Under the raven banner

I've been quite busy with work lately, but I finally managed to get some new stuff painted: a Viking leader, 4 hearthguard and 8 bondi.

The leader is called Vorn the Short. The epithet refers to Vorn's short temper rather than his stature. The name is ancient Norse for "defence", but my inspiration comes from the Karelian/Finnish folk hero Vorna. According to legend Vorna was a Karelian hero who led devastating war parties against the Finns and the Russians. He is described as a dark, long-haired giant, who wore a coat of mail and who was invincible in combat. Vorna was finally cornered by his enemies after he arrogantly stopped to wash the enemy's blood in a sauna. Vorna attempted to escape by throwing ash in his enemies' eyes, but was shot in the heel by a mere boy (similar to Achilles). It is said that had Vorna had his armour on he could not have been defeated.

Vorn the Short with his retainers

Four hearthguard

Better view of the shields

Eight bondi

Better view of the shields

These guys will be seeing action soon, as in a few weeks we will be starting a Saga campaign at our club.