The Shield Wall
In the shield wall, individual glory yields to collective survival; unity is strength.
The shield wall was the primary Norse battle formation. Each warrior protected not only himself but his companions with overlapping shields. Breaking formation meant death for all. This taught that sometimes individual glory must yield to collective needs.
In the wall, we are one; break the wall and we all fall.
The shield wall teaches the warrior virtue of subordinating ego to community.
Norse Oral Tradition
Written about in
- What Norse tradition says about courage
The formation only works if nobody runs, which turns courage from a personal quality into a shared asset. One man's nerve failing is everyone's problem.