Fate Is Everything
For the Myth round I wanted to try to show the Viking idea of fate. A warlord seizes his moment, staking his life and success on a wild charge into the enemy ranks, while his follower does his best to shield him. The warlord is perhaps aware that one of the Norns is urging him to meet his destiny. She hold her shears, but is she ready to sever the thread of his life, or that of his enemy?
The main inspiration for this vignette was the 'Warlord' series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. In the novels, the hero Uhtred often reflects on fate, and acts knowing that only the Norns can forsee the consequences of his actions.
The Viking figures are from Artizan, the Norn is from Northstar. This was my first attempt at painting in grey scale. I wanted to indicate that the Norn was not physically present, so drew on the wonderful inspiration of some of the grey scale figures that appeared in the Challenge last year to try to show a distinction between her and the warriors.
This little vignette is really a warlord base for SAGA. Often the game comes down to a heroic clash between rival warlords, where the dice gods, or perhaps Norns, bring joy or disappointment. It seems pretty appropriate that the mythic beliefs of modern wargamers about their fickle dice should evoke the belief in the Norns overseeing the destinies of men.
Great work and a really cool take on the theme
ReplyDeleteNicely done, a great idea for the myth round.
ReplyDeleteNow THAT'S mythic - a highly original entry and one which really delves into the interaction between man and the otherworld, which is what Myth is all about, really! Well done!
ReplyDeleteUhtred would be proud of this. I can almost hear him thinking of the Norns twisting his fate. Very cool idea. Great submission. Cheers
ReplyDeleteThat's a clever idea, well done Sir.
ReplyDeleteVery clever indeed and spot on for the theme.
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