Lionward Hand Made Wooden Heater Shield | 30 Inch Tall | Painted Rampant Lion, Knotwork Border and Leather Arm Strap | Medieval Reenactment Gift | RK-1452

Lionward is a heater shield, which is the flat topped, curve sided, pointed bottomed shape that took over from the long kite shield in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The reason for the change is worth knowing. Kite shields were long because a rider needed his whole left leg covered on horseback. Once mail leg armour and then plate poleyns and greaves became normal, all that length was dead weight, so the bottom half of the shield was simply cut away and what was left is the heater. Lionward carries a white lion rampant on a deep rust field, a black inner border and a bone coloured outer band running with a tan knotwork line, with domed rivets set around the rim.

The lion rampant is the single most common charge in European heraldry, and rampant simply means reared on the hind legs with the forepaws raised. It is not a family crest belonging to anyone in particular, it is the oldest and most widely borne device in the book, which is exactly why it works on a display shield. Every Lionward is cut, faced, painted, edged and strapped by hand in our shop in Memphis, Tennessee. It arrives ready to hang or carry, with the leather arm strap and hand grip fitted. Free shipping inside the United States, one to two weeks processing, seven day returns, and a genuine lifetime warranty against defects in the build and the fittings, with no end date and no receipt needed.

Specifications

Why a shield is strapped the way it is

Look at the back of a heater and you find two straps rather than one, and the arrangement is the whole point of the design. The upper strap is the enarme, which the forearm passes through. The lower one is the grip, which the hand closes on. Together they lock the shield to the arm so that it moves as part of the body rather than swinging on a single point, and they let you take a blow on the face of the board with your forearm braced behind it rather than with your wrist.

That is the difference between a strapped shield and a centre grip round shield. A Viking round shield hangs off a single fist behind a boss, which is fast and lively and lets you punch the boss forward, but it tires the hand and it gives up leverage. A strapped heater is slower to move but it is far more stable, it can be held up all day, and it will sit tight against the shoulder while the sword arm works. Lionward is strapped in the medieval way, which also means it hangs flat and square on a wall when you are not wearing it.

The rivets around the rim are not decoration either. On a period shield they held the rawhide or leather edging that stopped the plank edges splitting when they took an impact. Here they carry the same visual logic and they tie the face to the core around the perimeter, which is exactly where a painted board most wants to be held together.

The core, the paint and the edging

The core is a laminated hardwood plank board rather than plywood cut to shape. It is sealed before it is painted so the timber does not drink the pigment unevenly, then the field, the border and the charge are laid in by hand and the whole face is sealed again. Hand painting means the lion is painted, not printed, and if you look closely you will see brush edges rather than the perfectly uniform line of a transfer.

Be honest about what a painted wooden shield is. This is a display and light reenactment board. It will hang on a wall, carry in a parade, hold up to a photo shoot and take the knocks of an event day. It is not a full contact combat shield, and it is not rated for edged steel or for the sort of repeated hard impact a heavy fighting board is built to absorb. If your group runs full contact, buy a purpose built combat shield with a rawhide edge and a thicker core.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the leather. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On a shield the natural home for a rune line is the arm strap or the grip leather, and a painted rune band can be run around the border instead if you ask for it. Full detail is on the engraving page.

Mounting and display

Lionward hangs well because the strapping sits flat. The simplest mount is two heavy picture hooks or a pair of French cleats catching the enarme and the grip, which spreads the load across the back of the board rather than hanging everything from one screw. Do not drill fresh holes through the face to hang it, because that breaks the seal and lets moisture into the core.

Keep it out of direct sunlight if you can. Rust reds and bone whites are the two pigments most likely to shift over years of hard light, and a wall opposite a south facing window is the one place a painted shield will fade. Away from that, hang it wherever it looks best.

Care

Dust the face with a dry cloth. If it needs more than that, use a barely damp cloth and dry it straight away rather than letting water sit along the rivet line. Do not use solvent cleaners on the painted face. Feed the leather arm strap and grip with a neutral conditioner two or three times a year so they stay supple, and check the buckle and the rivets each season. If you also own steel from us, our steel care page covers the rivets and any fittings that need oiling.

Forged in Memphis

The board is cut here, the core is laminated and sealed here, the field and the lion are painted here by hand, the rim rivets are set here and the strapping is cut and fitted here, all in our own shop in Memphis, Tennessee. Nothing is drop shipped from an importer catalogue with our name added to the box. When we say we will stand behind the build for life, it is because we know exactly who built it.

A note on handmade variation

This shield is hand made and not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Brush edges, the exact depth of the rust field, the run of the knotwork band and the grain showing through the seal all vary because each board is worked by hand from natural materials. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this shield wearable or display only?

Both, within reason. It straps to the arm and carries comfortably for a full day of display, parade or photography. It is not built for full contact combat and should not be used to receive steel.

Is the lion printed or painted?

Painted by hand, on a sealed timber face. That is why the line work has brush character in it rather than the perfectly even edge of a printed transfer.

How is it held?

By a leather forearm strap and a leather hand grip on the reverse. Your arm goes through the upper strap and your hand closes on the lower one, which locks the board to the arm.

Can I have my own heraldry painted instead?

Tell us what you want in the engraving and personalisation option and we will discuss it before we start. Simple charges and a rune border are straightforward. A complex full achievement of arms is a different job.

How do I hang it on a wall?

Use two hooks or a pair of cleats catching the existing straps on the back. Do not drill through the painted face, because that opens the seal and lets damp into the core.

How long does it take to ship?

One to two weeks, because the board is cut, painted and strapped to order. Shipping inside the United States is free.

What is in the box

• One 30 inch hand painted wooden heater shield
• Leather forearm strap and hand grip fitted to the reverse
• Domed rim rivets set around the edge
• Elder Futhark rune engraving on the strap leather where selected
• Care and hanging notes
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See more in kite shields and bucklers, round shields and shield bosses, or read the guides for how shields were built and strapped.