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October 23, 2008
| 28mm Beowulf and retinue | The poem Beowulf is one of the great, indeed one of the few, surviving epics of Anglo-Saxon literature and tells the story of Beowulf, a Geat noble, who sails with his retinue of companions (thegn) to the land of the Scyldings (Danes), and the mead hall of King Hrothgar. Here he battles and defeats Grendel, a fen monster, who has been terrorising Hrothgar and his followers for years. Having disposed of one supernatural foe Beowulf is then obliged to face another, Grendel’s bereaved mother, in deadly combat. He wins – just – and returns to his homeland a hero, eventually to be crowned King of the Geats. Later in life Beowulf takes up his sword again, this time to protect his own people from a fire breathing dragon. He slays the dragon, but dies from his injuries, and the poem ends with a hero’s funeral.
The date of the poem’s authorship is still debated by scholars, but the personalities and places the story portrays are broadly agreed to fit a historical and archaeological framework of around the late fifth and early six centuries (J. R. R. Tolkien dated the story to 520AD), while the location for the tale centres on southern Sweden and the islands of what is now Denmark.
We wanted to represent Beowulf in something close to his correct historical context – with perhaps a few nods to popular modern interpretations of the story, so designer Alan Marsh has provided these figures with an authentic mixture of Dark Age dress, weapons and armour, together with a few ‘external influences’ from the eastern Baltic, Europe, and even the mysterious East! As such, these miniatures should fit seamlessly into any Early Saxon or Early Norse army, and add lots of character to your Dark Age Lord’s personal retinue.
Here are the catalogue details for the new miniatures -
NEW 28mm Beowulf and retinue Sculpted by Alan Marsh Number in parenthesis denotes the number of variants. Variants are supplied randomly
100DAK04 Beowulf, and retinue – 15 figure set
100DAK06 Beowulf, the Geat (1) 100DAK07 Geat thegn, bareheaded, with shield – Beowulf’s right-hand man (1) 100DAK08 Geat thegn, crested helm, shield and sword (1) 100DAK09 Geat Musician, with boar’s head trumpet (1) 100DAK10 Geat Standard bearer, with draco standard (1) 100DAK11 Geat thegn – bare-chested strongman (1) 100DAK12 Germanic companion, with axe (1) 100DAK13 Eastern companion: ‘The thirteenth warrior’? (1) 100DAK14 Geat thegn, great iron bound shield and spear (1) 100DAK15 Frankish companion, spear, shield, and Francisca axe tucked in belt (1) 100DAK16 Geat thegn, scale armour, spear and shield (1) 100DAK17 Beowulf’s bodyguard 1: Scandinavian helmet, leg guards, spear, shield (1) 100DAK18 Beowulf’s bodyguard 2: Scandinavian helmet, spear, shield slung across back (1) 100DAK19 Geat thegn, spear, no shield, and mail coat worn under his tunic (1) 100DAK20 Geat thegn, Late Roman cavalry helmet, spear and shield (1)
Click here to see detailed pictures of Beowulf and his retinue, or to place an order.
Click here to see more colour pictures of this range.
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