HENGIST AND HORSA

I painted up these two guys as special characters that I will use for my early Dark Age skirmishes, Hengist and Horsa were a couple of Legendary Saxon figures, it is said that these two guys originally served as mercenaries to the then High King of the Romano - British, Vortigern, they were hired to help stem the incursions of the Picts in the north who were sailing down the east coast and raiding the british from the south, and the Irish in the west, who were sailing across and raiding the north western british coast, in return, the british payed the Saxons and allowed the Saxon / Jutish forces to settle the Isle of Thanet and what is now known as the area of Kent. 

It was not long before trouble broke out between the Brits and the Saxons, the Saxons claiming that the Brits were not keeping to the original deal, and the Brits claiming the Saxons wanted to much of their land, in an effort to keep the Peace Hengist offered his daughter in marriage to the High king of the British, but during a peace meeting (everyone was meant to be unarmed) the Saxons butchered most of the British cheiftains, these events are now seen as marking the start of the Anglo Saxon invasion of Britian.   

Miniatures are 15mm SLM Anglo Saxon cavalry and the shields are 15mm  LBMS shield transfers.