Footsore Skraelings Available

[dhauser]

The Skraelings, the only Army to consistently beat the Vikings, are available on the Footsore website. More to come!

Bigman or Warlord.

Screechers also known more mundanely as Warriors.

Wretches or Levy.

http://footsoreminis.com/t/dark-ages—skraelings

The names Bigman, Screechers and Wretches are what the Vikings called the various Skraelings.

[Allen Curtis]

As mentioned elsewhere, in Thorfinn Kalsefni’s expedition in 1099 (from the Vinland Sagas, specifically the Saga of Erik the Red), ‘Leif Erikson’s half-sister Freydís Eiríksdóttir was pregnant and unable to keep up with the retreating Norsemen. She called out to them to stop fleeing from “such pitiful wretches”, adding that if she had weapons, she could do better than that. Freydís seized the sword belonging to a man who had been killed by the natives. She pulled one of her breasts out of her bodice and struck it with the sword, frightening the natives, who fled.’ 

In modern Danish and Norwegian, “skraelings” has come to mean “weaklings”.  “Consistently beat”, my exposed buttocks! 

Allen

[dhauser]

A man who maintains his courage in the face of a semi-naked angry pregnant woman with a big knife is soon to be an ex-man. I wouldn’t be frightened I would be terrified.

[Howard Whitehouse]

The terms ‘army’ and, indeed, ‘Vikings’ are clearly open to question here. It’s fairer to say (looking at the two, count ’em, two) sources, the Saga of Eirik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders, that the Norse settlers/sailors/whatever you call them had some encounters with the locals and decided there were just too many to deal with.

However, since Donald sent me some very nice samples of these excellent figures, I will ask neither of these questions

Well, except to ask Allen if he meant to say ‘1099’. Pretty sure he didn’t.

I do all my own stunts.

[Allen Curtis]

Normally Thorfinn’s little jaunt would be dated to 1009-1010, but I was assuming v.2.0 Vikings with oversize Foundry figures (after your time, Jack) and half-nekkid wimmin (Shadowforge, mebbe?).   They’d be a lot more modern, with shiny mail and silicone hooters.

Anyone interested may read the bare-breasted blonde’s exploit in full at Chapter 12 here:

http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en#5

Until someone comes out with Norse figures that look like the grody Icelandic flick Hrafninn flýgur (mysteriously re-titled for the English sub-titled version as Revenge of the Barbarian or Revenge of the Barbarians–it’s actually just one Irishman, but as you know, that’s enough to get people putting up “Keep Out” signs), Allen won’t be a happy camper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOi3ic3LYHM

You have to love the wee ponies (Bill, sculpt some) and the odd versions on what can only be described as a seax, I suppose.  Nancy and I used to call this film “Big Slow Knives”.

Allen

[Allen Curtis]

Speaking of figures (we were, weren’t we?), I think there are sculptors who are really missing an opportunity by not sculpting Alex Kingston (River Song, baby, yeah!) as Boadicea/Boudicca/Boudica:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo7SJtfwwvU

I need to have a little lie down now and think about River Song…

Allen

[Piyan Glupak]

It always amuses me that some army level games quote the ‘Skraelings’ as an opponent for the Vikings/Norse.  For a skirmish game, that would be so, no problem.  However, the idea of thousands of Vikings battling thousands of  ‘Skraelings’ belongs either in alternative history or fantasy.

By the way, I like the figures, although I have no idea whether or not they are accurate.

[dhauser]

In truth neither do we Richard as they are taken from an Angus McBride picture; although we did have a professor of native American studies announce at the last convention that as far as he was concerned they were spot on. He did give us some ideas for additional packs with some additional weapons as well.

[Allen Curtis]

So Mexican Jack convinced you he was a “professor of Native American studies”?  I tell you, there’s one born any minute.

I sort of question whether any academic in that field would  offer such a blessing, unless he was just talking out of his hat.  The Native Americans and First Nation peoples of the Northeastern Unites States and maritime Canada themselves have very little information on their forebears’ appearance or weaponry much before the later European contacts of the c.15th.  Shortage of artifacts, you see: look up Thule culture, for example, and you’ll find tools and hunting kit found in common sites with Norse artifacts, but not man-killing items.  I would say that the range so far looks entirely credible.  But then I’d say that the indigenous people portrayed in the film Pathfinder might well not be too far off, either, whereas the “Vikings”?  Oh, my.

Allen

[dhauser]

I’ll need to get his name from our mailing list; he was much more interested in the Hill Monument people of the Mississippi River.

 

And everybody knows Mexican Jack isn’t an expert in “Native” Americans. 🙂

[Patrice]

Allen Curtis wrote:

ponies (Bill, sculpt some)

That would be lovely! And if you need an accurate historical source…

http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/

[Allen Curtis]

Horns?  Got anything for horns?  (besides Hagar…)

Allen

[dhauser]

Ok so you all do know this statement;”The Skraelings, the only Army to consistently beat the Vikings,” is a bit tongue in cheek.

And yes Allen our Vikings will have horns as is only proper; except the ones that have wings.

[Allen Curtis]

[Allen Curtis]

[Allen Curtis]

Personally, I prefer the wings.

Allen

[Sparker]

Love the picture of the wee lassie with the armoured, um, embonpoint, but couldn’t they have found a slightly more scandanavian setting to model her against?

I mean the door knob isn’t even an IKEA pattern for heaven’s sake!

http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com.au/
'Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall need to be well 'ard'
Matthew 5:9

[Howard Whitehouse]

I’m going to the Ren Faire this weekend, so those photos put me in the mood for real history. You know, tattoos and New Age jewelry and fat men in pirate hats eating pizza.

 

And cleavage. Mostly the cleavage.

I do all my own stunts.

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