Wednesday 8 July 2020

Anglo Saxon Huscarls with Axes - Tumbling Dice

Set AS1. 8 bods in 7 poses and 8 kite shields.
These are "Late" Anglo Saxon shields,  carried by the great majority of the figures representing the "English" as shown in the Bayeux Tapestry.*
As they are the leaders personal Body Guard and elite soldiers I´ve painted them as a "uniform" bunch.
Close ups
The two on the right are the repeat pose. The axe head is in the original position on the bod on the far right.
Rear view

 *  "Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England"    under the titel "Arms and Armour"(2nd edition available as PDF - pages 69 onwards)
and N.P.Brooks "Weapons and Armour"  in the "Battle of Maldon AD 991"
The only description of the colours of Anglo Saxon shields  is from Beowulf which tells of the shields as being "bright" and "Yellow".
Yellow? Plain wood ? Saxon shields are described in English Poetry as being made of lime wood (yellowish) and a range of shields using different wood types have been found. None though showing signs of being painted.

Usefull pdf on Viking /Saxon / Norman Shields HERE.

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