World Championship Tournament 2024 started Sep. 15th: Tournament page 2024. Countings 2024. |
Play against humans. Тавлеи против людей. ![]() Artist: Copyright © Rasmus Holbroe (Jan. 2016). |
05-12/11:54 gulo: The Friðþjófs saga “hásæti” is not in the context of tafl at all, so the AI likely made that up. As far as I’m aware the central square only has a term in Carl Linnaeus’ tablut descriptin where it’s called “arx regia”, i.e. “king’s castle”. Though in brandub it may have been poetically referred to as both a hill and a castle. 05-12/11:52 gulo: The AI is very unreliable! In Hervarar saga the defending pieces are dark (or red/brown depending on the source text) and the attackers white. However in Old Irish brandub the pieces might have been the other way around (poem says “My famed brandub ... five voiceless men of white silver and eight of red gold”). We do have a name for pieces, “húnn”, but the meaning is unclear and it might only refer to the defending pieces. The king is named ”hnefinn” (definite singular) in Hervarar saga, which means ”the fist”, check wiktionary’s article on ”hnefi” for declension. For source texts I recommend Heimskringla.no, where you can search for the terms in most of the sagas. The Sàmi/Latin, Irish, and Welsh sources all have their own terms too of course. 05-11/09:18 Hagbard: Brave-frog added to the x10 list 05-11/04:04 Jrton80: we really need to allow Brave-frog extended time - he is in the trenches - things need to be adjusted, assuming he is still breathing 05-08/14:42 Draganov: @Topps, I answered your email. Sorry for answering late but I didn't often check my email. 05-08/10:46 Hagbard: Colors and Symbolism Colors are not always mentioned explicitly in Old Norse texts, but: * The pieces were likely **dark vs. light** (black/white or natural and colored wood, stone, or glass). * In archaeological finds (e.g., Birka and Gokstad), some pieces are made of glass—some clear, some dark. * It's generally assumed that **attackers were dark (black)** and **defenders were light (white)**. 05-08/10:43 Hagbard: References from the Sagas * The word *hnefi* appears in several sagas (e.g., *Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks*) and literally means “fist,” but in the context of the game it refers to the king piece. * In *Fridthjófs saga ins frœkna*, the expression *konungr í hásæti* ("the king in the high seat") is used, alluding to the king's central position on the board. * In *Orms Þórólfssonar saga*, there's a scene where two people are playing *tafl*, and one captures the other's *hnefi*, likely meaning the king was captured or killed. 05-08/10:39 Hagbard: Vocabulary from Old Norse English Old Norse Meaning -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Board game *tafl* General word for board games; also the board itself King *hnefi* The central piece (hence *Hnefatafl*, "King's board") Game piece *taflmenn* (pl.) Playing pieces, typically divided into attackers and defenders Attackers *svertingar* (reconstructed) Dark-colored or "black" pieces, often described as enemies Defenders *hvítir menn* / *hvítingar* "White men" or white pieces - protectors of the king 05-08/10:28 Hagbard: The words are mentioned in Nordic sagas. I don't have a certain overview there, so I tried and ask ChatGPT to find it. ChatGPT sometimes just invents some answer (luckily rarely), so this answer might or might not be accurate. ... In the Old Norse sagas and related sources, *Hnefatafl* (and other *tafl* games) are mentioned several times, and some terminology for the game's components - pieces, roles, and colors - can be traced. Here's an overview of the terms the Vikings likely used: 05-07/21:00 Topps: @Hagbard Thanks very much for linking the recorded champion games! I hadn't thought of that! I'll definitely incorporate those into my research! @Draganov I sent you a message on e-mail :) I think I got it to the right email, but if not can you write me? Also, this might be a rather general question, but do any of you know if the attackers or defenders pieces is called something specific? I see the 'King' mostly described as the king, but the other pieces are usually described as "the attackers", "the defenders", "black" or "white". Do any of you know if they have an actual name? |
Alexander Steiger Dis' game set up in the Royal Hall in Lejre, Denmark. (Click on the image)
Train your brain like a viking. Science Days in Norway Sep. 27th 2020. (Click on the image!)
Hnefatafl is also known by the names Nefatavl, The King's Table, The Viking Game, Viking Chess, Tablut or simply Tafl.
History of this site.
Art on this site.
Comments on Hnefatafl.
The origin of the Viking board game Hnefatafl and the Berserk rules.
Links to more information on the Viking board game Hnefatafl.
Tafl Shops.
Viking word of wisdom: The Hávamál.
(Havámál på dansk).
World Championship Tournament 2024. |
Здесь можно играть в тавлеи против людей. Можно использовать кириллицу. |
Many thanks to Tim Millar ("crust"), Adam Bartley ("Adam"), John C. Ashton, Nicolas Cartier, Jonas Lööf ("conanlibrarian"), Olli Salmi, Damian Walker ("cyningstan"), Rasmus Holbroe, Thore Nissen, Lucho Panchev ("OdinHimself"), Corey Hart ("Brench"), Alexander Steiger Dis ("Steiger"), Dmitry Pashkov, Delray Curtis ("jrton80"), David Zolli ("branan"), Luk Martens ("Masterluke"), Marian Luck ("themightyglider"), Mikkel Berg-Nordlie ("mihkkal"), Alessandro Arzani ("Abbas Agraphicus") and all players who contributed to this site and to the photo gallery. And not least the more than 600 players the world over who played here 50,000 real tafl games humans against humans and created a vast, practical experience with this intriguing, historical board game. |
Updated 13.4.2025
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