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JJDESIGNS NEWS UPDATE 19th FEBRUARY 2024
THE AGE OF ARTHUR
THE VIKINGS
THE SHIELD WALL
The formation of a shield wall (Skjaldborg in Old Norse) was a popular military tactic that was commonly used in many parts of Northern Europe, especially England and Scandinavia.
There were many slight variations of this tactic, but in general, a shield wall was a “wall of shields” formed by warriors standing in formation shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so that they abut or overlap. Each warrior benefited from the protection of his neighbours’ shields as well as his own.
The shield-wall tactic suited inexperienced troops such as the English Fyrd or free peasant, as it did not require extraordinary skill, being essentially a shoving and fencing match with weapons.
The first three ranks of the main wall would have been made up of select warriors, such as Huscarls and Thengs, who carried heavier weapons and wore armour. The vast majority of opponents were armed with spears, which they used against the unprotected legs or faces of their opponents. Often soldiers would use their weapons to support each other by stabbing and slashing to the left or the right, rather than just ahead. Short weapons such as the ubiquitous seax could also be used in the tight quarters of the wall.
The tactic was used at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, where the relatively well-armed Saxon army attacked the army of King Harald Sigurdsson of Norway. The Vikings were not wearing as much armour, having left their chain mail behind on the ships and wearing only their helmets, and after a bloody shield wall battle, they broke and fled in panic.
The drawback of the shield-wall tactic was that, once breached, the whole affair tended to fall apart rather quickly. Relatively lightly trained fyrdmen gained morale from being shoulder-to-shoulder with their comrades, but often fled once this was compromised. Once the wall was breached, it could prove difficult or impossible to re-establish a defensive line, and panic might well set in among the defenders.
Although the importance of cavalry in the Battle of Hastings saw the end of the shield wall tactic, massed shield walls would continue to be employed right up to the end of the 12[SUP]th[/SUP] Century, especially in areas that were unsuitable for large scale mounted warfare, such as Scandinavia, and Scotland.
In the late Middle Ages, the shield was abandoned in favour of polearms carried with both hands, giving rise to pike square tactics.
THE VIKING “BOAR SNOUT”
If the “berserkers” fail to break the shield wall……..
The SVINFYLKING, old Norse for ‘Swine Array’ or ‘Boar Snout’, was a version of the flying wedge formation used by the Vikings and Germanic peoples.
Its invention was attributed to the god Odin.
This flying wedge tactic was especially used to break a solid line of enemy troops, such as a shield wall!
Several of these formations were often grouped together side by side to give the appearance of a zig-zag formation.
Its main weakness was that it could not handle a flank attack, it’s main strength was based on its monumental shock impact. If the swine array did not break the enemy lines immediately then the warriors in the swine array would not usually hold for long!
VIKING SHIELD MAIDENS
A shield -Maiden was a female warrior from Scandinavian folklore and mythology.
They are often mentioned in Viking Sagas, and also in Germanic stories of the Goths, Cimbri and Marcomanni.
The mythical Valkyries may have been based on such shield maidens.
There is little actual historical evidence for Viking female warriors, although there are graves of female settlers which have contained weapons.
The historical evidence that Viking Age women took part in warfare, are based on a Byzantine historian’s records that women fought in battle when Sviatoslav I of Kiev attacked the Byzantines in Bulgaria in 971 AD.
In the Siege of Dorostolon, the Varangians suffered a devastating defeat. The victors were stunned to discover armed women among the fallen warriors.
The Saxo Grammaticus, reports that shield maidens fought on the side of Danes at the Battle of Bravellir in the year 750 AD
Examples of shield maidens mentioned by name in the Norse Sagas include Brynhildr in the Volsunga Saga.
Two shield maidens appear in certain translations of the Hervarar Saga.
The first of these, whose name was Hervor, was known to have taken up typically masculine roles early in her childhood and often raided travelers in the woods dressed as a man. Later in her life, she claimed the cursed sword “Tyrfing” from her father’s burial site and became a seafaring raider. She was eventually to marry and settle down.
Her granddaughter was also named Hervor and commanded forces against the attacking Huns. Although the Saga remarks on her bravery, she was mortally wounded and dies on the battlefield.
VIKING BERSERKERS
In the Viking world, berserkers were those who were said to have fought in a trance like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the modern English word “berserk”, meaning “furiously violent or out of control”.
In battle, the berserkers were subject to fits of frenzy. They would howl like wild beasts, foamed at the mouth, and gnawed the iron rim of their shields. According to belief, during these fits they were immune to steel and fire, and made great havoc in the ranks of the enemy. When the fever abated they were weak and tame. Accounts can be found in the sagas.
When Viking villages went to war in unison, the berserkers often wore special clothing, for instance furs of a wolf or bear, to indicate that this person was a berserker, and would not be able to tell friend from foe when in "bersærkergang". In this way, other allies would know to keep their distance.
The old Norse form of the word was “berserkr”, which likely means “bear-shirt”, or as a thirteen century historian interpreted as “bare shirt”, which could refer to those warriors who went into battle without armour.
Other historians reinforce their theory of the “bear shirt” by the fact that it is believed berserkers drew their power from the bear and were devoted to a bear cult, which was once widespread across the northern hemisphere.
The bear-warrior symbolism survives to this day in the form of the bearskin caps worn by the guards of the Danish monarchs.
Wolf warriors appear among the legends of many countries. The Germanic wolf warriors have left their trace through shields and standards that were captured by the Romans and displayed in Rome.
The warriors wearing the skins of wolves were actually called “Ulfheonar” (wolf coat), which was another term associated with berserkers.
These warriors were said to wear the pelt of a wolf when they entered battle, and are sometimes described as Odin’s special warriors.
THE AGE OF ARTHUR
THE VIKINGS
THE SHIELD WALL
The formation of a shield wall (Skjaldborg in Old Norse) was a popular military tactic that was commonly used in many parts of Northern Europe, especially England and Scandinavia.
There were many slight variations of this tactic, but in general, a shield wall was a “wall of shields” formed by warriors standing in formation shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so that they abut or overlap. Each warrior benefited from the protection of his neighbours’ shields as well as his own.
The shield-wall tactic suited inexperienced troops such as the English Fyrd or free peasant, as it did not require extraordinary skill, being essentially a shoving and fencing match with weapons.
The first three ranks of the main wall would have been made up of select warriors, such as Huscarls and Thengs, who carried heavier weapons and wore armour. The vast majority of opponents were armed with spears, which they used against the unprotected legs or faces of their opponents. Often soldiers would use their weapons to support each other by stabbing and slashing to the left or the right, rather than just ahead. Short weapons such as the ubiquitous seax could also be used in the tight quarters of the wall.
The tactic was used at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, where the relatively well-armed Saxon army attacked the army of King Harald Sigurdsson of Norway. The Vikings were not wearing as much armour, having left their chain mail behind on the ships and wearing only their helmets, and after a bloody shield wall battle, they broke and fled in panic.
The drawback of the shield-wall tactic was that, once breached, the whole affair tended to fall apart rather quickly. Relatively lightly trained fyrdmen gained morale from being shoulder-to-shoulder with their comrades, but often fled once this was compromised. Once the wall was breached, it could prove difficult or impossible to re-establish a defensive line, and panic might well set in among the defenders.
Although the importance of cavalry in the Battle of Hastings saw the end of the shield wall tactic, massed shield walls would continue to be employed right up to the end of the 12[SUP]th[/SUP] Century, especially in areas that were unsuitable for large scale mounted warfare, such as Scandinavia, and Scotland.
In the late Middle Ages, the shield was abandoned in favour of polearms carried with both hands, giving rise to pike square tactics.
THE VIKING “BOAR SNOUT”
If the “berserkers” fail to break the shield wall……..
The SVINFYLKING, old Norse for ‘Swine Array’ or ‘Boar Snout’, was a version of the flying wedge formation used by the Vikings and Germanic peoples.
Its invention was attributed to the god Odin.
This flying wedge tactic was especially used to break a solid line of enemy troops, such as a shield wall!
Several of these formations were often grouped together side by side to give the appearance of a zig-zag formation.
Its main weakness was that it could not handle a flank attack, it’s main strength was based on its monumental shock impact. If the swine array did not break the enemy lines immediately then the warriors in the swine array would not usually hold for long!
VIKING SHIELD MAIDENS
A shield -Maiden was a female warrior from Scandinavian folklore and mythology.
They are often mentioned in Viking Sagas, and also in Germanic stories of the Goths, Cimbri and Marcomanni.
The mythical Valkyries may have been based on such shield maidens.
There is little actual historical evidence for Viking female warriors, although there are graves of female settlers which have contained weapons.
The historical evidence that Viking Age women took part in warfare, are based on a Byzantine historian’s records that women fought in battle when Sviatoslav I of Kiev attacked the Byzantines in Bulgaria in 971 AD.
In the Siege of Dorostolon, the Varangians suffered a devastating defeat. The victors were stunned to discover armed women among the fallen warriors.
The Saxo Grammaticus, reports that shield maidens fought on the side of Danes at the Battle of Bravellir in the year 750 AD
Examples of shield maidens mentioned by name in the Norse Sagas include Brynhildr in the Volsunga Saga.
Two shield maidens appear in certain translations of the Hervarar Saga.
The first of these, whose name was Hervor, was known to have taken up typically masculine roles early in her childhood and often raided travelers in the woods dressed as a man. Later in her life, she claimed the cursed sword “Tyrfing” from her father’s burial site and became a seafaring raider. She was eventually to marry and settle down.
Her granddaughter was also named Hervor and commanded forces against the attacking Huns. Although the Saga remarks on her bravery, she was mortally wounded and dies on the battlefield.
VIKING BERSERKERS
In the Viking world, berserkers were those who were said to have fought in a trance like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the modern English word “berserk”, meaning “furiously violent or out of control”.
In battle, the berserkers were subject to fits of frenzy. They would howl like wild beasts, foamed at the mouth, and gnawed the iron rim of their shields. According to belief, during these fits they were immune to steel and fire, and made great havoc in the ranks of the enemy. When the fever abated they were weak and tame. Accounts can be found in the sagas.
When Viking villages went to war in unison, the berserkers often wore special clothing, for instance furs of a wolf or bear, to indicate that this person was a berserker, and would not be able to tell friend from foe when in "bersærkergang". In this way, other allies would know to keep their distance.
The old Norse form of the word was “berserkr”, which likely means “bear-shirt”, or as a thirteen century historian interpreted as “bare shirt”, which could refer to those warriors who went into battle without armour.
Other historians reinforce their theory of the “bear shirt” by the fact that it is believed berserkers drew their power from the bear and were devoted to a bear cult, which was once widespread across the northern hemisphere.
The bear-warrior symbolism survives to this day in the form of the bearskin caps worn by the guards of the Danish monarchs.
Wolf warriors appear among the legends of many countries. The Germanic wolf warriors have left their trace through shields and standards that were captured by the Romans and displayed in Rome.
The warriors wearing the skins of wolves were actually called “Ulfheonar” (wolf coat), which was another term associated with berserkers.
These warriors were said to wear the pelt of a wolf when they entered battle, and are sometimes described as Odin’s special warriors.
