Ravenward Hand Made Viking Round Shield | 24 Inch Diameter | Leather Arm Strap and Hand Grip | Norse Reenactment Gift | RK-1203

The Ravenward is a Viking round shield built the way the Gokstad shields were built, from edge glued planks rather than plywood, with a hand forged steel boss over a cut out hand hole. The face carries Huginn and Muninn, the two ravens of Odin, hand painted in black and oxide red around a ring of Elder Futhark runes. It is the shield the shieldwall was made of, and it is the single most recognisable object in the Norse world. Shape and period decide which shield suits you, sorted out in round shield against kite shield. If it is a wedding or a hall gift, the wedding and groomsmen pieces are grouped separately.

The body is made and painted in the Czech Republic, and the boss is forged in the same workshop.

Specifications

How a Viking shield was actually built

The archaeology is unusually clear here. The Gokstad ship gave up thirty two shields, and they were all the same pattern: a single layer of butted planks about 30 to 37 inches across, a round hole in the centre, an iron boss riveted over it, and a wooden bar across the back that served as the grip. No plywood, no double layer, no metal rim on most of them. Ours follows that pattern at 24 inches, which is the size that hangs well on a wall and still handles properly in the hand. Background reading is in the guides.

The ravens and the rune border

Huginn and Muninn, thought and memory, are the ravens Odin sends out across the world each morning. They are the correct motif for a shield in a way that most modern Viking artwork is not. The border is Elder Futhark, the older twenty four rune alphabet, painted rather than carved so it stays crisp against the wood.

Reenactment and display

This is built for display, photography and light reenactment rather than full contact combat. A shield that is safe for heavy sparring needs a thicker body and a steel rim, and it stops being a faithful reproduction at that point. Hung on a wall it reads correctly from across a room, and it is the piece most people photograph first.

Engraving, runes and your own design

The face can be personalised before it ships. Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will lay it into the rune border or across the field. If you would rather have a different Viking pattern altogether, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button. Where the shield already carries a painted design, your chosen artwork replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. See the engraving page.

Care

Keep it out of direct sun and away from a radiator, both of which will open the plank joints over time. Wipe the steel boss with a light oil once or twice a year. The rawhide edging hardens as it ages and needs nothing.

Made in the Czech Republic

The work behind this piece happens in a Czech Republic workshop that has kept to the old methods. Steel is forged and heat treated by hand, the grind is taken down by eye rather than by machine, and the handle, fittings and sheath are cut and finished one at a time. Because of that, every piece carries small marks of the hand that made it.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import direct, check each piece when it reaches us, and ship from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse. Engraving is added here in the United States after arrival, so the piece you receive is finished to your order.

A note on handmade variation

This is a hand made and hand painted piece, not a machine made or bulk produced one, so the shield that arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The grain and colour of the planks, the exact sweep of the painted ravens, the hammer texture on the boss and the tone of the rawhide all vary a little from one shield to the next, because each one is built by hand from natural materials. The diameter, the construction and the motif are the same every time. The character is not. That variation is the point of buying hand made rather than pressed.

Frequently asked questions

What size is this Viking shield?

24 inches across. That is a little smaller than the Gokstad originals, chosen so it displays well on a wall and still handles correctly.

Is it plywood?

No. It is edge glued solid wood planks, which is how the originals were built. Plywood shields are cheaper and heavier and they do not split the way a real one does.

Can I use it for full contact reenactment?

Not for heavy combat. It is built for display, photography and light reenactment. Full contact requires a thicker body and a steel rim.

Can I have my own runes or design painted on it?

Yes. Convert your text with the rune converter on this page, or choose your own Viking pattern in the engraving option. Custom artwork replaces the standard raven design.

Will my shield look exactly like the photo?

Close, but not identical. It is hand built and hand painted from natural wood, steel and rawhide, so grain, paint sweep and tone vary between pieces.

How is it hung on a wall?

The leather arm strap takes an ordinary wall hook. Most people hang it by the strap so the boss sits proud.

What is in the box

• One Ravenward hand made Viking round shield
• Hand forged riveted steel boss, fitted
• Leather arm strap and hand grip, fitted
• Protective packaging
• Built and painted in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

Compare it with the rest of the round shields, the Viking armor range and the shield bosses. Pair it with a Viking axe or a Viking sword, and read the guides for the history behind the build.

If this one is not it

Also in this group is the Stormwheel round shield. Sitting beside it in the catalogue is the Huginward round shield. Another in the same line is the Ravenhold round shield.

For a different piece from the same family, look at the Pathmark shield boss. Pick the steel, the length and the fittings yourself on the design your own page.