Scorpion men are a chaos breed native to Glorantha and left over from the Great Darkness. They are often found in desert areas and sometimes small mountain villages. Their rigid society is based on servitude to Queens, who breed for the race. Scorpion men are known to make their living by trading or hiring out their services as mercenaries to employers willing to look past their chaotic nature.
Kudurru 'Boundary' Stone.
In mythology, Scorpion men are featured in several Akkadian language myths, including the Enûma Elish and the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. They were also known as aqrabuamelu or girtablilu. They were first created by the Tiamat in order to wage war against the younger gods for the betrayal of her mate Apsu. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, they stand guard outside the gates of the sun god Shamash at the mountains of Mashu. These give entrance to Kurnugi, the land of darkness. The scorpion men open the doors for Shamash as he travels out each day, and close the doors after him when he returns to the underworld at night. They also warn travellers of the danger that lies beyond their post. Their heads touch the sky, their "terror is awesome" and their "glance is death". This meeting of Gilgameš, on his way to Ūta-napišti, with the Scorpion-folk guarding the entrance to the tunnel is described in Iškār Gilgāmeš, tablet IX, lines 47-81.
Citadel Runequest Scorpion Men.
Fenryll.
Reaper Miniatures.
Iron Wind Metals.
Rapier Miniatures Scorpion Queen.
Rapier Miniatures Warrior.
Ral Partha.
ShadowForge.
Scorpion men also feature as powerful myth units for the Egyptians in the game Age of Mythology. Dungeons & Dragons features centauric scorpion-men called Stingers, normally found in desert locales and devoted to gods of the waste, often those reflecting the Pharaonic or Babylonian pantheons. In Warlords Battlecry III, scorpion-people are the primary servants of Melkor, the Lord of Famine. In The Mummy Returns, the Scorpion King is shown as a scorpion-man, perhaps the less said about that the better though...
2 comments:
Love your take on Scorpion men. I saw the reaper one, it looks quite heroic indeed. I also have purchased a few scorpion men from an Australian company, the name of which escapes me, but I'll get it later. I also did a small mod using a giant scorpion that I got from e-bay and a naked fanatic torso. Just the right look :)
Just started a classic Glorantha RQ campaign, for the first time since I was a young 'un. Used some sword and mace snakes and a couple Broo last game, and this week am maybe going to throw some scorp men at them. Kind of wanted to do the Gringles Pawnshop scenario this week, but I think we still need to shake the combat rules crunch muscles out a bit before delving into more complicated situations.
Post a Comment