Germanic Youths

Description

The role of a skirmisher, lightly-armed and kept from melee combat, was not the part that young German tribesmen aspired to fulfil. Bursting with energy, they craved the glory of one-on-one combat. However, a fledgling tribesman first had to prove his worth before he earned the right to bear arms. If granted such an honour, he hungrily sought battle or risked growing idle. The strongest immediately joined a veteran warrior’s retinue, hoping to earn glory fighting alongside him. Typically, the young occupied themselves with inter-tribal warfare and raiding to prevent loss of fitness. Raiding other tribes was not recognised as a crime, but instead seen as necessary training for the young to nurture and maintain their appetite for battle.