THE SCENE: The cunning Viking Hother wins a sea battle by simply playing defense against Gelder, an overeager Saxon foe.
THE TEXT: Gewar, being very learned in divining and an expert in the knowledge of omens, told Hother when Gelder should join battle with him, to receive his spears with patience, and not let his own fly until he saw the enemy’s missiles exhausted; and further, to bring up the curved scythes wherewith the vessels could be rent and the helmets and shields plucked from the soldiers. Hother followed his advice and found its result fortunate. For he bade his men, when Gelder began to charge, to stand their ground and defend their bodies with their shields, affirming that the victory in that battle must be won by patience. But the enemy nowhere kept back their missiles, spending them all in their extreme eagerness to fight; and the more patiently they found Hother bear himself in his reception of their spears and lances, the more furiously they began to hurl them. Some of these stuck in the shields and some in the ships, and few were the wounds they inflicted; many of them were seen to be shaken off idly and to do no hurt. For the soldiers of Hother performed the bidding of their king, and kept off the attack of the spears by a penthouse of interlocked shields; while not a few of the spears smote lightly on the bosses and fell into the waves. When Gelder was emptied of all his store, and saw the enemy picking it up, and swiftly hurling it back at him, he covered the summit of the mast with a crimson shield, as a signal of peace, and surrendered to save his life. Hother received him with the friendliest face and the kindliest words, and conquered him as much by his gentleness as he had by his skill.
– Gesta Danorum, Saxo Grammaticus, 12th Century AD
[Text Source: https://amzn.to/2LFlJMJ]
[Image Credit: Shieldwall by Kelvin Liew]
