Vikings with Horns on thier Helmets

[British Inquistion]

I know that vikings never went screaming into battle with great big bloody horns hanging of thier head, but i am slightly interested as to how that myth started, if someone could be so nice as to enlighten me to how this myth started I would apperciate it very much.

[Alletun]

http://www.vikingage.com/vac/horns.html

[mocker]

http://www.vikingage.com/vac/horns.html

That article is slightly flawed, no offense meant towards Alletun whatsoever.

The horn myth originates from archeology concerning the scandinavian bronze age.

Archeologists found several ornate religious items, and among them were several horned helmets. These helms were never used in combat, and haven't got much to do with the viking age.

Those archeologists assumed that these helmets were used during the viking ages, and so on and so on...

[Antagonist]

Helmet design in Northern Europe during the Viking Age tended to be pretty practical and function-orientated as far as I can see, it was probably the Gauls of the Iron Age who were the big fans of ornate-but-impractical helmets (I believe horned ones have been found, among other things) Later peoples seem to have been more practical and kept ornament to a minimum, unless it would improve the defence...

Antagonist

[tnick777]

We know

It was used for cerimonial purposes.

Which I have another question to raise

are we still for the on-feild sacrifices?

[Beiss]

I've seen Celtic helmets with huge horns... in history books. Those were probably ceremonial, too, though. My guess is horns is a disadvantage in comabt, like when you see people catching goats or sheep... you just grab their horns and they can't get loose.

[British Inquistion]

Thanks for all the help guys, that myth has always really bugged me.

Btw tnick777 on field sacrifices sound awesome, but wouldn't it be hard to add a new feature like that to the game?

[mocker]

Speaking of, what does on-field sacrifices mean anyway?

[Antagonist]

I'm not sure

Actually putting an entirely new game mechanic with new graphics, animations sounds etc. is out of the question I think, but maybe something could be done with religious units. I suppose we could have some kind of "Battlefield Sacrificial Altar" like the Grand Cross etc. in vanilla, but it would look weird, a bunch of hooded guys around a bloodstained rock - on a wheeled platform.

Something can definately be done for religious units though. I included Christian Priests as a non-combat morale boosting unit in my Gaelic list, ala RTW-BI (which may be a little dubious) At the least some kind of equivalent for Norse pagans would be nice (if it can be considered in any way historical)

Antagonist

[tnick777]

Thanks for all the help guys, that myth has always really bugged me.

Btw tnick777 on field sacrifices sound awesome, but wouldn't it be hard to add a new feature like that to the game?

Actually no

We take the Christian on-feild cross and we basically remodel it to have 4 men holding an animal on a pole with what ever religious leaders did.
It will have the SAME exact benifits as the Christian cross in the game.

[mocker]

Actually no

We take the Christian on-feild cross and we basically remodel it to have 4 men holding an animal on a pole with what ever religious leaders did.
It will have the SAME exact benifits as the Christian cross in the game.

What about raising nidstang?

("nid" is pronounced "need")

Raising a nidstang means to curse someone by sticking a horse's head on a pole of hazel, carved with runes, and pointing towards the subject. The ritual is supposed to summon evil spirits to haunt the cursed one.


Pretty cool, huh?

By the way, the runes are supposed to describe the curse.

Example:

"Nidstang I raise here towards king Eirik and his men.
I turn nid towards the [spirits] that this land is founded upon,
That they may for ever fare astray, and never shall they find rest,
until they have king Eirik and his men driven away from this land!"

[Hengest]

In Arthurian Total War we made our historically based AngloSaxon standard bearers with horse heads and stag heads on poles, with the effect of an eagle (atw is a Rome mod)

These poles were not always used just for cursing, Nidstånger, certainly in pagan AngloSaxon England, but also in pagan Scandinavia they were also used to show off the sacrifice. This was done with many different kinds of animals and proabably even included human sacrifices, many of which were usually hung in trees -probably for ravens and eagles to 'carry the sacrifice or souls of the dead to the gods'

[mocker]

It was a common ritual for a Hersir (a sort of norse captain) to make a blot (sacrifice to the gods of Aasatro) the day before a battle, so we should involve some religious content here.

The norse equivalent of a priest would be a 'gode', I think.

[The Good]

In Barbarian Invasion, Celtic(Gaelic) Generals had horned helmets, which in turn were based on some Gallic helmets. The horned helmet was actually Gallic, not Scandinavian/Germanic. I have seen in a certain history book that it showed a Gallic King or Warlord wearing a horned looking helmet, but the 'horns' were actually made of metal.

[Zbrozlo]

[Beiss]

In Barbarian Invasion, Celtic(Gaelic) Generals had horned helmets, which in turn were based on some Gallic helmets. The horned helmet was actually Gallic, not Scandinavian/Germanic. I have seen in a certain history book that it showed a Gallic King or Warlord wearing a horned looking helmet, but the 'horns' were actually made of metal.

Might have been the same one that I saw. It looked just like something taken out of Diablo II...

[mocker]

Thank you, hollywood!

[Sanskrit_Bandit]

Thank you, hollywood!

haha, hardly. more like the polish film industry

[mocker]

haha, hardly. more like the polish film industry

Even more glamorous so.

A polish friend of mine told me about a polish version of the Shining.

"Heeeeeeere's Pjotr!"

[British Inquistion]

Hey Hross is your display pic from the Jorvik museum?