Tuatha Race

[Raen]

Does Avalon exist in Irish mythology? I was under the impression it was more a Welsh/Arthurian thing.

Of course, I realize IW may have had to amalgamate mythologies a bit...I'm just curious.

[WraithLord]

All this mythology talk is very interesting.
Makes me wish IW would have added a nation based on middle eastern myth .
I know that Arco is supposed to be based on the ancient Asirian empire.
But I really don't get that feeling with that nations units/heroes/gods names and overall feel.
Where is Gilgamesh for example?

Anyway, I would have loved a new nation based on either one of egyptian, hebrew, babilonian or persian myth.
They have some very interesting stories, believes etc.

[Keir Maxwell]

Originally posted by izaqyos:
All this mythology talk is very interesting.
Makes me wish IW would have added a nation based on middle eastern myth .
I know that Arco is supposed to be based on the ancient Assyrian empire.

I think Arco is based on the Greeks. You get Hopilites (Classical Greek) Hypastpists (Macedonian), Elephants (Alexandrian/Successor) and Chariots (Selucid or Geometric Greek). Somewhat eclectic but all in all Greek inspired.

I too would love an early Near East race - I'm a Late Bronze Age/Chariot warfare fiend. My first priority in hasselling Illwinter for more features in this respect is more Chariots for Tien Ch'i Spring and Autumn - might not be Late Bronze age but they are still Chariots.

Cheers

Keir

Cheers

Keir

[Psitticine]

Originally posted by Raen:
Does Avalon exist in Irish mythology? I was under the impression it was more a Welsh/Arthurian thing.

Of course, I realize IW may have had to amalgamate mythologies a bit...I'm just curious.

I've read the name means "Isle of the Apples" and was originally derived from Gaelic, but it must have altered quite a bit on the trip. I can't find anything even vaguely supporting that etymology.

So, as far as I know, it is pretty much Arthurian. That cycle is quite distinct from the Celtic, as I'm sure you know, but there is enough overlap (such as Excalibur, whose name and nature is derived from Fergus mac Roich's sword Caladbolg) to justify unifying them in a framework such as the game.

For those who don't know the story, King Arthur was carried off to the Isle of Avalon, a place very much like the Celtic "Otherworld", after being mortally wounded. Like many other heroes, including Fionn mac Cumhail, he is said to be sleeping until the hour of his people's greatest need. (The "sleeping hero" is a very popular motiff in folk legend.)

[Psitticine]

Just an addendum for those who might be curious:

I was browsing aimlessly through a book and came across a reference to Avalon and its "roots".

Emain Ablach (Ablach = "having apple trees") is the name of an island that is home to Manannan mac Lir, one of the most powerful of the Tuatha de Danaan/Sidhe. In the Imram Brain, one of the old sagas, the hero, Bran, quests to find the paradiscial isle (supposedly located somewhere off the coast of Scotland) after being presented a silver limb from one of the isle's apple trees by a mysterious and beautiful woman. The source I read this in (Mackillop's Dictionary of Celtic Mythology) describes Emain Ablach as "one of several Celtic contributions to the Arthurian concept of Avalon."

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by Jasper:
One of the minor thematic things that's always bothered me about Dominions is that while it seems to get things right...

Not always. Hastati and Principes disappeared after Gaius Marius reformed the Roman army, yet they come equipped with segmented loricae which started to be widely used 2 centuries later.

[Jasper]

Originally posted by Nagot Gick Fel:

quote:

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Originally posted by Jasper:
One of the minor thematic things that's always bothered me about Dominions is that while it seems to get things right...

Not always. Hastati and Principes disappeared after Gaius Marius reformed the Roman army, yet they come equipped with segmented loricae which started to be widely used 2 centuries later.

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You picked a particularily bad place to put your elipsis! This is much better:

"One of the minor thematic things that's always bothered me about Dominions is that while it seems to get things right with the _Tuatha_ and _Firbolg_..."

Note the distinct lack of reference to Rome... Besides, minor details like you mention are IMHO well within the scope of "designers license", especially considering the real Roman Army didn't have Serpent Cataphracts or Spectral Legionaires. More bothersome to me is how Triari are handled.