Norwegian / Scandinavian Bucklers

Ceeden · Post by **Ceeden** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:36 pm

I'm writing in relation to the following post / threat regarding Norwegian bucklers -

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... an+buckler

1) Does anyone know the actual name for this type of shield / buckler as the post doesn't make it clear?

2) Were they used by the Vikings or they are dated to pre / post Viking periods?

3) Were these types of shields used throughout Scandinavian or were they confined to Norway only?

4) Can anyone provide me with books / sources of information that I can read to find out more about them? The books would need to be in English as I don't speak or read any other language.

5) Does anyone have any further pictures of these types of bucklers (originals / reconstructions / illustrations etc)?

Thanks

Danny
Sydney Australia

Felix Wang · Post by **Felix Wang** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 1:50 am

I don't have any special information, but I do have some thoughts:

The Norwegians call them bucklers (in English), and I don't know the Norwegian word for that kind of shield. However, since the newly made shield is a 14 inch center-grip round shield, it fits all the usual criteria for a buckler.

These are 13th -14th century. As far as I know, this type of shield was not used, or was very rare, in Viking times.

Since all of Scandinavia was interconnected, and bucklers are known from many parts of Europe, I expect that this shield is not a unique Norwegian type. (The ironwork may be distinctive, though.)

As the original thread indicated, these bucklers have only been published once before, during the middle of WW II, in a Norwegian (?) language paper. So I doubt much more information is available. You might try e-mailing the fellow who started the thread.

Dave Womble · Post by **Dave Womble** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 2:25 pm

There are small round Anglo Saxon shields of 1-1.5 foot diameter known. While they were not collectively known as "bucklers" at that time, they fall within the definition of one.

Iconographic evidence comes from the Franks Casket, Repton Stone, the cross-slab of Aberlemno, Middleton Cross, Brailsford Cross, and a scene from the Sutton Hoo helmet.

Shields of that size were known as buklari, (Ch. 43 Egla's Saga). Alternately, I'm sure they were called whatever the Norse word for small is (I tried to find it, but couldnt) and shield: skjÃƒÂ¶ldur.

Dave

Ceeden · Post by **Ceeden** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:25 pm

Dave

Thanks for that information. Do you have pictures or these Buklari (museum / originals / illustrations / replicas etc)??

Does anyone know if the normal viking shield (round wooden) would be called TÃƒÂ¶rgu-buklari or TÃƒÂ¼rgu-skjÃƒÂ¼ldr as per the following webpage?

http://penguin.pearson.swarthmore.edu/~ ... b0625.html

Danny

Ceeden · Post by **Ceeden** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:37 pm

Dave / Felix

In the original post Vegard Vike calls the buckler a "Gims?kler", yet I'm guessing the question mark shouldn't be there.

Also in the same post Ny Bjorn writes, "So Vegard has made himself a Grims?span style="color:#000080">buckler huh!?"

It appears that the words have become corrupted as if the non-english letters / fonts haven't been printed correctly.

So if Vegard or Ny are out there can you post and let me (us) know what the correct / proper name for these bucklers are?

Thanks

Danny

Dave Womble · Post by **Dave Womble** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:53 pm

William Short has .pdf file listing all known combat references in the Icelandic Sagas, (theres 95 pages worth) shield is always listed as skjÃƒÂ¶ldur. Whether or not the word shield translates into something else in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish I cant tell you...I've always run accross skjÃƒÂ¶ldur in all my viking books.

There are no extant shields of that size...shield finds are rare at best, ususally only the fittings are recovered from grave finds, and the extant shields we have from the Dark Ages/Viking Age are of the medium/large size. The only evidence we have is from period artwork and literary sources.

Dave

Anders Helseth · Post by **Anders Helseth** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:17 am

Hi Danny!

Nice to see someone interested in these beautiful pieces of martial history.

Between the last thread and the posts above, most of your questions are already answered, so I will only fill in a little.

The original Norse word is "Buklari". The word can be found in Norse litterature from the second half of the 12. century. The screwed up gibberish results from Vegards and Ny Bjorns attempted use of a sscandinavian-specific letter and refers to the where the buckler in question was found. In this case Gimsoy in Telemark.

hmm...have to go, fire away with the questions if there is more you would like to know that has not been covered already.

Cheers,

Anders

Ceeden · Post by **Ceeden** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:46 am

Anders

Thanks for the post and sorry for not responding sooner.

Have there been any other finds in Scandinavia of Buklari or are the Gimsoy Buklari the only ones?

Are the Gimsoy Buklari on display at a museum or they locked away somewhere?

I don't suppose any full colour digital quality pictures of them exist anywhere?

Are there any other types of Scandinavian shields apart from the SkjÃƒÂ¶ldur (large wooden round shields)?

Thanks

Danny

Dave Womble · Post by **Dave Womble** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 11:10 am

I'm not aware of any other shield types or shapes used by vikings until the 11th century ( late 10th?) when the kite shield came into use.

Other germanic tribes used square, rectangular and oval shields, I have no idea if any of these ever fell into viking hands.

Igor of Maguar · Post by **Igor of Maguar** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:31 pm

Ceeden wrote:Have there been any other finds in Scandinavia of Buklari or are the Gimsoy Buklari the only ones?

Are the Gimsoy Buklari on display at a museum or they locked away somewhere?

These are from the National museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. I don't have any information on them though.
HOTH
cheers

Dave Womble · Post by **Dave Womble** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 7:32 pm

just be aware those are NOT viking age bucklers, but I think you already know that.

Felix Wang · Post by **Felix Wang** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 9:21 pm

Very impressive ironwork on the right-hand buckler. And very un-Viking :wink:

Anders Helseth · Post by **Anders Helseth** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 3:36 am

No need to apologise to me for being slow to respond!

The Gimsoy bukler is one of four bucklers in the possession of the University Museum of Cultural History (where I happen to work

).
They are not on display.

The Gimsoy buckler is the one furthest from the camera.

There is however a larger (50 cm diameter) wood/iron shield in the same style on display in the medieval hall.

Apart from the photo above I do not know of anything that has not already been shown. If you are really serious about this I suggest you send a mail to e.j.vogt(at)khm.uio.no and order photos of catalogue numbers C 126, C1568 and C954. There is a fee, but I do not know its size.

You must have seen the two buckler kept in Copenhagen, one of which I believe is Norwegian. In addition to that I have seen one in an in situ excavation photo from Holland, but I cannot remember where that was.

Regarding other shields, in the post - viking era you can find the same types of shields as in the rest of Europe - adding the possibility of large round shields lasting longer in the commoners levy.

Hope this helps.

Anders

Ceeden · Post by **Ceeden** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 4:04 am

Not just interested in viking shields, but all scandinavian shields pre and post viking age.

Isn't there a Heater-like shield that the scandinavians used? I remember reading about it on another forum a year or more ago. Can't remember any details, all I remember is that it had a long scandinavian type name.

Dany

chef de chambre · Post by **chef de chambre** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 4:39 am

Does anyone have attributed dates on those bucklers? Both the download picture and the groupiong of four.

Any information would be most appreciated.

Endre Fodstad · Post by **Endre Fodstad** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:02 am

The national museum in Copenhagen dates the right-hand danish buckler rather vaguely to the "13th or 14th century". The left-hand buckler isn't exhibited at the moment. The norwegian dating is equally vague, but the Cultural Historical Lexicon of the Norse Medieval Period gives a mid-to late 13th dating to the norwegian bucklers. The reason for this is likely their frequent mention as off-duty or light guard equipment in the Norwegian Hirdskraa (the laws of the kings retinue), late 13th century, and the King's Mirror. However, bucklers are mentioned in the saga of Sverri (written down mid-13th century, but the events it relates are late 12th to early 13th century), during an event where his men are ambushed in the sauna, and run naked out of the building wielding only their swords and bucklers.

Ambrogio · Post by **Ambrogio** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:27 am

Ah! There's nothing like a hot steaming sauna, filled with naked men with swords!!!

Btw, Endre, you look stunning!

Endre Fodstad · Post by **Endre Fodstad** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:36 am

Ambrogio wrote:Ah! There's nothing like a hot steaming sauna, filled with naked men with swords!!!

Btw, Endre, you look stunning!

I know. Fancy a sauna?

Ambrogio · Post by **Ambrogio** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 9:54 am

Oh, I thought you'd never ask

chef de chambre · Post by **chef de chambre** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:16 am

Thanks very much!

chef de chambre · Post by **chef de chambre** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:27 am

Another quick question,

Have any bucklers been found in Norway, Denmark, or Sweden in a 15th century context?

Endre Fodstad · Post by **Endre Fodstad** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:48 am

Not as far as I know, but then again, the dating problems are obvious: most of the bucklers are loose finds, aquired from storages,preserved on farms and similar circumnstances. Bucklers are rare in norwegian illuminated material and/or preserved stone and wood sculptures, so the late 13th century dating isn't entirely certain. However, their size indicate a 1250-1330 dating, most are around 30 centimetres/12 inches in diameter or slightly larger.

Anders Helseth · Post by **Anders Helseth** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 11:05 am

Make that 35 - 40 cms, Endre.

Regarding the dating, there are several problems. They are dated by comparing them to medieval Norwegian written and pictorial sources. Between the plague(1350) and the reformation(1537) almost no such sources excist. This method will in other words almost never give a date later than the plague.

Personally, I think they could date anywhere between 12 - 1500. There is a runic inscription on one of them that could give an indication, but I am not sure if any work has been done on it. I will try to check that out.

chef de chambre · Post by **chef de chambre** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 11:30 am

Thanks very much Anders and Endre.

Alcyoneus · Post by **Alcyoneus** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:14 pm

Anders Helseth wrote:They are not on display.

Which makes me glad we have you 'on retainer'. ;-)

Can you give us any other details? Thickness of the wood, overall weights, are the metal bits solid(some of the half round channels could be hollow, I suppose)? How thick are the flat metal bits? Are they all center grip bucklers?

Is this info published anywhere? ;-)

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