Hreidgotaland

Finally I come to talk about the reason why I named this blog Hreidgotaland. Well, one of the reasons was that the domain name was still available. ^^

The true reason is that I have always been fascinated by the cultural heritage of Northern Europe. According to Wikipedia, the Hreidgoths came from either Scandinavia or Eastern Europe depending on the source you trust. Either way, the Goths played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire, the Migration Period, and Medieval Europe. Put simply, the Hreidgoths lived in a time where one could take nothing for granted and the history of Europe was to change forever.

In this mess where various tribes forced each other to move onward and resettle again, Hreidgotaland bears the meaning of "bird's nest", but it can also mean "journey". If you are familiar with the lore of the Trollbloods in Hordes and the development pressure on their tribes from a world that is about to leave the Medieval and enter the Modern Period, I think you can see the parallels and the reason why I think Hreidgotaland is a fitting name for this blog.

Another reason is Rök, the winter Troll. Rök in Swedish bears the meaning of "smoke", so the Privateer Press designers clearly had a certain set of lore in their head when they designed this miniature. Trolls are very important in Norse Mythology.

Last but not least I also really got to love Pagan Metal, a type of music that mostly refers back to Northern Mythology and the Migration Period, too. Pagan Metal even knows a band called Finntroll and even by hearing their name you get an idea what they are about. The cultural clash between Christianity and the pagan roots of local tribes are part of their music, too. Now why does this remind me of Cygnar and the Trollblood tribes?

Games Workshop's Jervis Johnson loves to talk about archetypes in his monthly article and how it influences their design of miniatures. Well, the Trollbloods in Hordes are clearly based on archetypes, too, and it's the reason why they nicely blend together with things that don't seem to be related at all on a first look. Once you look closer, you open the door to an exciting new realm of history and lore.