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Post by deuce on Apr 28, 2016 0:52:52 GMT -5
Robert E. Howard wrote about the mighty Gundermen and Gunderland numerous times. Let's get started with The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Del Rey)... There was a bold-eyed Brythunian wench, sitting on the knee of a tawny-haired Gunderman—a wandering mercenary soldier, a deserter from some defeated army. (TTotE)
They were men of many races and many crimes. There were tall Hyperboreans, gaunt, big-boned, of slow speech and violent natures; tawny-haired Gundermen from the hills of the northwest (...) (BC)
The Maze, a tangle of muddy winding alleys and sordid dens, frequented by the boldest thieves in the kingdom. Daring above all were a Gunderman deserter from the mercenaries and a barbaric Cimmerian. Because of the priest of Anu, the Gunderman was taken and hanged in the market-square. (RitH)
[Aquilonia's] most important provinces were Poitain in the south, Gunderland in the north, and Attalus in the southeast. The Aquilonians were a tall race, averaging five feet, ten and three fourths inches in height, and were generally inclined to be rangy, though in the last generations the city dwellers inclined toward portliness. They varied in complection largely according to locality. Thus the people of Gunderland were uniformly tawny-haired and grey eyed, while the people of Poitain were almost as uniformly dark as their neighbors, the Zingarans. All were inclined to be dolichocephalic (...) Their pikemen and spearmen were mainly Gundermen (...)
Gundermen. Gunderland was once a separate kingdom, but was brought into the larger kingdom, less by conquest than agreement. Its people never considered themselves exactly Aquilonians, and after the fall of the great kingdom, Gunderland existed for several generations in its former state as a separate principality. Their ways were ruder and more primitively Hyborian than those of the Aquilonians, their main concession to the ways of their more civilized southern neighbors being the adoption of the god Mitra in place of the primitive Bori—a worship to which they returned, however, upon the fall of Aquilonia. They were, next to the Hyperboreans, the tallest of the Hyborian races. They were fine soldiers, and inclined to wander far. Gunderland mercenaries were to be found in all the armies of the Hyborian kingdoms, and in Zamora and the more powerful kingdoms of Shem. ("Notes on Various Peoples")
Only in the province of Gunderland, where the people keep no slaves, is the pure Hyborian stock found unblemished.
The world at that time [after the fall of Aquilonia] presents some such picture: a vast Pictish empire, wild, rude and barbaric, stretches from the coasts of Vanaheim in the north to the southern-most shores of Zingara. It stretches east to include all Aquilonia except Gunderland, the northern-most province, which, as a separate kingdom in the hills, survived the fall of the empire, and still maintains its independence. (...) Driven before the onrushing tides of Nordic invasion, the Cimmerians were on the march, and neither army nor city stood before them. They surged across and completely destroyed the kingdom of Gunderland (...) ("The Hyborian Age")
A squad of Zamorian soldiers, led by the officer Nestor, a Gunderman mercenary, were marching down a narrow gorge, in pursuit of a thief, Conan the Cimmerian, whose thefts from rich merchants and nobles had infuriated the government, of the nearest Zamorian city. Conan had left the city and been followed into the mountains. The walls of the gorge were steep and the gorge-floor grown thickly with high rich grass. Striding through this grass at the head of his men, Nestor tripped over something and fell heavily. It was a rawhide rope stretched there by Conan, and it tripped a spring-pole which started a sudden avalanche that overwhelmed all the soldiers except Nestor, who escaped, bruised, and with his armor scratched and dinted. Enraged, he followed the trail alone, and emerging into an upland plateau, came into the deserted city of the ancients, where he met Conan. He instantly attacked the Cimmerian, who, after a desperate battle, knocked him senseless with a sword-stroke on his helmet, and went on into the deserted city, thinking him dead. Nestor recovered and followed the Cimmerian. Conan, meanwhile, had entered the city, clambering over the walls, the gates being locked, and had encountered the monstrous being which haunted the city. This he slew by casting great blocks of stone upon it from an elevation, and then descending and hacking it to pieces with his sword. He had made his way to the great palace which was hewn out of a single monstrous hill of stone in the center of the city. He was seeking an entrance, when Nestor came upon him again, sword in hand, having followed him over the wall. ("The Nestor Synopsis")
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Post by deuce on Apr 28, 2016 1:06:40 GMT -5
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Post by trescuinge on May 1, 2016 16:33:09 GMT -5
Deuce, the Scots may well be an inspiration for the Gundermen. Some excerpts from Hour of the Dragon: "The pikemen were drawn up in a compact wedge-shaped formation at the narrow head of the valley. There were nineteen thousand of them, mostly Gundermen, though some four thousand were Aquilonians of the other provinces. They were flanked on either hand by five thousand Bossonian archers. Behind the ranks of the pikemen the knights sat, their steeds motionless, lances raised" "The bowmen began loosing as they advanced, without breaking ranks, launching their quarrels with a whir and tang. But the bolts fell short or rattled harmlessly from the overlapping shields of the Gundermen." "On came the knights, with waving plumes and dipping lances. Through a whistling cloud of arrows they plowed to break like a thundering wave on the bristling wall of spears and shields. Axes rose and fell above the plumed helmets, spears thrust upward, bringing down horses and riders. The pride of the Gundermen was no less fierce than that of the knights. They were not spear-fodder, to be sacrificed for the glory of better men. They were the finest infantry in the world, with a tradition that made their morale unshakable. The kings of Aquilonia had long learned the worth of unbreakable infantry. They held their formation unshaken; over their gleaming ranks flowed the great lion banner, and at the tip of the wedge a giant figure in black armor roared and smote like a hurricane, with a dripping ax that split steel and bone alike." A description of the Scots schiltron from the Chronicle of John of Trokelow: "They were all on foot; picked men they were, enthusiastic, armed with keen axes, and other weapons, and with their shields closely locked in front of them, they formed an impenetrable phalanx ..." www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Bannockburn_1000449542/101
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Post by deuce on May 5, 2016 0:27:21 GMT -5
Deuce, the Scots may well be an inspiration for the Gundermen. Some excerpts from Hour of the Dragon: "The pikemen were drawn up in a compact wedge-shaped formation at the narrow head of the valley. There were nineteen thousand of them, mostly Gundermen, though some four thousand were Aquilonians of the other provinces. They were flanked on either hand by five thousand Bossonian archers. Behind the ranks of the pikemen the knights sat, their steeds motionless, lances raised" "The bowmen began loosing as they advanced, without breaking ranks, launching their quarrels with a whir and tang. But the bolts fell short or rattled harmlessly from the overlapping shields of the Gundermen." "On came the knights, with waving plumes and dipping lances. Through a whistling cloud of arrows they plowed to break like a thundering wave on the bristling wall of spears and shields. Axes rose and fell above the plumed helmets, spears thrust upward, bringing down horses and riders. The pride of the Gundermen was no less fierce than that of the knights. They were not spear-fodder, to be sacrificed for the glory of better men. They were the finest infantry in the world, with a tradition that made their morale unshakable. The kings of Aquilonia had long learned the worth of unbreakable infantry. They held their formation unshaken; over their gleaming ranks flowed the great lion banner, and at the tip of the wedge a giant figure in black armor roared and smote like a hurricane, with a dripping ax that split steel and bone alike." A description of the Scots schiltron from the Chronicle of John of Trokelow: "They were all on foot; picked men they were, enthusiastic, armed with keen axes, and other weapons, and with their shields closely locked in front of them, they formed an impenetrable phalanx ..." www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Bannockburn_1000449542/101Right on, Tre. We know that REH was a Scotophile as a boy. We also know that he never mentioned the Swiss pikemen in his stories or letters. The inspiration seems clear.
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Post by deuce on May 14, 2016 11:32:50 GMT -5
Deuce, the Scots may well be an inspiration for the Gundermen. Some excerpts from Hour of the Dragon: "The pikemen were drawn up in a compact wedge-shaped formation at the narrow head of the valley. There were nineteen thousand of them, mostly Gundermen, though some four thousand were Aquilonians of the other provinces. They were flanked on either hand by five thousand Bossonian archers. Behind the ranks of the pikemen the knights sat, their steeds motionless, lances raised" "The bowmen began loosing as they advanced, without breaking ranks, launching their quarrels with a whir and tang. But the bolts fell short or rattled harmlessly from the overlapping shields of the Gundermen." "On came the knights, with waving plumes and dipping lances. Through a whistling cloud of arrows they plowed to break like a thundering wave on the bristling wall of spears and shields. Axes rose and fell above the plumed helmets, spears thrust upward, bringing down horses and riders. The pride of the Gundermen was no less fierce than that of the knights. They were not spear-fodder, to be sacrificed for the glory of better men. They were the finest infantry in the world, with a tradition that made their morale unshakable. The kings of Aquilonia had long learned the worth of unbreakable infantry. They held their formation unshaken; over their gleaming ranks flowed the great lion banner, and at the tip of the wedge a giant figure in black armor roared and smote like a hurricane, with a dripping ax that split steel and bone alike." A description of the Scots schiltron from the Chronicle of John of Trokelow: "They were all on foot; picked men they were, enthusiastic, armed with keen axes, and other weapons, and with their shields closely locked in front of them, they formed an impenetrable phalanx ..." www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Bannockburn_1000449542/101Right on, Tre. We know that REH was a Scotophile as a boy. We also know that he never mentioned the Swiss pikemen in his stories or letters. The inspiration seems clear. Afterthought... That particular example you linked is especially good, Tre. Bannockburn was published in 1914, when REH was 8yrs old. It's just possible that Bob read a copy. We know he was a Sir Walter Scott fan from boyhood and considered Robert the Bruce to be one of the great heroes of history. The Gundermen form up in a "wedge-shaped" formation. A "phalanx", used loosely in the example above, is "wedge-shaped". The overall armament of the Gundermen is almost exactly the same.
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Post by trescuinge on Sept 23, 2016 16:21:17 GMT -5
How to form a Scottish schiltron:
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Post by deuce on Sept 30, 2016 11:43:05 GMT -5
Angus McBride. Drawn from a slightly different culture, but this, looks-wise, would fit (considering the data REH has given us) the parameters of a Gunderland noble and his retainers, IMO. The Gundermen were mercenaries and bodyguards as well, after all. They weren't in a schiltron/phalanx all the time.
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Post by deuce on Sept 30, 2016 23:07:42 GMT -5
Well, let's move on to The Bloody Crown of Conan (Del Rey). Basically, the only "Gunderish" content is in The Hour of the Dragon. Much of that shines little light on the Gundermen or Gunderland, so I've only included a sampling of it, plus the cool stuff in the final battle. I also apologise for the weird formatting. Any suggestions would be great.
The Aquilonian host was drawn up, long serried lines of pikemen and horsemen in gleaming
steel, when a giant figure in black armor emerged from the royal pavilion, and as he swung up into the saddle of the black stallion held by four squires, a roar that shook the mountains went up from the host. They shook their blades and thundered forth their acclaim of their warrior king – knights in gold-chased armor, pikemen in mail coats and basinets... (p.95) *Note: REH never makes clear if the "pikemen" are Gundermen. One could make an argument either way. “Gunderland in the north and Poitain in the south are yet unconquered, and there are unsubdued provinces in the west, where the border barons have the backing of the Bossonian bowmen." (p.139) “But an uprising in the central provinces would tip the scales for us!” exclaimed Conan. “We could seize Tarantia and hold it against Amalric until the Gundermen and Poitanians could get here.” (p.140) With the news of the invasion from the south there also came word, brought by hard-riding couriers, that a host of Gundermen was moving southward, reinforced by the barons of the northwest and the northern Bossonians. Tarascus marched with thirty-one thousand men to Galparan, on the river Shirki, which the Gundermen must cross to strike at the towns still held by the Nemedians. The Shirki was a swift, turbulent river rushing southwestward through rocky gorges and canyons, and there were few places where an army could cross at that time of the year, when the stream was almost bank-full with the melting of the snows. All the country east of the Shirki was in the hands of the Nemedians, and it was logical to assume that the Gundermen would attempt to cross either at Galparan, or at Tanasul, which lay to the south of Galparan. (p.221) All that Amalric knew certainly was that a large force of Gundermen and northern Bossonians was somewhere to the north of him, beyond the Shirki, and that Conan with a smaller force of Poitanians and southernBossonians was somewhere to the southwest of him. He began to grow fearful that if he and Valerius advanced farther into the wild country, Conan might elude them entirely, march around them and invade the central provinces behind them.Amalric fell back from the Shirki valley and camped in a plain a day’s ride from Tanasul.There he waited. Tarascus maintained his position at Galparan, for he feared that Conan’smaneuvers were intended to draw him southward, and so let the Gundermen into the kingdomat the northern crossing. (p.222)An army of thirty thousand Gundermen and northern Bossonians is pushingsouthward to join him. (p.222)The host that had joined him, marching down from Gunderland, had not been composed exclusively of spearmen. With them had come seven thousand Bossonian archers, and four thousand barons and their retainers of the north and west, swelling the ranks of his cavalry.The pikemen were drawn up in a compact wedge-shaped formation at the narrow head of thevalley. There were nineteen thousand of them, mostly Gundermen, though some four thousandwere Aquilonians of the other provinces. (p.232)The bowmen began loosing as they advanced, without breaking ranks, launching their quarrelswith a whir and tang. But the bolts fell short or rattled harmlessly from the overlapping shieldsof the Gundermen. (p.233)On came the knights, with waving plumes and dipping lances. Through a whistling cloudof arrows they plowed to break like a thundering wave on the bristling wall of spears andshields. Axes rose and fell above the plumed helmets, spears thrust upward, bringing downhorses and riders. The pride of the Gundermen was no less fierce than that of the knights. Theywere not spear-fodder, to be sacrificed for the glory of better men. They were the finestinfantry in the world, with a tradition that made their morale unshakable. The kings ofAquilonia had long learned the worth of unbreakable infantry. They held their formationunshaken; over their gleaming ranks flowed the great lion banner, and at the tip of the wedge agiant figure in black armor roared and smote like a hurricane, with a dripping ax that split steeland bone alike. (p.234)Slowly, stubbornly, sullenly, the grim knights fell back, counting their empty saddles. Above them the Gundermen made no outcry of triumph. They closed their ranks, locking up the gaps made by the fallen. Sweat ran into theireyes from under their steel caps. They gripped their spears and waited, their fierce heartsswelling with pride that a king should fight on foot with them. (p.234)Out of the narrow gorge of the upper valley, behind the Poitanians, a horsemancame flying, whirling something about his head that flashed in the sun. Recklessly he hurtleddown the slopes, through the ranks of the Gundermen, who sent up a deep-throated roar andclashed their spears and shields like thunder in the hills. (p.236)The ranks of the Gundermen rolled back to right and left like a parting curtain. And with a thunder like the rising roar of a hurricane, the knights of Aquilonia crashed down the slopes. (p.238)Bossonians and Gundermen were swarming through the camp of their enemies, tearing the tents to pieces in search of plunder, seizing prisoners, ripping open the baggage and upsetting the wagons. (p.240)*Note: In "Notes on The Hour of the Dragon" (p.316-317) the Gundermen are mentioned numerous times, but all that is related is their location and speed as they march to the Battle of Shirki.
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Post by deuce on Oct 2, 2016 18:14:45 GMT -5
REH's 1936 map. It is the final one he made, as far as it is known. It is also the only REH map to show the location of Gunderland.
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Post by deuce on Oct 10, 2016 11:24:46 GMT -5
On came the knights, with waving plumes and dipping lances. Through a whistling cloud of arrows they plowed to break like a thundering wave on the bristling wall of [Gunderish] spears and shields. Axes rose and fell above the plumed helmets, spears thrust upward, bringing down horses and riders. The pride of the Gundermen was no less fierce than that of the knights. They were not spear-fodder, to be sacrificed for the glory of better men. They were the finest infantry in the world, with a tradition that made their morale unshakable.While I still firmly believe REH's Gundermen were mostly based on late medieval Lowland Scots, when it comes to looks and minor influences (just as with the Danes in an earlier post), I think casting the net further abroad doesn't hurt. The Gaelic galloglass/ gallaglach would seem to be a good place to look. Their name means "foreign warrior/mercenary" in Gaelic and they served the Gaelic aristocracy as mercs and bodyguards, eventually becoming a warrior caste in Ireland. REH included them in his Spears of Clontarf and Shakespeare (one of REH's favorite authors) mentions them in Macbeth. Like the Gundermen, the galloglasses were considered the best heavy infantry of their time. Their attendant kerns used spears and axes, while they tended to favor two-handed swords. There was also a Scottish/Norse strain in their background, which tends to pull them toward a Lowland Scot/Gunderman linkage. I could see some Gunderish mercs and bodyguards looking roughly like galloglasses.
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Post by deuce on Oct 16, 2016 21:08:16 GMT -5
Well, let's move on to The Bloody Crown of Conan (Del Rey). Basically, the only "Gunderish" content is in The Hour of the Dragon. Much of that shines little light on the Gundermen or Gunderland, so I've only included a sampling of it, plus the cool stuff in the final battle. I also apologise for the weird formatting. Any suggestions would be great.
The Aquilonian host was drawn up, long serried lines of pikemen and horsemen in gleaming
steel, when a giant figure in black armor emerged from the royal pavilion, and as he swung up into the saddle of the black stallion held by four squires, a roar that shook the mountains went up from the host. They shook their blades and thundered forth their acclaim of their warrior king – knights in gold-chased armor, pikemen in mail coats and basinets... (p.95) *Note: REH never makes clear if the "pikemen" are Gundermen. One could make an argument either way. “Gunderland in the north and Poitain in the south are yet unconquered, and there are unsubdued provinces in the west, where the border barons have the backing of the Bossonian bowmen." (p.139) “But an uprising in the central provinces would tip the scales for us!” exclaimed Conan. “We could seize Tarantia and hold it against Amalric until the Gundermen and Poitanians could get here.” (p.140) Thinking some more on the issue, I'd have to say the "pikemen" in the first quote were levies from somewhere other than Gunderland. They're never identified as such and one would think REH would've singled them out, possibly mentioning them doing a fighting retreat or last stand. They were the finest heavy infantry in the world, after all. That raises the question: Why weren't they there? IMO, probably because the mobilization was too sudden, but it's possible they dragged their feet. Conan was born a Cimmerian, after all. Gundermen have long memories.
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Post by deuce on Mar 30, 2017 11:33:14 GMT -5
This painting by Dean Morrissey could easily depict a Gunderish noble. It is well within the parameters that REH gave us.
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Post by ragnar on Mar 31, 2017 5:16:05 GMT -5
Love the painting.
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Post by deuce on Mar 10, 2018 14:34:39 GMT -5
Gundermen takin' care of business...
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