My completed set of axe and shield, all authentic and battle ready. The Bearded Axe is a high carbon steel head, and a hickory shaft trimmed with leather and rabbit fur. Carved with authentic Norse symbols and Younger Futhark runic text. The shield is made of solid half inch planks wrapped with a leather binding, a steel boss plate (my third just for this shield, but my favorite of the three attempts) and hand painted with a pair of ravens inspired from the new Assassins Creed: Valhalla. This took SO much longer than it should have, I had so many problems. I even cracked one of the planks in half while securing the boss (metal knuckle protector in the middle of the shield). But as always it's a learning experience and I'd love to do this again with all that I've learned.
