The Viking Great Army Reproduction Hnefatafl Set

Play Hnefatafl like a member of the Viking Great Army!

When the Viking Great Army invaded England in the middle of the 9th Century CE, they marched across the country laying waste to the kingdoms that made up England at that time. This army made its first winter camp at Thetford in 865, and from this point it was clear that the army was here to stay. Over the following years they stopped and camped for the winter at various places, including Torksey, Repton, and Aldwark near York.

During these winters in the 9th century, the Great Army camps were a hive of activity, with metalworkers dividing and transforming the loot they had captured into new forms like silver ingots and jewellery, but the warriors were clearly in need of something to do, to while away the winter hours. It is now clear that they definitely played Hnefatafl.

At some point in the Great Army’s campaign the metalworkers obtained a significant quantity of lead, melted it down, and moulded gaming pieces that were used to play Hnefatafl. These pieces have been found by archaeologists and metal detectorists, and are now being used to identify Great Army camps. So these are the pieces that we have reconstructed and included with this edition of the game.

Obviously we have used lead free pewter in place of the lead used to make the original pieces as we now know that handling lead is not safe. We have also included a printed linen board, so that you can get playing straight away, a bag to keep your pieces in, and an A4 sheet of rules. The board has been decorated with design styles and motifs that were common in the ninth century.

Hand made by us in Scotland.