The Shield
There is Skaldic poetry that is specifically dedicated to shields. They are known as the "shield poems." The shield was as much a part of Norse culture as was the ax.
The Viking shield was very different from that of the shields used around the World. They were made from wood with a metal center and painted. Upon first glance, there doesn't seem to anything special about these shields but you would be very wrong to think so. The Viking shield was a superior and well thought out concept. It was not made from solid wood as were the other culture's shields of the day. This is in contrast of what you would think you wanted from a shield. Something solid enough to block hits from weapons and arrows. Something durable enough to protect you. Something strong enough to protect you from the swing of a sword, thrust of a spear, and arrow with your name on it.
The Viking shield was a brilliant concept and ahead of its time. It was actually made from what we would think of as soft and flimsy wood like fir, alder and poplar. Norse shields were not made from heavy oak or other known solid woods. In the Sagas, it is written that they were to be made from 'flexible' woods such as linden, lime, or basswood. Wow, that's a flimsy wood to be making a shield from. Why would the fierce Vikings use such a flimsy wood, instead of hard woods like their opponents?
This is because, unlike the hard woods such as oak, Viking shields weren't inclined to so easily split upon a successful hard impact. When there was a successful split of the Norse shield by a weapon, the fibers of the wood tended to bind around blade which prevented them from cutting any deeper unless a lot more pressure was applied. Something you definitely didn'...
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...centimeters (4-6 inches).
Most arrowheads had a tang that allowed it to be driven into a hole of a hardwood shaft and then secured in place with cord and pitch. It is estimated that the arrow shafts were probably 70 to 80 centimeters (28 to 32 inches) long and about 10 millimeters (3/8 inch) in diameter.
Njáls Saga tells of the use of a bow by the Icelandic hero, Gunnar Hámundarson that single-handedly defended his home against an attack led by Gizurr hvíti. The hero Gunnar used his bow from a loft in the upper level of the house, to kill and wound ten of his opponents before his bow string was cut by one of the attackers. It is said that he asked his wife Hallgerður for a lock of her hair to mend the bow, but Gunnar had slapped her previously so she vindictively refused. He was then forced to fight his attackers off in hand to hand combat where he was killed.
The passage that I analyzed spans the action when Beowulf returns to the halls of Heorot after a harsh battle with Grendel’s mother. He returns to king Hrothgar in the great hall of Heorot to say that he has successfully completed his boast and killed Grendel’s mother. Beowulf states that it has been a very difficult underwater battle and that he has barely escaped with his life, “The fight would have been ended straightway if God had not guarded me” (Donaldson, 29). Beowulf mentions this due to the fact that the sword given to him by Unferth, called Hrunting, was powerless against Grendel’s Mother. Hrunting is useless against Grendel’s mother due to the fact that she has the same charm upon her as Grendel did, which is that no normal sword can pierce her skin. Then, by chance, Beowulf finds an ancient sword on a wall during the battle and uses it against the monster. This sword, which was crafted by the giants, is able to pierce the monster's skin and after one swing, the monster was cut in half. After using this ancient sword to murder the monster, Beowulf watches the blade of the sword melt away due to the toxicity of the monster's blood, until only the hilt was left. A hilt is the handle of a weapon or tool. The hilt is decorated with runic symbols and was given to King Hrothgar of the Danes as proof of Beowulf’s exploits. The King is also given the severed head of Grendel as further reassurance that their troubles at the great hall of Heorot is over.
The Vikings are famous for their violent ways when they pillaged and plundered villages of Northern Europe. Their dramatic exploits commenced during 800 – 1050 A.D, The first being the raid on Lindisfarne Monastery in 793, followed by a chain of attacks all over the coast of northern Europe during the next 200 years. As the years went on the frequency of Viking attacks increased as they became bolder. They were opportunists, raiding when the villages were off–guard or weak and trading when they were powerful. The speed and tactical advantage of the Viking longships allowed them to slip quietly ashore, pillage the village and make a fast getaway via water before the village can summon an army. By this time some Viking plunderers would stay over winter in a village. Soon their raiding camps became settlements and Viking control over Europe began to grow, it was not long before Vikings overran most of England.
Compound hunting bows are a modern type of bow using a levering system of cables
Tomkat bows measure about 31 inches from axel to axel on most models making it easy for the archer to carry it all day. The bow weighs just under four pounds. Pre-2004 versions had a 9.125 inch brace height while later models offered a 8.5 inch brace height. Both are ideal for delivering arrows at the right speed while providing maximum forgiveness ensuring the archer hits the bullseye or that the big game does not get away.
head which was wrapped in buckskin on a wooden handle. They also used the common bow and
Vikings were a Norse-speaking, seafaring people who lived from the 8th to 11th centuries, mainly in Scandinavia. They were expert sailors who, starting in late 700s, looted and burned civilizations along rivers and coasts of Europe and Asia. They traded, sailed and explored across the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, opening trade routes that connected Europe to the Mediterranean lands. During this time, some of the population settled in the kingdoms that they were exploring; namely England, Ireland, northern France and Russia. One of the main influences that the surrounding cultures had on them was through religion. As the Vikings came in contact with Christianity through their raids, it began to form a unique fusion of Christian influence, while still holding on to many aspects of their pagan lifestyle. Not many primary sources remain from pre-Christian Viking society as much of their culture was destroyed during the Christianization process. The extremely strong oral tradition and the artifacts that remain are what the knowledge of the culture is based on. The pagan culture interests me, as I can still examine influences of it on my Scandinavian family today.
In both stories we see each King possess a famous sword which aids their defeats. King Arthur simply finds the "sword of the stone", called Excalibur. Excalibur is a symbol of King Arthur's sanctified kingship and the responsibly of his divine power. On the other hand, Unferth, one of the Danes, lent Beowulf his shining sword Hrunting. Beowulf used this sword, as foreshadowed in line 1496, to "gain glory" against Grendel's mother. Even though the sword itself failed him, he did not lose the battle and ended up killing her with a sword guarded by
The Christianization of the Norse took place between the 8th and the 12th centuries. It was a gradual process that took considerable effort converting the Norse, as they did not wish to convert and in many cases conversion was by force. The traditional religion of the Norse people wasn't just a form of worship, it was apart of their culture and way of life. A belief system that was deeply rooted that made the concept of the original sin and other Christian beliefs just too hard for the Norse people to understand or believe.
Not all Viking were pagans; some Vikings were even Christians. At the beginning of the time, most all of the Vikings were pagan, but as time went on, and the vikings traded and settled with the Christians, the religions mixed. Not all of the Vikings became Christians, and the Vikings accepted both paganism and Christianity as acceptable religions. Williams, a historian, talks about the coins the Vikings used, “One coin type carries the name of St. Peter, rather than the ruler. This seems very obviously Christian, but on many of the coins, the final 'I' of 'PETRI' takes the form of Thor's hammer, and some of these coins also have a hammer on the reverse. These coins seem to carry a deliberate message that both paganism and Christianity were acceptable” (Williams). Not all Vikings were pagan or Christian; the viki...
Birds and smaller animals were frequently hunted with balls of clay or lead. People usually did not use arrows because the arrow would most likely pass through their bodies and they could have easily escaped the hunter. Long bows have stayed plain through its life. Crossbows became more common in the fifteenth century. ("Crossbows")
In this essay, I will uncover the countless insights that can be learned about the characters in Beowulf, as well as the society as a whole, based on the weapons the characters choose to use in battle. During the Anglo-Saxon time, roughly between 400 and 1066, swords were considered the most precious weapon someone could own. Although it is not certain who wrote Beowulf, and when, many people believe it was composed in the middle to end of the Anglo-Saxon period. Analyzing the different weapons, and significance of each, in Beowulf, and comparing them to the weaponry at the time, provides the readers with a great deal of insight into the society during this period. The use of weapons in Beowulf not only provides the readers with insight into
The Vikings in their time were the best shipbuilders and sailors in the world. Their ships were very strong as they were made out of a very long-lasting type of wood, which was oak wood. They thought of many creative ways to make their ships more durable, such as dipping sheep?s wool in tar and then filling in the ships gaps to make it waterproof. The Vikings had long voyages, passing many parts of Europe and simultaneously speeding at least glimpses of their amazing technology skills to the people who saw there ships. For example many people from Ireland and Brittan must have seen their ships as they travelled from their homeland Scandinavia to France in the year 798. But their amazing technology skills would have not been spread throughout the world with out the help of navigation.
Beowulf was a true hero, in the eyes of many, through said traits. He fought a number of battles and was triumphant in all, except his last battle. Beowulf possessed the skills and power necessary to kill Grendel, the monster who had been terrorizing the Danes for over a decade, with his bare hands. While fighting, Beowulf detached Grendel’s arm from his shoulder, which was later hung up as a trophy. Beowulf eventually put an end to Grendel’s life, and naturally, Grendel’s mother had pursued Beowulf. Although Grendel’s mother was an even deadlier monster than her son, Beowulf once again proved his abilities by slaying her, as well. He slashed her neck with a sword that carried unbearable weight. Afterwards, he carried her head with only his own arms, while it took the a...
The Norse religion is the religion of the Norse people prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia. It may seem as though the religion’s influence has died out, but it still affects our culture today. The general mythology is well known, but the details, such as how the lore was passed down from generation to generation, is obscure.
Most people believe a coat of arms to be a shield of some sort that knights used in the middle ages to protect themselves in battle. In reality, a coat of arms consists of more than just a shield. There are actually five elements in a coat of arms: the shield, the crest, the helm, the wreath and the mantle or mantling. Each of these elements creates what is know as a coat of arms. While it is true that knights did indeed wear coats of arms during battle, the emblem was not only found on the armor used for protection in battle but also appeared on flags and clothing.