The Handle of the Viking Age Shield from Trelleborg
Fig. 1. The Trelleborg shield exhibited at the Trelleborg Viking Fortress Museum / National Museum of Denmark (Photo: Rolf Warming, SoCA).
The shield handle of the Viking Age shield excavated at Trelleborg (Denmark) has been a subject of much debate, partly because of general rarity of extant Viking Age shield handles and the surprising length of the handle. In this post, I offer a few clarifications and a summary of what is known about the handle thus far based on previous publications (Dobat 2013) as well as personal observations.
The handle, now fragmented, was originally comprised of a single piece of lightly curved beech wood which had been fastened to the shield board with four rivets. Traces of iron corrosion from such rivets have been found on both sides of the centre hole. The underside of the handle has planed or carved flat in order to lay it flush against the shield boards. Most of the handle is essentially D-shaped in cross-section. The central part of the handle (the grip), however, is slightly facetted on the topside, giving it more a rounded pentagonal shape which facilitates a better grip (fig. 2). This part of the handle, moreover, has been adorned with a carving in the form of interlacing ornamentation, measuring c. 5 cm in length.
Fig. 2. Drawing of the Trelleborg shield handle and its cross-sections (adopted from Dobat 2013: 166, fig. 151)
The handle measures 2.1 cm in width and c. 35 cm in length. Compared to other lines of evidence, the handle seems surprisingly short. Iconography, metal shield handle fittings as well as rare parallel finds where the wooden shield handle has been preserved – such as the shield finds from Gokstad (Norway) and Tira (Latvia) – indicate that handles were typically much longer in the Viking Age, spanning across most of the shield’s diameter. Shorter handles, however, seem to have been more common in preceding periods. The unusual length and the partly fragmented condition of the handle have led many to believe that the handle was originally longer, following the general trend outlined above. A longer handle would certainly have provided the shield with more structural strength.
Fig. 3. The shield handle of the Trelleborg shield seen from the side (Photo: Jacob Nyborg Andreassen, SoCA).
Nonetheless, the original length of the wooden handle was in all probability not much greater than that given by its current condition. Firstly, each distal end is approximately the same length when measured from the ornamentation in the centre, i.e. the grip (fig. 3). It is therefore unlikely for the ends to have broken off so evenly, should the handle have been considerably longer. Secondly, the better-preserved distal end of the handle has been purposely shaped and equipped with a deep groove (located c.2-3 cm from the distal edge), indicating that this indeed is the handle terminal (fig. 4). The less preserved handle terminal was assumedly fashioned in a similar manner but has broken off by the groove and is now lost. This end of the wooden handle can, therefore, be assumed to have been 2-3 cm longer, giving a total length of c. 39 cm. The purpose of the groove was probably to accommodate a lashing or, more likely, a fitting of metal which would have fastened the handle terminals to the shield board. Such shield handle fittings are known from several other contexts (Hedeby, Havsmarken, Birka, etc.) and appear in two basic types: three-armed (or trefoil-shaped) and elongated trapezoidal-shaped fittings. Future examinations of the shield board and potential rivet holes may reveal more information regarding the use of such terminal fittings as well as the general construction of the shield.
Fig. 4. The better-preserved handle terminal with a clearly visible groove (Photo: Jacob Nyborg Andreassen, SoCA).
Bibliography:
Dobat, A. (ed.). 2013. Kongens borge: Rapport over undersøgelserne 2007-2010. Jysk Arkæologisk Selskabs Skrifter 76. Århus: Aarhus Universitetsforlag.
- archaeology, combat, Denmark, fighting, handles, history, national museum, nationalmuseet, prehistoric, rolf, shields, trelleborg, viking age, vikings, warfare, Warming, weapons
Rolf Warming
Rolf is the founder of the Society for Combat Archaeology (SoCA). He holds an MA degree in Maritime Archaeology from the University of Southampton and another MA degree in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of Copenhagen. His studies have preeminently been on the subject of combat and conflict in the past, ranging from Mesolithic violence to organized state formation in the Renaissance. He has achieved the rank of sergeant in the Royal Danish Army. In addition to this, Rolf is the chief instructor of Weapons Combat Systems, a weaponry-based martial art which he teaches on both a national and international level through classes, seminars, etc.
Hello,
I’ve also dealt with the topic.
This is what my interpretation of the handle looks like.
https://www.facebook.com/1502058920061640/videos/2013602748907252/
LG
Steidl Josef
Got it, Beech. Pls disregard my previous guess (Fir/Spruce).
The ornamentation seems to depict a sword handle, with the sword blade in a scabbard being the shield handle itself. This fine detain, expertly carved, confirms my belief that this is a luxury item.
As for the long length it provides more options for shifting grips without losing the shield that a short grip would.