Did Viking Shields Sport Neck Straps?

Hello shield enthusiasts.

Today I want to point out to you a lesser known aspect of the Viking shield, namely the possible use of a so-called guige strap. A guige is a neck strap. Such straps were a standard on medieval shields as we can see in hundreds of period depictions. Below I will discuss if they were used on Viking shields too.

Plus, I would like to share a request by Dr Elias Flatscher who is looking for owners of reproductions of 5th–7th century spathas to take photos for a current research project on the mysterious sword pendants from that age.

I hope you will find these subjects interesting.

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Mobile Armour

In his ground-breaking studies of late medieval armour, my friend Dr Daniel Jacquet found that well-made armour allows for almost complete mobility. It only inhibits those motions which, in combat, would inevitably expose openings (listen to an interview with Daniel here).

I found exactly the same to be true for a guige strap when I had the opportunity to test Patrick Lasota’s excellent reconstruction of the painted Szczecin kite shield in fencing (see images and read about it here).

A guige strap has two noticeable effects: it distributes weight and thus makes the shield a lot easier to carry. It also limits shield mobility which, on the one hand reduces a shield’s offensive potential, on the other hand reduces the risk of over-committing to actions which could expose its bearer. It thereby renders the shield a piece of mobile armour.

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The Shield as a Weapon

In single combat with flat center-gripped round shields, the shield is as much a weapon as it is cover. When struggling for dominance, the shields are in contact with each other. This means that a shield is not only supported by a fighter's shield arm and their weapon which, most of the time, is in contact with the shield edge, but also by the shield bind. Going through your shield actions in solo training is indeed more strenuous than doing so in a partner drill.

In combat contexts without direct shield contact, e.g. in formation fighting at spear length, holding up the shield in optimal protective position for an extended period of time is extremely demanding and tiring.

A neck strap would sure be useful here.

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Support Straps on Viking Shields

There is ample evidence for the use of support straps on Viking shields, e.g. from Birka. Rings to which a strap could be attached were sometimes held in place by clench nails with bifurcated ends (see how I did it on my shield in this video).

Thus far, I have only used this strap to carry the shield on my back, however, in correspondence my fellow swordsman Sam Swords had pointed out that he successfully used such a strap actively in some fencing manoeuvres.

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Holes in the Trelleborg Shield

My interest in the subject was raised again when Tom Jersø brought to my attention a particular observation that archaeologist Rolf Warming had made on the Viking shield remains from Trelleborg. There appear to be two holes deliberately drilled into the shield board on either side of the grip.

Tom and Rolf discussed if these holes might have served to hold the ends of a guige strap. However, there is no indication of any metal devices such as rivets or the like.

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A Curious Shield Strap Attachment

Their finding reminded me of an unusual strap fixation which I had seen on the 14th century shield of the Lords of Muschenheim (kept at the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte der Philipps-Universität Marburg): instead of clench nails or rivets, the (now lost) arm straps were fastened to the board by means of toggles some of which have survived. This was quite an unexpected observation as the toggle heads would apparently have been exposed to opposing weapons.

Whether or not the von Muschenheim shield was an actual combat shield, we do not know. Yet it is a historical solution, and Tom who has previously crafted reconstructions of the Trelleborg shield thought it was worth giving it a try with his personal shield.

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A Guige Strap on the Trelleborg Shield

So Tom made a guige strap and attached it to his shield in the fashion seen on the von Muschenheim shield. He has used it in fencing with blunts as well as with sharp weapons for quite a while now, and he is quite enthusiastic about it.

For the toggles to be cut off, a sword would have to be aligned parallel to the shield surface and be in touch with the board. This is a very unlikely blade position in fencing, and thus the construction has not betrayed Tom yet. He neither feels that the guige strap causes any undesirable limitation of his fencing actions.

At 3.8 kg, Tom's shield is about half a kilogram heavier than mine, so I would certainly welcome the support of a guige strap with his shield too. Note that, like with swords, a heavier example is harder to set aside, and much more prominent in the bind. When you manage to shift your shield face down on top of your opponent's shield, you effectively make him carry the weight of two shields which will inevitably open him up. A shield that is on the beefy side of things is really good for this kind of approach.

I am now intending to elongate my shield strap so I can use it as a guige, too. I am planning on exploring group fighting with spears this year, and I think that a neck strap will very useful with that, even though the fixation points as used by Tom are in a better position for a well-working guige strap than the rings on my shield grip. We shall see.

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Mysterious Sword Pendants

I have often wondered why it took centuries to develop the kind of pommels we see in the Early Middle Ages. I thought it odd that for centuries warriors would be content with the sometimes tiny pommels which we see on migration era swords when a bigger pommel provides so much more control.

The ideas that Dr Elias Flatscher presented to me in a recent video call might provide an explanation. He suggested a practical use of a specific kind of pendant repeatedly found with the migration era double-edged sword, the so-called spatha. I am very much looking forward to trying out the concepts he suggests.

Elias is currently working on a respective paper which will hopefully be published by fall this year. To better illustrate his ideas, he is in need for appropriate photo material which he hopes to be able to shoot with assistance from the living history community. I have copied his request below:

Photo Model Wanted

For the purpose of taking a few photos to illustrate an archaeological article on the practical use of so-called “magical” sword pendants, we are looking for a migration-period (5th to 7th century) Spatha. It should match the types common in that period anywhere between the Carpathian basin and Hadrian’s wall, and ideally have a matching scabbard.

If logistically possible at all, the author would come by to take the pictures personally, and is more than happy to discuss and demonstrate his theories. Due to deadlines, it would be ideal if this was possible in March or latest April.

As a small token of gratitude, the owner will be mentioned in the paper (due for printing in September 2023), receive a PDF and hard copy of the publication once printed and may in addition keep one of the author’s sword pendants (including examples made from amber, aquamarine, jade, rock crystal and glass) of her/his choice.

Contact: Dr. Elias Flatscher (elias.flatscher@uzh.ch)

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So, that's it for today. Take care, and polish your spatha if you have one!

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Yours,

Roland

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