I am knew here but in my researching of things I have hit across here many times.

I am researching early Germanic shields. Many of the reenactors always use grip dead in the center, yet I have seen archeological drawings showing some to be off set to one side in the hand area. I believe the Sutton Hoo shield is thought to be offset as well.

I am having a dickens of a time finding accurate/involved information on shield grips of this time and when dead center became the norm, that is if it never was and the off-set ones I have seen are the exceptions.

Any help regarding finding resources or better detailed drawings would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Richard Culver
The Colony, TX

P.S,: this is information being sought for SCA purposes where I am NOT a sport fighter but more concerned with appropriate look out on the field/the historical basis of what I do or am intersted in.

Buck up for a copy of I.P. Stephensons The Anglo-Saxon Shield http://www.amazon.com/Anglo-Saxon-Shield-I-P-...amp;sr=1-1 and Early Anglo-Saxon Shields http://www.amazon.com/Early-Anglo-Saxon-Shiel...amp;sr=1-2 . You'll find just about everything you need there.

Center grips can be offset just a bit to allow more room for a large gloved hand to fit within the shield boss. This also provides a bit of a mechanical advantage for turning the shield from side to side. Some fighters like the effect, others do not.

It's my understanding that the round shields had a strictly center grip, but the earlier pre-migration Germanic shields that were similar in shape to Celtic ones had grips below the center of gravity in order to keep the shield from bumping the leg. I wish I had some sources to back that up, so sorry if I'm mistaken.

"The off-center placement is entirely conjectural and based on experimental archeology."


Not quite, there is plenty of archaeological evidence for offset grips from the 5th c onwards. A close examination of AS cemetery reports shows that grips tended to be offset along the centre line; see for example Dover Buckland grave 27 in Evison's 'Dover Buckland Anglo-Saxon Cemetery'. The Sutton Hoo is very definitely offset, (Bruce-Mitford, 'The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial' Volume 2) so too are those in Valsgarde graves -- see Arwidsson's 'Valsgarde 8' and 'Valsgarde 7'. Of course this can only be gleaned when the grip has stayed in place relative to the boss, but where this occurs it seems to be what happens.


There is more if you want it.

Cheers,

paul

Here is an example of a Sandinavian shield grip from the Ilerup sacrificial bog in Denmark. 3-4C I believe.

http://www.illerup.dk/custom/illerup_largeima...ension=gif

Well it would seem to me that the grip is only very slightly off-center to make it easier for a warrior to grip it comfortably, while keeping the cutout as small as possible (the bigger the cutout - the larger shield boss would be needed). Since I am about to begin as precise a replica of Valsgarde 8 shield 1 as I possibly can (sans the gold decor, will have to do with brass in it's place), I certainly will attempt to replicate the off-center grip as well and we shall see how that handles in the end.