Naked units?

[georgeman51]

Why in ancieant history were there butt naked soldiers.


ps i'm no historian.

[TruePraetorian]

They liked to feel the power of the Gods between their legs.

[georgeman51]

They liked to feel the power of the Gods between their legs.

I swear the reason they were naked is to scare the enemy or something.

[A Very Super Market]

Intimidation, and tradition. Simply that.

[Rilder]

Besides wasn't being naked not such a cultural taboo back then? Still was quite scary to see a guy willing to forsake protection (HAHA) and charge at you wielding a rather large sword.

[georgeman51]

Besides wasn't being naked not such a cultural taboo back then? Still was quite scary to see a guy willing to forsake protection (HAHA) and charge at you wielding a rather large sword.

That sounded quiet 'Wrong'

[Macilrille]

Copied from a comment I made in the EB II Forum about Celtic Endowments (of all things trivial...).

Gaesatai, looking frightening, erect and naked, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHRRR!!!! Die Roman Scum!!!"


Elephant, "How do you pick up anything with that?"

Gaesatai, puzzled and suddenly aware of his endowment compared to elephant, "Eh??"

Caius Cominius Dolabra, ducking low and with a precise stab, "There you go, problem removed".

Never understood the idea of running into battle with your knob swinging openly and exposed to cuts. Especially since I have had mine hit with a hard blow from a sword (fortunately a blunt) and I can tell you it definately takes you out of action.

[TruePraetorian]

Perhaps it is because many people have a deep fear of serpents and snakes. Or maybe it was a backup weapon.

Actually to my knowledge the reason men charged into battle naked was because of the drugs, to instill fear in the enemy, and I believe the main reason is because they did not need armor or shields because the power of their faith protected them.

I remember reading about how some vikings or nords or people of the sort charged into battle shieldless for this exact reason: their faith was the shield that protected them.

[georgeman51]

Were naked soldiers common in the past?

[Andy1984]

That sounded quiet 'Wrong'

It probably did also to the Romans who were to be intimidated by such traditions, as it probably did to the other gallic soldiers who saw an incredible courage demonstrated.

[georgeman51]

I hate it when I fight my hastati Head-To-Head with naked celtic spearmen and the spearmen win, my hastati had 3 chevrons and and a armour upgrade.

[Macilrille]

TP that is 99% one of those myths being perpetuated about my forefathers that is not true but tries to enhance their reputation though the truth should give them a large enough reputation as it is...

[Andy1984]

Were naked soldiers common in the past?

I guess fighting naked must have been a common part of tradition in several cultures, one of them being the Gallic cultures. Diodorus Siculus, Livius, Polybius and Dionysios of Halicarnassos all wrote of Gallic soldiers fighting naked.

However, to be sure these recordings aren't a mere copies of one another, or even 'myths', one should confront them with a gallic source telling about naked soldiers. Are there any gallic statues, pictures, stories or some other source (perhaps even written by a conquered gaul) telling about naked soldiers?

[TruePraetorian]

TP that is 99% one of those myths being perpetuated about my forefathers that is not true but tries to enhance their reputation though the truth should give them a large enough reputation as it is...

Ah I see, so the whole faith thing is just a cover story then for all those "free willies?"

[Macilrille]

Probably, people used all sorts of exuses to make pron before pron was legalised ;-)

The Vikings were fearsome enough as it was, no need to add to it.

[Aemilius Paulus]

I remember reading about how some vikings or nords or....

Nords? This is no Mount and Blade . It is Norse. Nords only exist in M&B.

Good to see a fellow fan . Or maybe simply a fellow absent-minded person .

[TruePraetorian]

Probably, people used all sorts of exuses to make pron before pron was legalised ;-)

The Vikings were fearsome enough as it was, no need to add to it.

Yes, I am sure that is exactly what men in war were making during battle. Forget about the women, they wanted naked men.

As I recall Seutonius wrote:

"And the barbarians charged at Caesar's men with blood hurdling cries, naked in all their ferocity. But in the depths of the sound of battle, Caesar's voice was heard.

'Cut! Alright guys, line up and we will shoot it again. Oh, and Vercingetorix, put a little more sway into your hips this time.'"




EDIT:

Nords? This is no Mount and Blade . It is Norse. Nords only exist in M&B.

Good to see a fellow fan . Or maybe simply a fellow absent-minded person .

Both

[Watchman]

Add in weird magick symbolism to add to the overall intimidation effect, BTW. "Entrusting your survival to the Gods" type of thing from what I gather.

[Knight of Heaven]

Well naked soldiers, were common in the past, not only in classical age, even in medieval age, i remeber, some ghazis of the empire ottoman, charge sometimes naked, or only wearing fur cloths.They usualy use drugs to get to a higher adrenalines rush, to deprive then selfs from fear. to be naked was a matter of proving himselfs, in battle to win honnor , also of course to intimidate the enemy, they usualy were used as cannon fodder, to confused the enemy in the first waves of assault.The use of drugs on soldiers, is a comon practise, even in recent days we have alots of exemples of this.
The notion of the politic wrong and correct is very relative, even today, and specialy today maybe. i dont find people been naked wrong...actualy is our natural form, whatever you like it or not. and i doubt that people in acient ages were afraid of naked mens, they were afraid yes of those maniac charges, and of people who were so fanatic,and brave, that they feel no need to wear nothing to protect then selfs.

Probably, people used all sorts of exuses to make pron before pron was legalised ;-)

The Vikings were fearsome enough as it was, no need to add to it.

They didnt need porn, they had bachanalias and dionysus orgies and other feast parties. with temple virgens, and slaves, etc.... hehe nice era.

[antisocialmunky]

What about caveman fights?

[mountaingoat]

What about caveman fights?

lepard print bikini?

[Aemilius Paulus]

Speaking of modern-day Gaesatae: Joshua Blahyi a.k.a General Butt Naked

Basically a Liberian warlord who fought naked and took part in human sacrifices (to the Devil), blood drinking, etc. Now a big-wheel preacher in that nation .

[Rilder]

Speaking of modern-day Gaesatae: Joshua Blahyi a.k.a General Butt Naked

Basically a Liberian warlord who fought naked and took part in human sacrifices (to the Devil), blood drinking, etc. Now a big-wheel preacher in that nation .

I read that as "Librarian Warlord" then imagined this naked guy throwing books at people..

[Celtic_Punk]

To enter battle naked with no protection but a circlet, sword and maybe a shield was a sign of ultimate bravery. To come back alive was a sign of ultimate prowess. Think about how you'd have to prepare yourself to do that. Think about your enemy, how scared he'd be to see an angry Celt, 6 foot tall, completely naked, screaming, with woad paint all over him. Now think about hundreds of these guys running at you... you still haven't seen the main line of Celts too! This is just the first strike!

Fear. It's a force to be reckoned with. I think a lot of people around here discount the element of fear. Though I've never been under fire, or in combat, I've been privy to MANY stories, not just from Afghanistan, but older guys as well, such as Somalia, Cyprus, Bosnia. Fear is always there, and it can grab even the best of us by the balls. Some of the biggest guys my friends have seen have buckled in their boots when the RPG's start flying.

I imagine there is no difference in that respect from todays battlefield and yesterdays. Fear can be a powerful ally if you can harness it. It can also be your worst enemy. Forcing an enemy, whom already sees your people as hideous monsters to bear witness to a "grotesque" and frightening shock tactic could cause a massive rout. Even if not initially, the men who've seen the display still will have that image imprinted in their skulls.
Celtic warfare was heavily rooted in shock and fear tactics. Romans preferring a more modest and contained approach to warfare were horrified to see the Celts mooning them and shaking their bollocks in their face before an attack. It was all a part of how they conducted themselves in order to incite fear into the enemy. A brave or courageous man would however use this against them, using it to further dehumanize the enemy and make taking their lives all that much easier.

Moral is everything in battle. Look at the battle of the bulge, the airborne divisions were cold, tired, had no ammunition, but still held on. Despite losing many friends, they held on. They repelled assault after assault from the Germans even though their tanks rolled on them fast, but they still held... Thats because they kept together, organized and kept their moral up. Had they all been disheartened, and doubted they could survive, we'd have lost the battle of the bulge. The way we kill eachother changes, the human element never does.



EDIT: is that better? Suck my force!

[Rilder]

Wall of Text,

You know if you press this key every few sentences, it makes your post a whole lot easier to read.

[ARCHIPPOS]

quoted from wiki (again) ...
German sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority to be one of three forms of authority, the other two being traditional (feudal) authority and legal or rational (bureaucratic) authority. According to Weber, charisma is defined thus:
"...a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which one is "set apart" from ordinary people and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These as such are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as divine in origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader."


Political examples of charismatic authority include figures like kings, warrior heroes and absolute dictators. Religious examples of charismatic authority include prophets, messiahs and oracles. Whatever the case, the authority figure claims to have special powers or knowledge unavailable to others.

Naked warriors,heroes,berserkers,Ghazis,religious prophets,inspiring commanders, leaders and generals perceived as "divine" and "god-like" are all aspects of this same charismatic authority...

[Apázlinemjó]

Stereotypes, we have mostly greek and roman sources who are sometimes quite gifted with fantasy. I doubt that the naked warriors were so common, for example the weather is an important factor. I doubt that people fought naked when it was snowing, or raining and such. Germania, the British isles and Gallia can be quite cold you know. So I'm quite skeptical about this.

[Mikhail Mengsk]

To enter battle naked with no protection but a circlet, sword and maybe a shield was a sign of ultimate bravery. To come back alive was a sign of ultimate prowess. Think about how you'd have to prepare yourself to do that.

Think about your enemy, how scared he'd be to see an angry Celt, 6 foot tall, completely naked, screaming, with woad paint all over him. Now think about hundreds of these guys running at you... you still haven't seen the main line of Celts too! This is just the first strike! Fear. It's a force to be reckoned with.

Is it proven that this tactic actually works in some famous (or less) battle? I'm pretty doubtful this fear-factor was so huge in battle (Romans faced gauls, germans and celts, and very very seldom lost), i think the naked-fighting was more about a sign of bravery used in Celtic society to grow in prestige.

I think a lot of people around here discount the element of fear. Though I've never been under fire, or in combat, I've been privy to MANY stories, not just from Afghanistan, but older guys as well, such as Somalia, Cyprus, Bosnia. Fear is always there, and it can grab even the best of us by the balls. Some of the biggest guys my friends have seen have buckled in their boots when the RPG's start flying. I imagine there is no difference in that respect from todays battlefield and yesterdays.

I'm quite doubtful about that. In antiquity you could actually SEE the enemy and you can DO something to avoid death. You could be succesful or not, but your destiny was influenced by your skills.

Today, death come from far away. You can do nothing against an hidden sniper, or even a good aiming enemy soldier with an assault rifle. Needless to talk about any form of artillery.

I think today a soldier is MUCH more subject to fear, because he knows that he could have nothing to do to avoid death.

Fear can be a powerful ally if you can harness it. It can also be your worst enemy. Forcing an enemy, whom already sees your people as hideous monsters to bear witness to a "grotesque" and frightening shock tactic could cause a massive rout. Even if not initially, the men who've seen the display still will have that image imprinted in their skulls. Celtic warfare was heavily rooted in shock and fear tactics. Romans preferring a more modest and contained approach to warfare were horrified to see the Celts mooning them and shaking their bollocks in their face before an attack. It was all a part of how they conducted themselves in order to incite fear into the enemy. A brave or courageous man would however use this against them, using it to further dehumanize the enemy and make taking their lives all that much easier. Moral is everything in battle.


Look at the battle of the bulge, the airborne divisions were cold, tired, had no ammunition, but still held on. Despite losing many friends, they held on. They repelled assault after assault from the Germans even though their tanks rolled on them fast, but they still held... Thats because they kept together, organized and kept their moral up. Had they all been disheartened, and doubted they could survive, we'd have lost the battle of the bulge. The way we kill eachother changes, the human element never does.

I agree with that.

[Reality=Chaos]

Stereotypes, we have mostly greek and roman sources who are sometimes quite gifted with fantasy. I doubt that the naked warriors were so common, for example the weather is an important factor. I doubt that people fought naked when it was snowing, or raining and such. Germania, the British isles and Gallia can be quite cold you know. So I'm quite skeptical about this.

Oh there number would be relatively small anyway, since not nearly every celt was a fanatic to such a degree.... As for the weather.... The naked aspect was mainly meant to apply in Battle, so I doubt these men would be naked all the time.... Also Yes it can be very cold, but imagine people STILL charging naked into battle, even more intimidating I'd say...

I find myself in agreement with celtic Punk

[Watchman]

Pff, mainland European and British winters. They ain't that cold.

Anyways, I don't recall anyone ever implying them nekkid d00ds were even relatively common; certainly the Celtic ones seem to have been rather unusual (some kind of warrior cult presumably), and seem to drop off the radar after a few centuries for the most part so eh...