“Old Gods” Viking Splint Greaves

Etched greaves inspired by the Vendel Period

Whenever they felt lost, they would look to the sky for Old Gods to guide them. Each night it brought them visions of their future journey, guiding them towards their homeland. Thought to be Aurvandil, the god that drove them on their migrations, they would travel and fight until the end of their days trying to find the one thing they all truly desired: a true home.

While we do consider these to be “fantasy” greaves due to the ornate etching, this piece of armor is based on finds dating to the Vendel Period. Existing between the Iron Age and the Viking Age, it was a time of great migration, many fights and countless cities sacked and razed. We have crafted these greaves with luxury in mind, using premium materials, and the best of our design skills to create something truly special.

Because there is no leather backing to these greaves, we have made the steel extra thick; the splints are cut from 2mm thick stainless steel. We've used two different splints that alternate in width to give you the best possible fit, and become wider at the top to account for the natural curve of your leg growing thicker at the calf. The thin splints are 2cm at the bottom and 2.5cm at the top, while the slightly thicker splits are 3cm at the bottom and 4cm at the top. This ensures that the greaves gracefully slope up to fit your leg while remaining nice and comfortable as well. We have also rolled the splints out sightly at the bottom to make sure they flare out and sit comfortably on top of your shoes instead of digging painfully into your ankles, which can be a risk with less well thought out renditions of this style of armor.

The splints are attached together with four strips of the leather that run horizontally along the inside of them, with the splints secured with solid brass rivets. Brass rivets are structurally sound but also have the added bonus of looking amazing in contrast with the stainless steel. The etching on the Old Gods greaves is all made in-house by our product designer, who conceived the pattern after much research into viking knot work patterns and motifs.

These really are an immaculately finished pair of greaves. The rivets are peened over washers at the back to ensure durability, and the robust leather straps are finished with stunning hand cast brass buckles with a viking motif. Stainless steel construction ensures that despite the ornate etching, these greaves won’t be rusting up in your armor bag any time soon. We recommend taking care of the leather if it gets damp, and simply wiping down the stainless steel with a dry cloth to keep them lustrous and shiny.

To check how to measure yourself please click here.

Please contact us if you have any additional questions.

Safety disclaimer: Sword-fighting and fencing is a dangerous sport. Fencing, historical fencing, medieval reenactment and martial arts as well as other related types of activity, are inherently connected to a certain risk level of injuries or death. The Company declines all responsibility for any traumas or harm done to oneself or to the third person, along with any material or consequential damage, impaired during the products usage. We admonish that all acts with armour, weapons or their components have to be performed before designated person who is responsible for safety of the particular event and accredited to supervise armour and sport weapon conformance to the event’s standards.