"Breton Shield Design (Dark Ages/Saga)" Topic

My next project is a Breton warband for Saga. I plan on using the Conquest plastic Normans and using round shields as well as making a couple of other tweaks. What I am stumped on is shield designs. Does anyone make Breton shield decals? Are generic Dark Ages ones suitable or would there have been a specific theme?

Any help gratefully received.

We have very little information on shield designs in this period. The key resource is the Baayeux tapestry. It is possible that Breton designs were no different, but then again, they might well be.

If you were looking for a cop-out, why not work with simple colours and divisions (half and half vertical or horizontal, for example, or stripes or a border)?

My intitial thoughts was similar to yours with maybe a cross motif worked in, as I guess they were quite early converts to Christinaity and a lot of their towns are named after early Saints.

I would suggest that the answer is 'nobody knows'! Do what looks good to you.

According to flagspot, the Bretons used plain black shields.
flagspot.net/flags/fr-bz-du.html

They cite a "Frankish Chronicle" Thumbing through references to Bretons in the index of my copy of the Carolingian Chronicles, I can't find it in there. But years ago I emailed a Celtic scholar friend knowledgable in things Breton on this and he confirmed it was likely.

Ooh I like the idea of an all black shield. Very different. I might just try that and see how it looks. Then I can quote an obscure Frankish 9th century chornicle at people who ask if my shields are unfinished! :)

Funnily enough I have just finished a Breton transfer sheet for Gripping Beast.
link

My interpretation of them was to add a Celtic influence as they were of Celtic ancestry and mix it with Norman and Frankish styles. Just working on some round designs for them at present.

Steve (Little Big Men Studios)

They look fantastic.

If you do some round shield designs I would definitly buy them! I am staying away from kite shields to make them look suitably different on the table from the Normans.

Hi,

I think the basis for black shields is from an old poem where the Breton hero says that the "Franks paint their shields white so we will paint our's black".

Unfortunately, I can't recollect any more than that.