http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046 Comics, Irish mythology and comics about Irish mythology Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:40:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046&cpage=1#comment-18611 paddybrown Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:58:27 +0000 http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046#comment-18611 On the other hand, my board is a kind of La Tene version of the <a href="http://www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/VirtualExhibits/Vikings/Tafl/Ballinderry/index.html" rel="nofollow">Ballinderry board</a>, which is very likely a Hnefatafl board. My ad-hoc reasoning is that, as well as fidchell, other board games like buanfach and brandub are mentioned in the sagas; I'll say one of them is a variant of Hnefatafl, and all three games can be played on the same board. On the other hand, my board is a kind of La Tene version of the Ballinderry board, which is very likely a Hnefatafl board. My ad-hoc reasoning is that, as well as fidchell, other board games like buanfach and brandub are mentioned in the sagas; I’ll say one of them is a variant of Hnefatafl, and all three games can be played on the same board.

]]> http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046&cpage=1#comment-18608 Robert W. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:16:49 +0000 http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046#comment-18608 Oh, I see. Didn't notice the difference between the Hnefatafl and the Fidchell board. Reading the reconstructed rules by Uilliam mac Eoin your version makes sense. Oh, I see. Didn’t notice the difference between the Hnefatafl and the Fidchell board. Reading the reconstructed rules by Uilliam mac Eoin your version makes sense.

]]> http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046&cpage=1#comment-18591 paddybrown Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:38:15 +0000 http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046#comment-18591 From my research, some (like <a href="http://www.unicorngarden.com/eigse/eigse01.htm" rel="nofollow">Eoin Mac White</a>) think fidchell was like Hnefatafl with a king trying to break out of a siege, but others (eg <a href="http://keithwatt.org/fidchell/" rel="nofollow">Uilliam mac Eoin</a>) think it was a battle game where the object was to take all your opponent's pieces. I've gone for the second option for story reasons - because in this scene the king is not the one on the defensive. From my research, some (like Eoin Mac White) think fidchell was like Hnefatafl with a king trying to break out of a siege, but others (eg Uilliam mac Eoin) think it was a battle game where the object was to take all your opponent’s pieces. I’ve gone for the second option for story reasons – because in this scene the king is not the one on the defensive.

]]> http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046&cpage=1#comment-18581 Robert W. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:28:50 +0000 http://paddybrown.co.uk/?p=2046#comment-18581 I agree with you that probably Fidchell was similar to what the vikings called Hnefatafl, but I think the point was that the king in the middle is trying to break out from a siege and reach the corners (This makes a lot of sense in the storyline too, "It is not right that death should take this sweet slight king on the coppery point the handsomer on this mad board"). I agree with you that probably Fidchell was similar to what the vikings called Hnefatafl, but I think the point was that the king in the middle is trying to break out from a siege and reach the corners (This makes a lot of sense in the storyline too, “It is not right that death should take this sweet slight king on the coppery point the handsomer on this mad board”).

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