This sturdy Dark Ages Viking Shield is crafted from darkly stained wood and fitted with a 16 gauge steel boss and 18 gauge steel rim – It has a center grip of blackened wood riveted to the wooden shield body; the boss is likewise riveted to the shield. The back of the shield has been blackened. A center-grip shield has the advantage of protecting the hand of the bearer by keeping it well-protected behind a stout steel shield boss – a wooden shield strapped to the arm runs the risk of a strong javelin or arrow piercing or splitting the wood and pinning the arm of the unfortunate bearer to his own shield. It has the disadvantage of feeling heavier, as the wrist and forearm must maintain the weight of the shield, instead of letting the entire arm and shoulder sustain the burden. In the hands of a skilled warrior, the flat, round shield is as much a weapon as the sword, axe or spear in the opposing hand – the two together form a joint offensive and defensive combat style. A skilled warrior not only uses a center-grip shield to deflect projectiles and absorb hits; with the rim pointed outward toward the foe and thrust closely to him, the shield can be used to deny entire avenues of attack from his weapon – he will be unable to strike with the shield in the way of main striking angles. In this way the shield can offensively deny an opponent the chance to strike instead of just passively absorbing hits. A round shield also directs force outward much better than a curved shield when the rim is used to push to strike a foe – a curved shield cannot direct the force of the bearer in a powerful manner due to its shape. This makes a rim strike with a flat round shield a viable option to disorient or defeat an opponent. Shield Boss: 16 Gauge – Steel Shield Rim: 18 Gauge – Thickness of Shield Wood: 11.5 mm – Width of Shield Rim: 14 mm Please Note: It is common for this item to come with minor scuffs and scratches on its finish – representative examples of this can be seen in the photographs
