the.com/buckler
A shield so small it's basically a fist with a license to punch.
means A small round shield, gripped in the fist and used to deflect blows or punch at an opponent in close combat.
from From Old French 'bocler' (modern 'bouclier'), meaning a shield fitted with a boss — the raised central knob. That word traces back to Latin 'buccula,' a 'little cheek' or boss, a diminutive of 'bucca' meaning 'cheek' or 'mouth.' So the buckler is named not for the shield itself but for that protruding metal stud at its heart, the bony 'cheek' you hid your hand behind.
- size
- Often under twelve inches across, gripped one-handed
- offense
- Used to bash faces, not just block blows
- manuals
- Star of medieval Europe's oldest surviving fight book
- phrase
- Gives 'swashbuckler' its swaggering second syllable
- design
- Center boss hid the hand and trapped weapons
for instance
viking age bronze bucklers — small round shields found in scandinavian burial sites, 8th-11th centuries, typical diameter 20-30cm