The allies and subject tribes of the Huns

[CarlL]

Having recently completed painting a 25mm Hun army, I thought I would paint up some allies and subjects for them. I realise its a big question in sense that the Huns made an impact (in Europe) well before meeting and invading Roman territory, and it is the period from their clashes with the Goths till Atilla's death that I am 'focusing' on.

Having painted 15mm Goths before (when armed with Roy Boss's book on Justinian's Wars) I felt I had a 'handle' on what I wanted from my 25mm Goth allies / subjects.
 
The mysterious Gepids and Heruls / Herulii are another matter.

I recently bought the 2 volume "The Goths" by Michael Fredholm von Essen (SoA publications) and the first volume threw some light on the Herul warriors (see for example illustration on page 15 in plate C, of a bare torso, red dyed hair Herul with small round shield and spear) while the same chapter describes the Gepids as "a nation culturally close to the Goths" (page 14). 

It appears these two 'nations' could be Germanic and 'Baltic' in their cultural and material ties.

So this left me wondering if I should use early Goth (as opposed to later Visigoth Spanish kingdom) style figures for cavalry and infantry in my Gepids, with a mix of early to later Germanic figures?
As for the Herul cavalry should I use a similar mix of figures as for Gepid cavalry, (eg Goth and Germanic)?

Then of course there are questions of colours, but given the Celtic culture used lots of natural dyes then I assume these 'technologies' and knowledge would still be in use in later eastern and northern Europe.

Anyone like to throw in their knowledge or pointers to other sources? All advice much welcomed.
CarlL
 

[Duncan Head]

Donnington do a 15mm Herul in the Romano-Byzantine section of their "Originals" range. He's wearing a crossover-fronted padded coat in the style seen in some Vendel art - based on the interpretations in Roy Boss's Montvert book on the Armies of Justinian, based on turn on the somewhat vague description in Procopius.

Archaeology suggests that the Gepids were quite similar to their Lombard neighbours, except that they wore their knives on the opposite side of their belts. And they mocked the Lombards' white leg-wrappings - the Gepids wore proper trousers instead!

[CarlL]

Having spent some time opening boxes of painted and unpainted 25mm, I could probably field 'look alike' Gepids and Heruls, mounted and foot, from my Germanic boxes, mind I also have some unpainted Citadel 25mm that would make good Gepid and Herul cavalry once painted and possibly given bigger horse models. Tempting...

I did fancy painting up some Herul foot warriors, a la Michael Fredholm von Essen illustration, but DBMM (list II/80) only allows four Ps elements, (half bow half javelin armed) so not as exciting as I had hoped!

CarlL

[aligern]

What has to be dealt with referring to Heruls is Jordanes statement that theey are light armed. Top of my head I think they are in a contrasting couplet with heavy armed Sarmatians. There is another mention of this in another source.  In Paul the Deacon the Heruls fight the Lombards whilst the Herul king Rodolf awaits the result. Rodolf when his men get beaten.  Now I would see this as a linear battle, so the Heruls are not just skirmishers. They may be more like the good old LHI , but quite fierce ones as there slaves can gain freedom by fighting bravely which again sirt of fits with them fighting hand to hand.

I now see the Heruls as being very retro, fighting like ancient Germans. Thus they a bare chested and wear short cloaks. So, Karl, I suggest the Heruls are High factor LHI , or even good line infantry.
And Gepids are breakaway Goths!
Roy

[Duncan Head]

What has to be dealt with referring to Heruls is Jordanes statement that theey are light armed. Top of my head I think they are in a contrasting couplet with heavy armed Sarmatians.

Jordanes XXIII:

Now the aforesaid race, as the historian Ablabius tells us, dwelt near Lake Maeotis in swampy places which the Greeks call helé; hence they were named Heluri. They were a people swift of foot, and on that account were the more swollen with pride, for there was at that time no race that did not choose from them its light-armed troops for battle. But though their quickness often saved them from others who made war upon them, yet they were overthrown by the slowness and steadiness of the Goths;

Jordanes L:

And so the bravest nations tore themselves to pieces. For then, I think, must have occurred a most remarkable spectacle, where one might see ... the Alani drawing up a battle-line of heavy-armed and the Heruli of light-armed warriors.

[CarlL]

Duncan and Roy,

This issue (ie are the Herul infantry closely drawn up warriors willing to go toe to toe with any enemy, or skirmishers, fleet of foot but quick to get away, so avoiding close combat) reminds me of the previous debate about the Berber infantry used by the Arabs to conquer Visigoth Spain.

Sometimes the rule writing gets in the way of the 'historic' (so far as we know) actions of the likes of the foot Heruls. Perhaps they should be able to do both skirmish and close order combat, some rules make these different warrior qualities and so different troop types, eg the Psiloi and Warband of DBA (and of DBx in general). Others go for the old 'must be a peltast' quality, so Armati would have LHI or LI, just like old WRG had LMI; while I suppose DBA / DBx added yet another troop type, the Auxilia (Roman and otherwise!).

This kind of division seems to live on in rules like To The Strongest, where Light Infantry are skirmishers and Javelinmen close order warriors; although he also has Auxilia.

Perhaps one day (it may already exist in ancient rule sets) there will be the capacity (in a set of rules) for a chieftain to form up his body of warriors in close order like shieldwall for melee, and / or send off some or many to skirmish (possibly retrieving survivors back in the battleline or the battleline moving up to re-absorb them); and for one body to become two bodies of men skirmishers to fore battleline to rear; without the distinctions leading to two different types forever separate.

I suppose many rules go close to this, eg DBx allowing some psiloi to support front ranks of 'fighters' or Armati allowing ancient German infantry to support German cavalry.

So I see possibility in Jordanes of the Herul being lightly armed, (ie shield and spear / javelin, no body armour, no helmet, as described by Michael Fredholm von Essen), but being both capable of forming a battleline to oppose heavier armed troops and of skirmishing in good or poor terrain.

And thank you both for your comments.
CarlL

PS I am trying to resist the wargamer in me from fielding some tabletop close order lightly armed Herul foot alongside equally lightly armed Herul cavalry (although I have not yet found any description of their cavalry) with skirmishers a foot to harass the enemy - just for the sheer hell of it!!