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a shield before the shining god. mountains and oceans I know should burn, if it fell from in front. Arvak and Alsvith up shall drag Weary the weight of the sun; But an iron cool have the kindly gods Of yore set under their yokes. In front of the sun does Svalinn stand, The shield for the shining god; Mountains and sea would be set in flames
The shield wall or skjaldborg was a main formation in which accomplished Viking warriors would create a line of interlocked shields and thrust spears at adversaries. Other notable tactics included the svinfylking "boar battle formation", in which warriors would create a wedge configuration and attempt to burst through the front line of nearby foes.
The shield-wall was commonly used in many parts of Northern Europe such as in England and Scandinavia.. A mention of "ſcild ƿeall" (shield-wall) in Beowulf. In the battles between the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes in England, most of the Saxon army would have consisted of the inexperienced fyrd, a militia composed of free peasants.
Raven artwork on the Vendel I shield (early 600s) at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities. The raven is a common iconic figure in Norse mythology. The highest god Odin had two ravens named Huginn and Muninn ("thought" and "memory" respectively) who flew around the world bringing back tidings to their master.
This page was last edited on 18 December 2023, at 20:45 (UTC).; Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License; additional terms may apply.
Sketch of the Svinfylking. The Svinfylking, Old Norse for "swine array" or "boar snout", [1] was a formation used in battle. Related to the wedge formation, it was used in Iron Age Scandinavia and later by the Vikings. [2]
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A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. [2] Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles such as arrows. They function as means of active blocks, as well as to provide passive protection by ...