Norman/Varangian Equipment/soldier names

[Ruthven]

Well, as you may know, I'm making a mod, Roots of Yggdrassil, and I'm a little lost for ideas on the troop trees. I have five already, but I need four more, and two of them I would like to have based on the Normans for one, and the Varangians (or the Frisians if they're not interesting enough) for the other.

Sadly, google turns so many results for these, so I've found finding information challenging. All I need to know is what equipment they had aside from the usual Norseman garb (chainmail armor with leather overtop, axes, swords etc) I want to know if they had anything that really made them stick out from the rest of those "viking" nations. (Stuff like the oval/triangle shaped shields the Normans used)

And more importantly, did they have names for their units? I'm trying to make the troop trees all in some viking language. Here's what I've got so far: (with no real basis in historical accuracy for any of them, this is just to give you the idea of the kinds of names I'm looking for.)

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Svein > Snjallr Svein > Vigmaðr > Grimmr Karl
                    |
              Bogivarr
                    |
              Ybogihalr

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Oeska > Varðmaðr > Drengr > Sverthmann > Trottig Sverthmann > Halr
  |
Bogihalr
  |
Ybogikarl

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Fyrdman > Garberend > Gar-Georosnotor > Gar Aeoling
                      |
                  Gumrinc
                      |
              Gumrinc Aeoling

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Georl Fyrdman > Thegn Gumrinc > Fyrdman Aeoling > Hundred Eolder
          |                                              ^
          > > > > Gie Rel Berend > > > > ^

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Ungmenni > Ungr Rekkr > Rekkr > Hersir
      |
Cnit Scytie
      |
Scytie Gumrinc
      |
Scytie Cempa

Anybody got any ideas on this? Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, but I really do want those troop names. (Actually, if you have any historical or semi-historical troop names at all that'd be a big help.)

 

[jekelof]

I'm no historian but In my opinion it would be better to go with straight english for the troop names. Also, I don't think vikings really used names for certain types of troops.

If you're going for historical accuracy spears were the most basic weapon and should be the standard low tiers weapon along with maybe some javelins with little armor and maybe a shield. The medium tiers should have spears, axes and javelins and probably some sort of armor. Only the top tiers would be using swords and mail. Since the Varangians were byzantine mercenaries and elite heavy infantry they would have heavy armor, probably scale armor and heavy weapons. This is just my humble opinion and feel free to ignore, most people do. 

 

[Ruthven]

I'm no historian but In my opinion it would be better to go with straight english for the troop names.

Meh, that's no fun. Finding the cool names and translating the dialogue and such is fun, that's why I do it. I mod for fun. I mod what I want to mod and I really don't care what people think of it. Sharing my ideas with other people and having them like it is just an added bonus.

 

[Endre Fodstad]

Where do these norse names come from? My old norse is rather rusty (in fact, it has never been anything but heavily corroded) but I get the translations thus with my trusty dictionary:

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Man(Sveinn, by the way) > Good/Experienced man > Warrior > Ugly/Bad/Cruel (married)man/low-status freeman/geezer
                    |
              Bow-good (afaik, it should be Bogimaðr, lit. "bowman")
                    |
              Yew bow man/lord/human

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? > Watchman/Guard > Good man/woman/Boy/Servant > sword-man (not really a norse word) > ?-sword-man > Man/lord/human
  |
Bow-man/lord/human
  |
Yew bow - man/low-status freeman/geezer

There are some historical or semi-historical troop names, but when is this supposed to be? I'm not updated on current mods.

 

[Ruthven]

Click the banner in my sig. I have the troop translations in the first post under the troop trees.

I only want to have the equipment really based in history, everything else is of my own design, basically.

I knew the translations were rough, but it looks cool enough in-game. I'm thinking the mod would take place at the peak of the Viking Age.

 

[Endre Fodstad]

That would really be before the Normans got rolling. With Varangians, do you mean Rus?