Lewis Chessmen

choi

(1) The Game of Kings: Medieval Ivory Chessmen from the Isle of Lewis. The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nov 15, 2011–Apr 22, 2012.
http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibit ... m-the-isle-of-lewis

Note:
(a) Lewis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis
(In the 9th century AD, the Vikings began to settle on Lewis, after years of raiding from the sea. The Norse invaders intermarried with local families and abandoned their pagan beliefs. At this time, most buildings changed their forms from being round to rectangular, following the Scandinavian style. At this time, Lewis was part of the Kingdom of the Isles and officially part of Norway. The Lewis chessmen, which were found on the island in 1831, date from the time of Viking rule.)
(b) Trondheim
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trondheim
(c) Hebrides
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrides
(d) Yeomen Warders
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeomen_Warders
(popularly known as the Beefeaters; are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London; formed in 1485 by the new king Henry VII, the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty)

* warder (n; Middle English, from Anglo-French wardere, from warde; First Known Use: 15th century):
"1: WATCHMAN
2 British * * * b: a prison guard"
www.m-w.com
(e) rook (chess)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rook_(chess)
(borrowed from Persian rokh, Sanskrit rath, "chariot")
(f) Odin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin
(a major god in Norse mythology)
(g) vizier (n: Turkish vezir, from Arabic wazīr; First Known Use: 1599):
"1: a high executive officer of various Muslim countries and especially of the Ottoman Empire
2: a civil officer in ancient Egypt having viceregal powers"


(2) Ken Johnson, Medieval Foes With Whimsy. New York Times, Nov 18, 2011.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/1 ... q=warder&st=cse

My comment: There is n o need to read the text (the maintext, that is). View photographs and the video clip, as well as read the box, penned by Brian Loeb McClain and titled Elephants and Bishops, which is located just beneath the video.

Quote from the box:

"The [Lewis] pieces are similar to today’s, but there are important differences. Instead of rooks there are warders, which were fierce warriors.

"the modern rules for chess arose in the late 15th century