” is probably more worried about not damaging his shield a lot more than a dark aged warrior trying to stay alive.

[@Lardfist0]

Nice shirt. I like SOUNDGARDEN as well : )

[@eduardosperb2009]

I saw that! HEEE was talking about this and I mentioned you :D good stuff right here to learn

[@fleurdelispens]

If we want to be technical here, the shield has an infinite set of edges since, by definition, a circle is the set of points in one plane equidistant from one point called the center. #geometry

[@AL4RC0NR4MO5]

Indeed

[@joeyvanhaperen7715]

Matt I think you don't get what they mean. I know exactly what they say about those shields and why they say it. If you have a viking shield and it's hit on the flat at the weak part it wants to move inward right. This is extreemly advantages if you let this happen. For 1 your shield will get a lot less damages if you don't resist a blow and just let it slap the shield away. 2 the enemy's weapon will be on the otherside of the shield then you are sow they have to pull back before they can possibly start striking again. 3 point 2 also creates a opening from which you can strike your enemy cause they won't be able to reach or even parry you with there weapon. If you think of these massive advantages it wouldn't really make sense to want to parry with the edge of a viking style shield, sow it might have happend but probably not on purpose. What they mean is that there study of the viking art of combad has told them that they probably used this catching on the flat techniek as a battlefield strategie, there for they probably diden't want to catch attacks with the edge of there shields and because of that they probably promoted the habit of not using edge based parry technieks with shields. Sow to say this in a blunt and very shortend way you shouldn't parry with the edge of a viking shield. Do you understand what they meant now?

[@BinkyTheElf1]

I don’t think we’re utterly lost, however, when it comes to figuring out Viking fighting-styles. Scottish & Irish pre-Norman weapons & tactics ( not to mention eastern Russia) may well have preserved a fair amount of such Viking influences well into the Middle Ages. Not sure if anyone has investigated this angle. Thoughts?

[@garthhayden4214]

That brings up an interesting question. If the sword and opposing shield get stuck so that both are unusable, then you have one opponent with a sword and one with a shield. Which would you rather be, the guy with the sword or the guy with the shield?

[@boxoffluffys]

I’d rather have a shield

[@BaldPolishBiotechnol]

Odd... I got your video in notifications, but it shows I was not subscribed to your channel. And that is one in a row of such incidents this week.

[@momerathe]

one thing I've been wondering - what are the pros and cons of boss-held shields vs ones with straps?

[@dredlord47]

Then, there's also the fact that there were some shields where the "weak" edges were shaved down to be easier to get a weapon stuck into them. The fact that you were given three shields in a duel at the time when that style of shield was in-use, leading me to believe that they were a disposable thing that was somehow intended to break or were very weak and expected to break. I don't particularly believe in the latter idea.

[@oscallibur5597]

If that is indeed the case, or was sometimes the case, then Viking shields are actually very similar in function to the Aztec obsidian glass sword (I don’t know the name of it) in that they were more of a very limited use tool. I imagine though using the shield like that was more of a “duel” tactic, where the fighter knows they have another shield to fall back on. On a battlefield however, I doubt the Vikings would be so eager to mess up their shield just to trap an opponents weapon, as they would probably struggle a little more getting a second shield

[@Trailerglotzer]

I'm assuming though that the shields they used for those traditional duels were actually made weaker intentionally. In a battle they would have had to last longer. A shield covered completely with rawhide is extremely sturdy. Those traditional duels with the Three shields must've been a way to make unlethal duels. Third shield broken? You lost. No need to kill you.

[@ViktorBengtsson]

@@Trailerglotzer In "Vikingarnas stridskonst" by Lars Magnar Enoksen it is mentioned that the combat with three shields (holmgång in Swedish) ended when blood first hit the skin on the ground that was used to mark the combat area. Addition: The same source also mentions that there were rules for who got to give the first blow, how the area should be prepared, that the fighters could request breaks and what happened if one combatant left the designated area.

[@dredlord47]

@@Trailerglotzer It depends on who's dueling who and where and when. From my understanding: the challenged had the right to choose if the duel was to first blood, to surrender, to incapacitation, or to the death. The challenged also had the right to choose the location and the weapons used, however, the challenger chose the time. I've never heard of a version that had rules for you loosing upon the expenditure of all of your shields, though it would make sense for that to have happened at least once.

[@TheeCambion]

Cool T shirt Matt.

[@stein1919]

Love that shirt

[@SlyBlu7]

No absolutes, obviously. I do wonder how often you would have seen actual chopping, potentially edge-on attacks like that. For the reason that obviously if I chop at your head you might block edge-on and get my blade stuck, but ALSO the fact that when we look at those viking-era swords, they're arrow-straight and quite pointed. We don't see too many slashing swords from Europe, where we usually see shields. Switch to Asia during the same period, and personal shields were a lot less common; but slashing swords are all over the place. And it makes sense to me - when fighting with a shield, backhanded slashes require opening your shield quite a bit. When fighting against a shield, slashes are very easy to intercept, and the shield passively blocks several angles of approach just by dint of sitting there.

[@Leviropsa]

Remember there is often more opponents so breaking your shield for a quick advantage is like peeing your pants to stay warm.. However the other option might be taking a blow to your head, remember this is not a turn-based game so you might be clashing, kicking or fighting other types of weapons.. You would sacriffice your shield and possibly arm for your head anyday.. If I get my sword stuck in you shield and then pull back hard, it will expose you to my friends and posibly even drag you out of balance. People who don't know how to fight with melee weapons often forget that kicking, pushing, throwing, spitting and even punching with the hand that holds a weapon is still a part of the game. Shields are also weapons, not just armor.