[MR] NMS: Lewis Chessmen

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, especially Vikings, and maybe Scots too,

A slow news day in history sent me casting about for something interesting
to post. While further exploring the National Museum of Scotland web sites,
I returned to the page on the Lewis Chessmen. Aye, a fitting topic to share.

These figures were found in the 19th century on the Isle of Lewis in the
Hebrides. They are Viking work, carved from walrus ivory, and probably date
from the late 12th or early 13th C. Some are obviously chess pieces, while
others may have been for the similar game *hnefatafl.*

The National Museum of Scotland holds 11 of the the 92 pieces from the
hoard (the rest are in the British Museum, and they are delightful
sculptures indeed. They exhibit a sense of whimsy, with bulging eyes,
worried gestures (that "oy vey" pose), a ponys with hair over his eyes, and
of course, the berserker chewing his shield (my favorite). They are a
reminder that our ancestors, even hoary Vikings, had a sense of humor,
something usually not conveyed in artifacts.

Enjoy the Lewis Chessmen at
https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/lewis-chessmen/

A photo and information about the Lewis Chessmen held in the British Museum
can be seen at
https://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/news_and_press/statements/the_lewis_chessmen.aspx

Wikipedia also offers a page about the entire hoard at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_chessmen . The Wikipedia article
mentions traces of red paint on some pieces, which is probably how the two
sides in a game were differentiated. [I was wondering about this.]

Information about the game *hnefatafl* is found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tafl_games

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆