Talhoffer's teachings applied to the Viking shield

[The Wandering Knight]

Thought I'd host this for the people who have not seen it yet.

Hans Talhoffer was a 15th century fight master, and author of a series of manuals covering numerous weapons, from the longsword to the dagger.  One of his manuals covers a dueling form involving large, long shields, and looked something like this:

Hammaborg is a HEMA group in Germany that studies all sorts of weapon forms, including sword and buckler.  The video below shows their interpretation of Talhoffer's sword and shield form applied to the Nordic style of shield.

Did the Norse fight like this?  Nobody can say.  Their combat tradition was entirely oral, and their sagas spoke little of technical matters.  It would not, however, be far fetched to present this as a possibility; warriors of the past were not cross-eyed individuals swinging weapons randomly at their enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8SRaa33otU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWSTx0tZHCU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGNBc7ewusQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXPujfwQJUg

 

[Endre Fodstad]

I've seen several of Roland (who I know from the viking reenactor scene) and his lads' demonstrations of their Talhoffer-with-Viking-Shield system. It is most certainly a possibility, although the rotating shields in Talhoffer are often spiked to the ground whereas viking shields are not.

It is certainly interesting. I would really like there to be any sources on how people fought man-to-man in the viking age, and it is sort of sad that we have nothing on this (or roman, or greek, or pretty much anything before I.33 around 1300, really) preserved in detail.

 

[Archonsod]

warriors of the past were not cross-eyed individuals swinging weapons randomly at their enemy.

Actually, the Norse were. Well known fact.

 

[Seff]

warriors of the past were not cross-eyed individuals swinging weapons randomly at their enemy.

Actually, the Norse were. Well known fact.

Especially the Norse. The normal vikings were quite competent.