Research: Warcries

[Kolba]

Ok, so we need at least three war cries for each culture.

DAL RIADA

- Riadarudda ar sibhae: The warriors of Riada are upon you!

BEORNICE

BRITONS

- Ardwyre reget: Rheged, arise! (for Rheged)

PICTS

(We have no sources of Pictish language, so maybe some wordless taunts and generic warcries)

MUMAINHA MERCENARIES

- Amudha moc Dal Cais! Arsle: Rise, sons of the Dal Cais! Slaughter! - Battle-cry of the Dal Cais clan of Muma

 

[Morcant]

We got some sources of Pictish language 
They are sparse, mostly names and ogham inscriptions. Pictish was a P-celtic language like brittonic but the Picts at this time were more and more influenced by gaelic culture. Having the Picts using a combo of gaelic and brittonic warcries would be good.

A simple breton warcry that could stand to brittonic: "Argad!", "to battle!".

For all those languages it would be good to have the pronounciation. Gaelic in particular got a very specific spell.

 

[Aethel]

A couple of war cries we are using as quotes for Wrath of the Norsemen.

Riadarudda ar sibhae: The warriors of Riada are upon you! - Dal Riadan warcry

Amudha moc Dal Cais! Arsle: Rise, sons of the Dal Cais! Slaughter! - Battle-cry of the Dal Cais clan of Muma

The Dal Riadan war cry is actually from Taliesin's writings... I think? Lol


Btw, Morcant, are you the dude from Total War forums?
I know that avatar Lol.

 

[Morcant]

The Dal Riadan war cry is actually from Taliesin's writings... I think?

I don't think so. Ranika gave it to us when we were working on Arthurian TW.

Btw, Morcant, are you the dude from Total War forums?
I know that avatar

Yes, Im know there as Agraes, former project leader on Arthurian Total War mod.
That avatar is only me in late 5th century kit.

 

[Northcott]

Weren't regional identifications used as war cries? I remember reading something (long, long ago) about warriors from Connaught using "Cruachan!" as a warcry -- Cruachan being a location in Connaught, Ireland.  From an organizational and tactical point of view, it makes sense. You're on a field with a bunch of people who aren't exactly wearing team colours, and rallying your troops is made easier when they may recognize the name of home, but not their commander's face.

 

[Frisicus]

The National War-Songs.... They say that Hercules, too, once visited them; and when going into battle, they sing of him first of all heroes. They have also those songs of theirs, by the recital of which ("baritus," they call it), they rouse their courage, while from the note they augur the result of the approaching conflict. For, as their line shouts, they inspire or feel alarm. It is not so much an articulate sound, as a general cry of valor. They aim chiefly at a harsh note and a confused roar, putting their shields to their mouth, so that, by reverberation, it may swell into a fuller and deeper sound.

Tacitus, Germania


No idea how this baritus/barritus would sound like.. but the word bari is cognate with the process of giving birth to children (e.g. to bear children, a child born, kindern baren, baren van kinderen, bern boarne).

So concerning the harsh note and confused roar in the baritus think about a woman in heavy labor shouting harsh and roaring harsh, then picture the same sound with male voices x50 or x100 standing with their tall stature (for the time) in a shieldwall.

 

[Idibil]

Beornice

Besides "Ut! Ut! Ut!", or hit shields with spears, you can use orders:

Wecg! - formation!
Scildweall! - shieldwall!
Scildburh! -formation oposite cavalry
or

Isenscur! - arrows´s rain
Scildhreotha!-  up shields for defence of Isenscur

Dal Riata:

You can use ireland warcry i think:

Farrach! Farrach! or Abu! abu! that mean victory

For britons you can use song´s war or llaith! (death!) for example.

 

[blood of the North]

i'm with idibil "Ut Ut Ut" is a fairly iconic english warcry

 

[Anarion]

The problem is that ut is a very situation-specific battle cry. It was used against the Normans, who obviously came in.
Using it against the Britons would be kind of scummy, seeing as they were the ones being invaded.

 

[Spongly]

If you want to get slightly silly with the Bernician warcries they could shout "Ha'way", very much a traditional Geordie warcry nowadays.
The border reivers used to shout "Gyet! Gyet! Gyet!" which basically means "look out, coming through". The full cry was

"Tarset and Tarret Burn,
Hard and Heather Bred,
Gyet! Gyet! Gyet!"

All out of period, but Northumbrian English. Of course, many of the "English" warriors of Bernicia might well in fact be Britons - I think it's possible this is why so many nicknames survive in Welsh for Northumbrian rulers - Flamddwyn, Flesaur, Llamguin and so on, rather than the English equivalents. So they could easily use some British warcries as well.