Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Saga of the Jómsvíkings by Anonymous Literature / The Saga of the People of Laxardal. Laxdæla saga —the Saga of the People of Laxárdalr —is an anonymous Icelandic saga from about the middle of the 13th century. As the grasp of King Harald Finehair tightens on , the Norwegian hersir Ketil Flatnose has it with the king's arrogance and sails to the West to carve out a new dominion in Scotland. But fortune is not kind on Ketil's folks, and after the death of Ketil and his warlike grandson Thorstein the Red, it is up to Ketil's daughter Unn the Deep-Minded to gather the remnants of her clan and lead them to Iceland, where she claims land in Breidafjord in Western Iceland. When Unn's retainer Koll marries Unn's granddaughter Thorgerd, Thorgerd receives Laxardal, the valley of the Laxá (the 'Salmon-river'), as a dowry from her grandmother. The descendants of Unn and her companions thrive and multiply, but so do conflicts and rivalries. The saga culminates in the life story of Gudrun Osvifsdottir and her four marriages, and the tragic love-triangle that leads to a long and painful family feud that pits the progeny of Thorgerd and Koll against each other. Laxdæla saga is the most famous of the Icelandic family sagas, and stands out for its focus on women. Tropes: Cradling Your Kill: On the urging of his wife Gudrun and her brothers, Bolli finally participates in an ambush on Kjartan, his own cousin, foster- brother, and formerly closest friend. Bolli is still unwilling to fight Kjartan, but when the attackers cannot get the better of him despite their superior numbers, Bolli himself has to deal Kjartan the death blow. Then he "took up his body and held him in his arms when he died." Died Standing Up: At the marriage feast of her grandson Olaf, the old Unn the Deep-Minded transfers ownership of her farm to Olaf, then retires to her chamber. The next day, Olaf finds Unn dead sitting upright on her bed. This is met with admiration. The Jomsvikings: Legendary Viking Mercenaries. One of the characters in The Northern Queen, Thorkell the Tall (also referred to as Thorkell the High in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle due to his great height), was truly a great Dane. He fought alongside Canute the Great, the Danish invader who became King of England, and Norway and achieved much success in life, becoming a lord in his own right. But what of his early years, and how did he learn the skills that made him such a successful warrior? Rune Stone mentioning Thorkell the Tall (source: Wikipedia) Little is known of Thorkell’s early life, but what we do know is mainly through his association with the legendary Viking mercenaries, the Jomsvikings. We know about the Jomsvikings from the Icelandic sagas, particularly The Jomsvikinga Saga and King Olaf Tryggvasson’s Saga. They were staunchly pagan, worshipping and , but would fight for Christian rulers if the price was right. Hiring themselves out to the highest bidder, they nonetheless followed a very strict set of rules and regulations. 1,000 year old Mjolnir pendant, similar to those possibly worn by the Jomsvikings for protection (source: National Museum of Denmark) Their stronghold, , is said to have been located on the southern shore of the . The exact location has never been found and is still the cause of great debate amongst scholars and amateurs alike as there are no primary sources that mention the place. There are, however, three contemporary rune stones that mention their battles and hint at a central location. Thorkell the Tall would have had to follow the code by which the Jomsvikings ruled themselves. They were extremely selective when deciding whom to admit to their group, with membership being restricted to men aged 18 to 50 who had proven their bravery. This usually took the form of a display of strength, with a ritual duel, or holmgang, with an existing Jomsviking. (Normally these duels would be to the death, but in the case of proving yourself to the Jomsviking, besting your opponent was enough). Once admitted to the group, a Jomsviking would continue to follow the strict code used to maintain order and instil military discipline. – a Jomsviking was bound to defend his brothers and avenge their deaths. – quarrelling or speaking ill of fellow Jomsvikings was forbidden – blood feuds, if they arose, would be adjudicated by senior Jomsvikings – a Jomsviking was forbidden to show fear in the face of the enemy, or run from battle (orderly retreat when against an enemy of superior strength, however, was permitted) – spoils from a battle were shared equally amongst the entire order – no Jomsviking could be absent from Jomsborg for more than 3 days without permission from the order – no women or children were permitted within the Jomsborg fortress walls – no women or children were to be taken captive. Non-adherence to any of these rules resulted in the offender being expelled from the group. A few sources state that , who ruled Denmark from 958 to c985, and from whom we get the Bluetooth symbol used in today’s technology (the Norse runes for ‘H’ and ‘B’ are combined to create the Bluetooth symbol), was the founder of the Jomsvikings. Another source claims the Jomsvikings were given their land by mythological ruler of Denmark. But no one really knows for certain where or why the group was started. The Curmsun Disc – Commemorating the death of Harald Bluetooth at Jomsborg (Source: Wikipedia) There is also very little known about what happened to the Jomsvikings. One story tells us that Magnus I, King of Norway (from 1035) and Denmark (from 1042) until his death in 1047 may have destroyed Jomsborg and the Jomsvikings as a show of control the year after he conquered Denmark. But without primary sources and with the lack of archaeological evidence, this legendary group of warriors will remain just that: legendary. The Northern Queen – Available in USA, Canada and UK. Literature / The Saga of the Jomsvikings. Jómsvíkinga saga , i.e. Saga of the Jomsvikings , is a 13th century Old Norse saga, the author being an anonymous Icelander. It is a fanciful historical adventure set in the 10th century, recalling the days of the . Its first part is dedicated to the rise of the Knytlings, the Danish royal dynasty that was the first to unite Denmark under their rule and built it into the northern European hegemonial power of the late The . The focus then shifts to a clan of Danish warlords, the descendants of the chieftain Toki, and their long history of both rivalry and collaboration with the Danish kings. King Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson’s ruthless pursuit of unrivalled power leads to a long-smouldering enmity with Toki's clan that only ends when Toki's grandson Palnatoki stirs up a rebellion that overthrows the king and puts Harald's bastard son Svein Forkbeard on the throne. But when Svein discovers the truth about his father's death, he cuts ties with Palnatoki, and the latter is forced to leave Denmark. A successful commander of viking cruises, he eventually establishes a new base of operations in Vindland note The "land of the Slavs" at the southern shore of the Baltic; not to be confused with "Vinland," which is a rather different place. , realm of the mighty king Burisleif note Fictional version of Boleslaw I of , but the historical data does not really match up. , who cedes the Danish sea-rovers a stretch of coast in the land of Jom, where they build the mighty fortress of Jomsborg. note Likely at the Slavic settlement of , now in Poland. Having become somewhat snobbish by all their victories, Palnatoki and his lot, henceforward known as the Jomsvikings, decide that only the crème de la crème of warriors can join their club, and establish the law of Jomsborg that makes bravery and recklessness mandatory. Applicants arrive from whom Palnatoki picks the captains of Jomsborg – Sigvaldi, Thorkell the Tall, Búi the Stout, Sigurd Cape, and Palnatoki's own grandson Vagn Akason with his veteran mentor, Bjorn the Welshman. Together, they form the most prestigious viking host to ever haunt the seas, and heap up fame and fortune in spades. King Svein is not exactly enthusiastic about the unchecked power of the Jomsvikings and their lack of proper obedience to the Danish king. When Palnatoki dies and Sigvaldi takes over the leadership, things seem to normalize - only for Sigvaldi’s double-dealing with Svein to fire a new grudge. Eventually, the crafty king devises a scheme to put the Jomsvikings back in their place—tricking them into a brazen undertaking that can only result in glory. or total destruction. Tropes in Jómsvíkinga saga : Adopted into Royalty: To hush up an incestuous affair, Jarl Arnfinn of Saxony abandons his newborn son in a forest so it will be found by king Gorm of Denmark. Gorm, who at once infers from the costly garments and the gold found along with him that the boy is of noble birth, has him raised like a son and eventually names him his heir. The boy, Knut, becomes king and gives his name to the royal house of Knytlings. Alcohol- Induced Idiocy: Sigvaldi and the other Jomsvikings get wasted at the memorial feast for Strut-Harald, the father of Sigvaldi and Thorkel, prepared for them by King Svein Forkbeard. The king then suggests for them all to make vows about heroic achievements they are going to accomplish; Sigvaldi takes the bait and vows that he will conquer Norway, and the other Jomsvikings vow they will support him in that. The next morning, a sobered-up Sigvaldi realizes they have publicly committed themselves to a goal that may be too big for them. Context implies this was all in the intent of King Svein, who saw to that the strongest beer would be served to the Jomsvikings. Badass Army: The Jomsvikings. The Berserker: Aslak Holmskalle and Vagn are the first to board Jarl Erik's ship and "each plowed forward on either side of the ship, clearing the deck, so that everybody fell back". They "[slay] many a man". Aslak is moreover invulnerable to weapons and though he wears no helmet, and gets hit on the head with swords, he stays unharmed. Aslak is only stopped when his skull is bashed in with an anvil; Vagn, who is not invulnerable but is nevertheless "killing men savagely", continues to advance until he takes a hit with an oaken club which splits his helmet and prompts him to jump back onto his own ship. Jarl Erik then retreats from the battle line, because he has lost too many defenders. Better to Die than Be Killed: Just as Sigvaldi is turning to flight from the Battle of Hjórunga Bay, Búi's ship is boarded and Búi gets both his hands cut off at the wrists by Sigmund Brestisson. With his last strength, Búi picks up his two chests of gold with his arm stumps and jumps overboard while calling on his remaining men to do the same. Big Badass Battle Sequence: The Battle of Hjórunga Bay is the saga's climax. Black Comedy: Svein Buason tricking one of the Jarl's bodyguards into losing both of his hands. Cruel and horrible . and funny. Blood Knight: Vagn. Brother–Sister Incest: Knut, the founder of the Danish royal house of Knytlings, is the result of an incestuous affair a Saxon jarl called Arnfinn had with his sister. The parents keep the boy a secret and abandon him in a forest so he will be found by King Gorm of Denmark. Jomsvikings. Jomsvikings fighting in a hail storm at the Battle of Hjörungavágr. The Jomsvikings were a possibly legendary company of Viking mercenaries or brigands of the 10th century and 11th century, dedicated to the worship of such deities as Odin and Thor. They were staunchly pagan, but they reputedly would fight for any lord able to pay their substantial fees, and occasionally fought alongside Christian rulers. According to the Norse sagas (particularly the Jómsvíkinga saga , King Olaf Tryggvasson’s Saga , and stories found in the Flatey Book), their stronghold Jomsborg was located on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea, but the exact location is disputed by modern historians and archeologists. Most scholars locate it on the hill Silberberg north of the town of Wolin on Wolin island. [1] [2] [3] Jomsborg is thought to be identical with "Jumne", "Julin" and "Vineta" mentioned in medieval Danish and German records. [3] The legend of the Jomsvikings appears in some of the Icelandic sagas from the 12th and 13th centuries. The existence of Jomsborg is a matter of debate in historical circles, due to the scarcity of primary sources. There are no contemporary sources mentioning the names Jomsvikings and Jomsborg , but there are three contemporary and several contemporary lausavísur held to refer to one of their battles. [4] Contents. The Jomsviking code [ edit | edit source ] The Sjörup is generally associated with the Jomsviking attack on Uppsala, the Battle of the Fýrisvellir. It says: Saxi placed this stone in memory of Ásbjörn Tófi's/Tóki's son, his partner. He did not flee at Uppsala, but slaughtered as long as he had a weapon . The Saga of the Jomsvikings relates that the Jomsvikings were highly selective in deciding whom to admit to their order. Membership was restricted to men of proven valor between 18 and 50 (with the exception of a boy named Vagn Åkesson, who defeated Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson in single combat at the age of 12). In order to gain admission, prospective members were required to prove themselves with a feat of strength, often taking the form of a ritual duel, or holmgang, with a Jomsviking. Once admitted, the Jomsvikings required adherence to a strict code of conduct in order to instill a sense of military discipline among its members. Any violation of these rules could be punished with immediate expulsion from the order. Each Jomsviking was bound to defend his brothers, as well as to avenge their deaths if necessary. He was forbidden to speak ill of his fellows or to quarrel with them. Blood feuds between members were to be mediated by Jomsviking officers. Jomsvikings were forbidden to show fear or to flee in the face of an enemy of equal or inferior strength, though orderly retreat in the face of vastly outnumbering forces appears to have been acceptable. All spoils of battle were to be equally distributed among the entire brotherhood. No Jomsviking was permitted to be absent from Jomsborg for more than three days without the permission of the brotherhood. No women or children were allowed within the fortress walls, and none were to be taken captive. It is unclear, however, whether members were forbidden marriage or liaisons with women outside the walls. History [ edit | edit source ] Historians still debate the accuracy of the accounts of the Jomsvikings. Some maintain that the order was entirely legendary. The site of their headquarters has never been conclusively located, so confirming the tales of their exploits is somewhat difficult. There are different accounts for the origins of the order. (book 10) tells that a settlement named Julinum was conquered by the King of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth, who gave it to the Swedish prince Styrbjörn the Strong. Harald then provided Styrbjörn with a strong force with which Styrbjörn terrorized the seas. The Knýtlinga saga agrees by giving Harald as the founder of the Jomsvikings, but the story of Styrbjörn is not connected to the Jomsvikings. The Jómsvíkinga saga says that the settlement was founded by , receiving the location from the mythical Wendish ruler . Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Eyrbyggja saga agree with all previously mentioned versions by making Styrbjörn take command of the Jomsvikings after they already had been established. [5] Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa also tells that among the Norse there were many men from the "East land" arriving at Jomsborg, suggesting that it was a settlement of mixed ethnicity. Accounts of their size vary. Jomsborg, in various sources, is supposed to have held anywhere from 30 to 300 ships in its harbor, with Jomsviking chieftains including Palnatoke, Styrbjörn the Strong, Sveyn Forkbeard, Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson, Thorkell the High, and Hemeng. Gesta Danorum (book 10), Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Eyrbyggja saga relate that in the early , the exiled Swedish prince Styrbjörn the Strong brought the Jomsvikings to a devastating defeat against Styrbjörn's uncle Eric the Victorious at the Battle of the Fýrisvellir, Uppsala, in 984 or 985, while trying to take the crown of by force of arms. [5] The fact that the Jomsvikings lost was attributed to a pact that the Swedish king Eric made with Odin. Three runestones, the Högby Runestone ( the brave champion Asmund fell on the Fyrisvellir ), one of the Hällestad Runestones labelled DR 295 ( he did not flee at Uppsala ) and the Sjörup Runestone ( He did not flee at Uppsala, but slaughtered as long as he had a weapon ), from this time relate to deaths with honour at Uppsala, probably three Jomsvikings. The battle is also commemorated, in poetry, by the Icelandic Þórvaldr Hjaltason, who took part in the battle on the Swedish side. Jómsvíkinga saga tells that in 986, they attacked Haakon Jarl in Norway and were defeated in the Battle of Hjörungavágr. The Jómsvíkinga saga ends with a brief explanation of the battle's aftermath, and, in fact, points to this battle as the beginning of the end for the Jomsvikings. The , at which the Jomsvikings fought with Denmark against Norway, maybe with a swap of allegiance to side with Forkbeard's advantage, of his 400 ships to Tryggvason's 100. (Otto Sinding painter). After these two decisive defeats, the power of the Jomsvikings waned, but Olaf Trygvasson's Saga relates that they played a decisive, if treacherous, role in the Battle of Svolder in 1000. At Svolder, a Jomsviking force led by Sigvald Jarl abandoned King Olaf of Norway and joined forces with his enemies to annihilate his fleet. This action may have been intended to fight the Christianization of which had been forcibly promoted by Olaf . As it happened though, the Danish king who won the Norwegian throne when the seabattle ended, , was (at least nominally) a Christian. He and his father, Harald Bluetooth, the king of Denmark are reported to have been baptized in 965. Jomsvikings are also reported to have raided eastern England in 1009, and made forays into various Scandinavian territories during the early 11th century. Around 1013 the Jomsvikings were campaigning in England on behalf of Sveyn Forkbeard, yet switched sides, maybe in a ruse to get their own Danegeld from the English, while the main Viking invasion force drove Ethelred the Unready to Normandy. Their decline continued over the next few decades. In 1043, according to the , Magnus I of Norway decided to put an end to the Jomsviking threat. He sacked Jomsborg, destroyed the fortress and put the surviving brethren to death. Though they were staunchly Pagan, the institutions of the Jomsvikings in some ways anticipated those of the Christian Knightly Orders of the later Middle Ages. Archaeological evidence [ edit | edit source ] Runestones are counted as historic documents about the events of the Viking Age in Scandinavia. The following four runestones may mention Jomsvikings [ citation needed ] who died with Styrbjörn the Strong south of Uppsala. Note that the first runestone mentions a warleader named Toki Gormsson and he may be a son of the Danish king Gorm the Old, an interpretation which fits the fact that Styrbjörn was allied with another son of Gorm, Harald Bluetooth. One of the Hällestad Runestones labelled DR 295 in Skåne says: Áskell placed this stone in memory of Tóki Gormr's son, to him a faithful lord. He did not flee at Uppsala. Valiant men placed in memory of their brother the stone on the hill, steadied by runes. They went closest to Gormr's Tóki. The Sjörup Runestone, Skåne, relates: Saxi placed this stone in memory of Ásbjörn Tófi's/Tóki's son, his partner. He did not flee at Uppsala, but slaughtered as long as he had a weapon . On the Högby Runestone, it says The good freeman Gulli had five sons. The brave champion Asmund fell on the Fyris. The Karlevi Runestone was raised by Danish warriors in memory of the war chief on the island of Öland near the waterway which was passed by the Jomsvikings when they went to Uppsala and back. The stone is contemporary with the battle mentioned on the previous runestones and it is consequently possible that the stone was raised by Jomsvikings in memory of their lord. [6] In fiction [ edit | edit source ] Jomsvikings are the focus of the E. R. Eddison's novel Styrbiorn the Strong , [7] and Horned Helmet , [8] a juvenile historical novel by Henry Treece. Fictionalized versions of the Jomsborg (under the name "Jormsvik") and the Jomsvikings appear in Guy Gavriel Kay's novel The Last Light of the Sun , which is set in a fictional world that closely parallels 9th century Britain and Scandinavia. [9] In Tim Severin's Viking series, Thorgils spends time amongst the Jomsvikings, although they are a smaller, older, and weaker force. The legendary Jomsburgers also appear in Creative Assembly's Medieval Total War Viking Invasion expansion pack, though they are called Joms Viking. They are the most highly skilled warrior available to the Vikings. The Jomsvikings also appear in by Frans G. Bengtsson. The short story "The King of Norway" by Cecelia Holland has at its center the story of the Battle of Hjörungavágr. In the manga , by Makoto Yukimura, the Jomsvikings play a crucial part, where some of the main characters are based on Jomsvikings from the Sagas such as Thorkell the High and Canute the Great. The manga depict them as an elite force under Sven then Knut during their invasion of England, while trying to keep their waning influence on the court. It is also said that Thorfinn's father was a Jomsviking until he converted to christianism, fleeing Jomsborg with his wife. This led him to be considered as a traitor and being ambushed by the band of Askeladd. In the The Old Gods DLC for the Paradox Interactive PC game Crusader Kings 2 the Jomsvikings serve as a Norse pagan version of the Christian holy orders. Modern reenactment [ edit | edit source ] The legend of the Jomsvikings has inspired a modern reenactment movement. The "Army of Jomsborg" seek to accurately portray Vikings of the 10th and 11th centuries. Their focus is on live-steel combat, though crafts are practiced by some members. The organization has branches in Europe, Canada, USA, and elsewhere. Jomsviking Tactics. Yes - there are two rules when facing Jomsvikings - 1. Always take Levy to soak up Northern Tempest 2. Don't get them angry! We've found the Jomsvikings not very strong if the opponent plays like this. But the question is as a Jomsviking player, what can you do to force the opponent to raise your wrath? Aug 13, 2012 #4 2012-08-13T17:30. It all depends on your dice obviously but I love playing holm gang. I mess opponents battle lines up, people don't like this at all and you'll often gain wraith with this. Another one I use is the one that can cancel activation or activations. Aug 19, 2012 #5 2012-08-19T13:26. Nivanti wrote: It all depends on your dice obviously but I love playing holm gang. I mess opponents battle lines up, people don't like this at all and you'll often gain wraith with this. Another one I use is the one that can cancel activation or activations. Aug 25, 2012 #6 2012-08-25T10:01. So what tactic do you use?? How can you make your opponent make you get angry? Aug 25, 2012 #7 2012-08-25T10:51. Myself and my regular opponent Steve swapped armies a couple of weeks ago; he'd had a few kickings from my Joms and I wanted to prove they weren't winning my games for me. Not sure I should share this, but the simple truth is that by watching how he used the board I was able, in two turns, to give him Wrath all the way and deny him an effective turn. In my following turn I was able to position is such a way as to make his stack of Wrath less use to him whilst encouraging him to spend it so I could do the same next turn. Had he put dice in Jomsborg or We Are Legneds I'd have been far less willing to give him the Wrath, knowing that doing so would indeed shorten his turn right down, rob him of activations (bought by the Wrath activation box), dissalow Punishment, and keep the fatigue in place by disallowing Northern Tempest, but it would then really screw with my turn. You can use Wrath against a Joms player, but Joms players need to know that and guard against it by leaving dice on the good reaction boxes; Jomsborg and We Are Legends. If they won't give you Wrath, good. That middle column is a plenty good enough to compete with any other faction in the game, and that Wrath activation box makes for a very mobile forcethat has Resting activations to spare. "Hvorfor er ingen opgave så enkel som dem, der omgiver mig?" Aug 29, 2012 #8 2012-08-29T13:53. i had a game the other night and my opponent really deprived me off warth, most i got to was 2. So i just stormed forwards and used Pagan armour and Faith not forgetting the combat pool and smashed him apart, worked well. Oct 05, 2012 #9 2012-10-04T22:25. Nov 07, 2012 #10 2012-11-07T10:24. I've played quite a few games with the Jomsvikings recently, so I thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve learnt from these battles. All these games have been played using the missions out of the original SAGA rulebook, so I'll also include some of my thoughts on these as well. Army set-up. I've been playing a warband composed entirely of hearthguard. One reason for this is that I feel a number of the abilities on the Jomsviking battleboard work particularly well with hearthguard units, and will cover these further on. The other reason I play an all hearthguard warband is that it allows you to take advantage of one of the main features that sets the Jomsvikings apart from their Viking cousins, namely the ability to equip any of your units with dane-axes. For me, equipping a unit of dreng with dane-axes is a risky strategy, as it lowers their armour to 3 in combat, but for hearthguard units, you become a force to be reckoned with. My warband therefore consists of a warlord and 4 units of 6 hearthguard, half of which are equipped with standard weapons, and the other half with dane-axes. This set-up also allows you to roll the maximum 6 saga dice at the start of the game. It might be suggested that an army entirely composed of hearthguard is 'power-gaming'. To be clear, I certainly wouldn't play any other faction like this, but I feel it is appropriate for the Jomsvikings. If the Jomsvikings did actually exist historically, then they probably would have existed as a highly elite band of well-paid mercenaries who could have afforded the best equipment. The character description of Sigvaldi also adds support for this idea, and his rules entry does limit your selection of troops for your warband to hearthguard only. Abilties. Building wrath. You will most of the first half of the battle building wrath. I've had more success with some abilities than others at achieving this. In particular, I usually find a combination of 'Wrath', 'Northern Tempest', 'Punishment', and generous amounts of dice in the combat pool will end in most opponents giving you at least a couple of wrath. ‘Wrath’ and ‘Northern Tempest’ I rarely, if at all, use the normal activation abilities on the battleboard. Instead nearly all the dice I use to activate units will go into ‘Wrath’. This dramatically increases the mobility of your force while also increasing the pressure on your opponent to make decisions. This is also where having a smaller, elite force of hearthguard comes in useful, as you can effectively move your entire army using just two SAGA dice (counting the warlord’s free activation). This then frees up the SAGA dice required for 'Northern Tempest'. This ability is great at the start of the battle while advancing up the field to meet the opponent’s warband, weakening them before getting into melee. If an opponent has chosen not to take any levy, then this ability is a surefire way to get some early wrath. Otherwise it will weaken any levy units that may be shooting at you while you make your advance. ‘Northern Tempest’ is also an excellent ability late in the game, by which point hopefully your opponent will have lost the majority of his weaker units. Moocifer pointed out earlier in this thread that the power of ‘Northern Tempest’ can be diminished if an enemy general takes a unit of levy. To overcome this, when facing an army which includes a unit of levy, I will generally try to get into combat with them ASAP. I will usually send a unit equipped with dane-axes after them, which, as a unit of six hearthguard, will generate 12 attack dice that will hit the levy on 2s. If your opponent has already removed a few of the levy due to ‘Northern Tempest’, I’ve found this can often wipe the unit out in a single round of combat. ‘Punishment’ I find myself putting a dice on 'Punishment' nearly every turn. It costs one SAGA dice of any symbol, and will result in either your opponent losing one (or more) activations, or you gaining two wrath. Either way this seems like a bargain to me. One of the best targets I have found for 'Punishment' is the warlords 'We Obey' ability, as it will cancel both of these activations. Suddenly your opponents combined charge is looking a lot less scary! ‘Punishment’ also adds to the psychology of facing the Jomsvikings, as your opponent now not only has to think carefully about whether they will give you wrath, but also, if they want to avoid 'punishment', will need to plan for some contingency in the placement of their saga dice. Forcing your opponent to think about more and more things will in the long run cause them to make mistakes which you can take advantage of. The Combat Pool. The combat pool of the Jomsviking is much better than that of other factions. This is combined with the fact that our abilities generally require less SAGA dice to activate than the equivalent abilities of other factions, and that therefore you can put more dice in this pool. After putting dice on ‘Wrath’, ‘Punishment’ and ‘Northern Tempest’, this is probably where the rest of my dice will go. The remainder of the Jomsviking wrath-generating abilities are definitely useful, but I feel these are in more specific situations. For example, ‘A Storm Gathers’ can be useful if you’ve just resolved a melee and you think your unit might be charged again in your opponents turn. However I haven’t had much luck using this ability to aggressively charge a unit up the filed, unlike the Viking ability ‘Frigg’. Another example is 'Pagan Faith', which has a great synergy with dane-axe equipped hearthguard, in that it ‘cancels out’ the reduction to your armour value. Spending wrath. In my experience, I really only use one ability when it comes to spending wrath. By far the best ability on the entire of the Jomsviking battleboard, and the one that will singlehandedly win you most games, is ‘Jomsborg!’. While other abilities might occasionally be more appropriate in specific situations, such as 'Hammer of Thor' which is a great ability against well-armoured units such as Flemish mercenaries and Varangian Guard, ‘Jomsborg!’ is a great ability to use in nearly all situations. I think the most important thing to remember with this ability is to use it in the context of the mission being played. So for 'Clash of Warlords', you can use ‘Jomborg!’ to advance your opponent’s warlord while moving any supporting units further away from him. You can also use it to move an opponent’s warlord within charge range of your own, which due to 'warlords pride' can put him in a difficult situation. Units armed with dane-axes make a good choice to attack the enemy warlord with. Obviously the more wounds you can do on him in this way the better, so use the combat pool to acquire extra attack dice, and abilities like ‘Holmgang’ and ‘Hammer of Thor’ take him down. For 'Battle at the Ford', ‘Jomsborg!’ can be used to move your opponent back over the river to his side of the board. It can also be used to obstruct his movement over the bridge with his other units, so for example, forcing him to activate his levy units for a movement before he can move his hearthguard over the bridge. Using ‘wrath’ to generate two activations means that you can easily advance towards both bridges at once, so make the most of it. ‘Jomsborg!’ is definitely at its best in the mission 'Sacred Ground'. Simply use it to move your opponents units off the objectives, denying them the points they would have scored. This will often also put them out of charge range of your own units, which means more points for you. In 'The Challenge', use ‘Jomsborg!’ to separate the warlord from his followers. Remember, ‘Jomsborg!’ is used in your opponents turn, so prior to him moving his units forward, you move them backwards. This has the added advantage of counting as there first activation, so they will gain a fatigue for any subsequent activations, and cannot rest. So by the time they arrive to help out the stranded warlord, they are often on the point of exhaustion. Once you’ve got the enemy warlord by himself and your own troops alongside your warlord (using ‘A Storm Gathers’ to remove the worst of the fatigue from this maneuver), the combat pool, ‘Holmgang’ and ‘Hammer of Thor’ will help to quickly stack up wounds against your opponent. For 'Homeland', ‘Jomsborg!’ can be used to force an opponent’s troops to exit a building. Your opponent will then need to reactivate those units to move them back in, wasting activations that could be spent on abilities or attacking your warband. As the attacker, ‘Northern Tempest’ is also excellent here, as it ignores the benefits your opponent receives from cover, and they will likely have fewer units on the board as you. As the defender, using ‘Jomsborg!’ combined with 'Punishment' and 'We are Legends', can really stunt an opponent’s advance towards your settlement. Finally, in 'The Escort', like 'Clash of Warlords', ‘Jomsborg!’ can be used to separate a baggage cart from its protection. The carts can't be targeted by ‘Jomsborg!’, but this is not really a problem if you suddenly find you have a clear path to charge a cart with a unit of axe wielding Joms. As the defender, using ‘Jomsborg!’ to clear a path for your carts while using 'Wrath' to activate two units per SAGA dice is a good way to get the baggage moving quickly. As I said at the start, these are just some thoughts and tactics I’ve had some luck with in the games I’ve played, so it would be great to hear about the experiences of any other Jomsviking players out there, or from players of other factions on how they would counter these tactics.