lords of Battle

[Agraes]

Some elements suggest that Anglo-Saxons armies may had some cavalry.

On some vendel helms plates, Wotan is shown on horseback, as a mounted warrior, with his ravens. Even if it is mythology this is not excluding that Saxon warriors may have been skilled riders.


The legacy of Hengest and Horsa - wether historical or not - is linked to this. Hengest is "stallion" and Horsa "horse" - and the most prestigious use of horse for such a warlike culture was... war. I know this is little evidence and on a such basis it can be argued that Britons used bears in battle because of Arthur, but I hope you got my point.

Kent arms still have a horse:



There is also the Aberlamno stone pictish carvings, showing Pictish spearmen, riders and swordsmen fighting with armoured horsemen.


It is often said the stone was a commemoration of the battle of Dunnichen where the army of Bridei III wiped out the northumbrian host of Ecgfrith. If so, the Northumbrians used cavalry.

Another possibility is that the battle shown here was fought against Strathclyde Britons.