Gondor Swan Knights fun Question

[LouieN]

"And last and proudest, Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, kinsman of the Lord, with gilded banners bearing his token of the Ship and the Silver Swan, and a company of knights in full harness riding grey horses"

Hello All,

Just a fun food for thought question related to the Swans Knights of Dol Amroth.  Now I am a firm believer that all the Tolkien's imagery was taken from Dark Age legends; Beowulf, Song of Roland, Vikings Sagas, etc.  aka Mail not Plate!   

With that what did he imagine when writing the Knights in "full Harness"    I am not a horse person; does full harness means a type of tack, or horse equipment.  If that is the case please let me know. 

I imagine it refers to equipment.  What if it meant the Knight AND the horse were armored.  This would make the Knight of Dol Amroth the Cataphracts of Middle Earth.  A legacy to Roman/Byzantine Cataphracts which Gondor draws some inspiration from. 



What say you to this idea?  Would the Swan Knights be cool as Cataphracts?

Thanks

[Wilgut Spleens]

Its very open to interpretation and ultimately depends on your vision of Middle Earth. I first read this when I was 10 and in my mind they will always be armoured in plate of about late 13th to early 14th century, the only real mention of their armour is the "burnished vambrace". Vambrace appeared early 14 th century. I have no issue with mixed tecgnologies, to my mind in a work of fantasy that includes talking walking trees, magic rings, giant spiders etc, there is nothing incongrous in mixing Dark Age technology (Anglo Saxon Rohirrim) and later medieval as well as the Neolithic Woses and the occasional pocket watch and waist coat combo. It is what ever your imagination makes it and nothing wrong at all with Byzantine cataphracts.

[armchairgeneral]

I thought the Games Workshop interpretation was quite good.

[AKULA]

Its very open to interpretation and ultimately depends on your vision of Middle Earth.

This 100% 

[Coenus Scaldingus]

The "harness" in the line appears to refer specifically to the knights and not their horses, but even what that means is obviously very open to interpretation.
I'm not sure of the historical usage of the term in English, but etymologically related terms "Harnisch" in German and "harnas" in Dutch typically refer to full suits of 15/16th century armour; and from that word I certainly would never picture something that's mainly just mail.
Of course, it's also next-to impossible to picture something independent of the usual depictions of the Swan Knights at this stage, so in my mind they will almost automatically ride some kind of barded horses (already not very fitting for Dark Age folks), and wear some mash-up of late Byzantine and 13th century western European armour. (So like the pictured cataphract, with mail covering most of the body, a tabard and a heater shield. And swan decorations, of course. A lot of swan decorations.)
While I've never pictured the Swan Knights as cataphracts, there also isn't much saying they couldn't be! Certainly fits into the Byzantine connections, and as they've existed for centuries, also doesn't actually feel "too modern" for the setting. Maybe with the horse's armour only fully on the front, tapering off towards the back to look like wings... And in the brighest of shining metal of course!

[Grumpy Gnome]

My thoughts echo Wikgut’s.

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

My favourite interpretation was the Der Kriegspieler's Swan Knight:



There are three in the middle, one with lance and long blue pennant.

When I was a kid I order a single pack (all I could afford) but sadly, when it arrived, it was horribly mis-cast. And looking at pics on the web these days I don't see any castings that look as nice as that in the original ad!

[Wilgut Spleens]

I made mine from GW Knights of Minas Tirith

[LouieN]

Thanks for the replies, good perspective, especially the do what is fun. 

[Totleben]

Awesome heraldry