Ysgramor weilded a two handed weapon in battle. But he also had a shield. How exactly did that work? And is this related to his soup spoon that was designed like a fork? Inquiring minds want to know.

(BTW, for some reason his shield displays poorly on a shield rack, the left side disappears into the rack.)

More likely that he was strong enough to carry his axe in one hand instead of 2.

This, makes the most sense.

Or the shield is of a variant that straps to the arm releasing the hand for other uses.

I assumed being the mighty legend he is, he wielded an axe and shield in each hand.

I'm assuming that as a powerful warrior he did't limit himself to one style of fighting. If he needed defense he used a shield, if he needed more offensive power he used his two-handed axe. He probably had a bow too but it never became an important relic.

Nah, just poor judgment.