Wiglaf characters

 get them from North Star

Who are the new Wiglaf characters?

From Dan Mersey, author and owner of Wiglaf Miniatures:

• My mounted Arthur the Many-Faced Hero has a shield displaying the cross he was said to have

carried for three days and three nights at the Battle of Badon. He is a legendary hero wearing an

antique helmet (the Roman Ribchester helmet) that disguises his historical identity or lack

thereof, riding his horse Llamrei, and wielding his sword Caledfwlch. We had some fun with

Arthur, wanting to make him stand out and be a little bit mythical and mystical (read my books!).

• Beowulf the Dragon-Slayer was the most famous hero of early English literature. This model’s

armour makes him usable as a Vendel Culture warlord in addition to being the slayer of mythical

monsters. Historically grounded fantasy inspired our model of this fictional hero.

• The Eponymous Wiglaf is Mark Copplestone’s interpretation of my Wiglaf Miniatures logo

(which is based on one of the Torslunda plates from the Vendel period) and the model is usable

as a Vendel Culture warlord or as Beowulf’s brave companion. As with Beowulf, this model is a

bit of speculative fun for a fictional hero.

• The Harpole Lady was a real person, unlike many characters in this set. I believe this is the first

time she has been represented in miniature. More speculatively this model could represent the

wife of Raedwald, telling him to go forth and protect Edwin. Find out more about the Harpole

Lady here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/.../uk-england-northamptonshire....

• The Chastising Celtic Saint’s crozier is based on the earliest-known Irish examples, and his hair is

our interpretation of the much-debated Celtic tonsure. This model could be one of many fire and

brimstone types from Welsh and Irish literature, and he might well be admonishing Arthur.

• The Hooded Monk can be used as a standard bearer for Christian warlords such as Oswald or

Cadwallon. Wearing the hood up means he can be Roman Church, Celtic Church, or something

far more mysterious. He could carry a standard using the flag-topper cross from PEN07.

• The Welsh-styled Performing Bard cradles a crwth or lyre, and is singing or proclaiming with a

heroic gesture. The lyre is based on the Sutton Hoo reconstruction; at this date, the crwth did

not have a fingerboard and was plucked rather than played with a bow. He could represent

Aneirin, the legendary Taliesin, or any number of lesser performers.

New Wiglaf cavalry

 New Wiglaf cavalry for their Age of Penda range designed by Mark Copplestone. Available from North Star

Coming soon from Wiglaf Miniatures.

Available from Northstar

The 7th Century Welsh will be released soon, opponents to the Wiglaf Miniatures Anglo-Saxons.

Battle to save the Britons from the English

Website

King Arthur by Marco Capparoni.

 

The Early Anglo-Saxon Kings

 The book takes a new look at the archaeological and literary evidence and focuses on the fragmenting Diocese, provincial and civitas structures of post-Roman Britain. It places events in the context of increased Germanic immigration alongside evidence for significant continuation of population and land use. Using evidence from fifth century Gaul it demonstrates dynamic changes to cultural identities both within and across various groups. Covering the migration period it describes the foundation stories of Hengest and Horsa in Kent, Cerdic and Cynric, first kings of the West Saxons and Ælle founder of the kingdom of the South Saxons. Ælle is the first king Bede describes as holding imperium and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle calls Bretwalda. Covering the figures of Ceawlin, Æthelberht and Rædwald it ends with the death of Penda, the last great pagan king. As life under Roman authority faded into history we see the emergence of a ‘warband’ culture and the emergence of petty kingdoms. The mead hall replaced crumbling villas and towns as the center of social life. These halls rang with the poems of bards and the stories of great warriors and battles. Arthur and Urien of Rheged. The famous Mons Badonicus and the doomed charge of the Gododdin at Catraeth. A chapter on weapons, armor, warfare and accounts of contemporary battles will help paint a picture of dark age warfare. From the arrival of Saxon mercenaries in the fifth century to the death of Penda, the last pagan king, at Winwaed in 655.

King Arthur's Country

 England today is a rich, complex mix of identities, cultures, and heritages. However, in the decades after Roman Britain collapsed in the fifth century, the cultures of the Angles and of the Saxons, with significant degrees of homogeneity, spread rapidly westwards across much of eastern, southern and central England.

Then it stopped. Or was stopped. For the area then still beyond Anglo-Saxon reach is characterized by a network of military and economic links across the island. Perhaps significantly, this includes parts of Britain traditionally associated with King Arthur. Later, the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural kingdom of Mercia, in alliance with British kingdoms in Wales, spread from the Midlands across England under the mysterious King Penda, dominating the earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms with its wealth and military power. The region that gave birth to Mercia is also a region that was a most likely base for the elusive figure of King Arthur.

The authors use historical and archaeological evidence, much of it new, to explore the link between Arthur’s kingdom and the rise of Penda’s Mercia. They seek to locate lost Arthurian battlefields and understand what happened there, with exciting, new results. This is the story of one region, two kings and two centuries that changed England forever.

From here

Wiglaf 18mm

 Have you seen the Wiglaf range of 1/100th scale Anglo-Saxon warriors?

They are rather nice, designed by Mark Copplestone for author Dan Mersey. Figure selection here in the photos painted by paint master Steve Dean.

You can buy them here:

https://www.northstarfigures.com/list.php?man=306&page=1

Website