No Bodettes with "big fronts" here. They are wearing protective clothing, mainly chainmail, so the female form would be "suppressed" to a greater degree than protrayed in most "historical" portrayals such as the Vikings series.
Ok, they may well have worn helmets* but to show they are females and not just any Viking bod re-classified as a Shield maiden, I´ve left them helmetless.
Heads from the Alliance Amazons set and bodies from the Zvezda Vikings set.
The Shield pattern is shown on the shields carried by Lagertha and her Shield maidens in the Vikings series, which I´ve used here. It looks like it´s loosely based on the Algiz (Elhaz) rune.
Lagertha´s Shield has the design shown later in the series, two areas coloured in red.
*Ok, Birka, wasn´t buried with a helmet, probably why she ended up with a big cut on her forehead, but it doesn´t mean other Shield maidens didn´t wear them.
Were there Shield maidens? IMHO, yes.
Very good, my Shield maidens all have the Blue and Black symbol.
ReplyDeleteFYI I think its a given that shield maidens fought alongside their men in the Viking period, there are many female bodies found in battlefield burial pits as corroboration.
Thanks
Deletewhen they find a Body of a female with weapons, they say "it´s some sort of power Play, to Show her importance, she is unlikely to have used them" but if it´s a male with weapons, definately a warrior. Some even tried to excuse her (birka) having weapons by saying "Children and cripples were buried with weaponary" but forgot to add, the weapons they were buried with were too large, old (at the time) or broken.
Women Fighting alongside and the same way as the men!!? How could that possibly be!? :-)
Really great job Paul, certainly not ladies you would want to upset.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea using the amazon heads
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, very nicely realised.... (Note to self: I do NOT need shield maidens. Repeat.. I do NOT need shield maidens..... Like THAT's going to work...)
ReplyDelete