Regiment Musicians

Putting together these elven palace guard, I get to the standard bearer and the musician. I wasn’t sure I had a part for a musician at first but… what do you know, there is an instrument.

A harp.

It seems a bit… eh… playing a harp going into battle. Now, Elves would never use something crude like a drum of course (barbaric humans) but a harp?

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If it makes a tune I suppose it can be marched to I suppose.
Spartans had flutes and washed their hair before battle, so I guess harps are fine. :man_shrugging:

Also has to sound graceful, 'cause elves.
Tolkien’s songs about dwarves (Durin’s Song and Far Over The Misty Mountains) mentions dwarves making and playing harps though, so just having them is possibly not elf enough.

My PG musician has sword drawn and harp belted to the side :grinning:

(Used the extra harp from a tallspear sprue)

Armies often maintained bands and musicians with all sorts of musicians for morale purposes and just keeping soldiers entertained while they were waiting around.
Some Celts like the Irish may have used harps, though the Carnyx (Dragon Horn) is more well known.
It can’t be any more difficult than bagpipes , which superseded the Carnyx and Harps :slight_smile:

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It is known from the Sasanian Empire that harps were played (from horseback) during hunting and the Ottoman had a special harp for military bands

Maybe that elf sounds like Cacofonix and he is a secret weapon if a battle does not go well.

I am not sure how loud harps really are and maybe they are cool to play before battle, but I believe that in heat of battle, drums and trumpets are better for coordinating troops and issuing orders. Or just to strike terror in the heart of enemy.

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Harps are an interesting choice.

They might be there just for the unit champions enjoyment during battle? I can picture elves being so aloof that they don’t want to recognise the enemy even turned up!