Fidchell
Encyclopedia
Fidchell or gwyddbwyll (in Welsh
) was an ancient Celtic board game
. The name in both Irish and Welsh is a compound translating to "wood sense"; the fact that the compound is identical in both languages demonstrates that the name is of extreme antiquity. The game is often compared to or identified with chess
, though this is evidently erroneous, as chess was unknown in Europe until the 12th century. The game was played between two people who moved "men" across a board; the board itself shared its name with the game played upon it. The name has evolved into ficheall, the Irish word for chess, while gwyddbwyll is the name for chess in modern Welsh.
in the center and pieces in a 2:1 ratio. One text reads, "‘Leth a fóirni d'ór buidi, in leth aili d'findruine,’ ‘Half its men were of yellow gold, the other half of tinned bronze," showing that fidchell was played by equal forces. The Roman board game latrunculi ("little soldiers") was also played with pieces of equal numbers; latrunculi is known from post-Roman Britain, and so it is possible that fidchell was a descendent of latrunculi.
The legends describe fidchell as a game played by royalty, and even the gods. According to the Irish it was invented by Lugh
, the Irish god of light, and was played very skillfully by his son, the hero Cúchulainn
. A series of fidchell games also forms an important episode in Tochmarc Étaíne
.
Lavish, sometimes mystical gwyddbwyll boards appear often in medieval Welsh literature
. In The Dream of Rhonabwy
, a prose tale associated with the Mabinogion
, King Arthur
and Owain mab Urien
play the game with golden men on a silver board. In another prose tale, The Dream of Macsen Wledig, The character Eudaf Hen is carving men for his golden board when he is visited by the emperor Magnus Maximus
. The board of Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio
is named as one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain
in lists dating from the 15th and 16th centuries; according to the lists the board is gold and the men silver, and the pieces play against each other automatically. A magic gwyddbwyll comparable to Gwenddoleu's appears in the Arthurian romance Peredur son of Efrawg
; a number of French
versions of the Holy Grail
story feature similar chessboards with self-moving pieces, following the Second Continuation of Chrétien de Troyes
' Perceval, the Story of the Grail
, though in these only one side moves, while the hero plays the other.
. These games, along with the Irish brandub, are played on a grid, often seven squares by seven, with the king in the middle. The king has a number of defending pieces around him at the beginning of the game, and they are surrounded by twice as many attackers. The object is to make a clear path for the king to the edge of the board, while the attackers must attempt to surround, and thereby capture, the king.
This theory is supported by an artifact found in Balinderry, Ireland, consisting of a wooden board with a seven by seven grid, marked off by holes similar to those found in a cribbage board, which has Celtic symbols on it. This artifact is almost certainly a tafl variant, and perhaps even a Brandub board, and most commentators assume that it is the type of board upon which one would have played fidchell. Reconstructions of probable rules proceed from there.
However, there are a few difficulties with this commonly accepted view. First, the tafl variants are usually played with unequal numbers of pieces, the attackers being twice as numerous as the defenders. Fidchell seems almost certainly to have been played with equal numbers on both sides. Secondly, some claim that the tafl games, especially tawl-bwrdd, were often played with a die, made of a sheep’s knucklebone, and this feature seems conspicuously absent in fidchell. In fact, in Wales, there is a clear distinction between tawlbwrdd and gwyddbwyll, which, if carried across to Ireland, would tend to indicate a similar distinction between fidchell and brandub.
There is clear archaeological and textual evidence that a tafl variant was played in Ireland in ancient times. What is not quite as certain is that this game was fidchell, as mentioned so often in myth and legend.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
) was an ancient Celtic board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
. The name in both Irish and Welsh is a compound translating to "wood sense"; the fact that the compound is identical in both languages demonstrates that the name is of extreme antiquity. The game is often compared to or identified with chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, though this is evidently erroneous, as chess was unknown in Europe until the 12th century. The game was played between two people who moved "men" across a board; the board itself shared its name with the game played upon it. The name has evolved into ficheall, the Irish word for chess, while gwyddbwyll is the name for chess in modern Welsh.
History
Fidchell is mentioned quite often in ancient Celtic legends and lore, but the exact form of the game is open to speculation, due to the lack of detail on the rules, playing pieces, and even the board. What is clear is that it was played on a board, with opposing sets of pieces in equal numbers. It should not be confused with games like tawlbwrdd or tafl (also called hnefatafl), which involved a kingKing (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
in the center and pieces in a 2:1 ratio. One text reads, "‘Leth a fóirni d'ór buidi, in leth aili d'findruine,’ ‘Half its men were of yellow gold, the other half of tinned bronze," showing that fidchell was played by equal forces. The Roman board game latrunculi ("little soldiers") was also played with pieces of equal numbers; latrunculi is known from post-Roman Britain, and so it is possible that fidchell was a descendent of latrunculi.
The legends describe fidchell as a game played by royalty, and even the gods. According to the Irish it was invented by Lugh
Lugh
Lug or Lugh is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. He is known by the epithets Lámhfhada , for his skill with a spear or sling, Ildánach , Samhildánach , Lonnbeimnech and Macnia , and by the...
, the Irish god of light, and was played very skillfully by his son, the hero Cúchulainn
Cúchulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
. A series of fidchell games also forms an important episode in Tochmarc Étaíne
Tochmarc Étaíne
Tochmarc Étaíne , meaning "The Wooing of Étaín", is an early text of the Irish Mythological Cycle, and also features characters from the Ulster Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. It is partially preserved in the manuscript known as the Lebor na hUidre , and completely preserved in the Yellow Book...
.
Lavish, sometimes mystical gwyddbwyll boards appear often in medieval Welsh literature
Medieval Welsh literature
Medieval Welsh literature is the literature written in the Welsh language during the Middle Ages. This includes material from the fifth century, when Welsh was in the process of becoming distinct from the British language, to the works of the 16th century....
. In The Dream of Rhonabwy
The Dream of Rhonabwy
The Dream of Rhonabwy is a Middle Welsh prose tale. Set during the reign of Madog ap Maredudd, prince of Powys , it is dated to the late 12th or 13th century. It survives in only one manuscript, the Red Book of Hergest, and has been associated with the Mabinogion since its publication by Lady...
, a prose tale associated with the Mabinogion
Mabinogion
The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...
, King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and Owain mab Urien
Owain mab Urien
Owain mab Urien was the son of Urien, king of Rheged c. 590, and fought with his father against the Angles of Bernicia. The historical figure of Owain became incorporated into the Arthurian cycle of legends where he is also known as Ywain, Yvain, Ewain or Uwain...
play the game with golden men on a silver board. In another prose tale, The Dream of Macsen Wledig, The character Eudaf Hen is carving men for his golden board when he is visited by the emperor Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus , also known as Maximianus and Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388. As commander of Britain, he usurped the throne against Emperor Gratian in 383...
. The board of Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio
Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio
Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio or Gwenddolau was a Brythonic king who ruled in Arfderydd . This is in what is now south-west Scotland and north-west England in the area around Hadrian's Wall and Carlisle during the sub-Roman period in Britain...
is named as one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain
Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain
The Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain are a series of items in late medieval Welsh tradition. Lists of the items appear in texts dating to the 15th and 16th centuries...
in lists dating from the 15th and 16th centuries; according to the lists the board is gold and the men silver, and the pieces play against each other automatically. A magic gwyddbwyll comparable to Gwenddoleu's appears in the Arthurian romance Peredur son of Efrawg
Peredur son of Efrawg
Peredur son of Efrawg is one of the three Welsh Romances associated with the Mabinogion. It tells a story roughly analogous to Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail, but it contains many striking differences from that work, most notably the absence of the French...
; a number of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
versions of the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
story feature similar chessboards with self-moving pieces, following the Second Continuation of Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Perhaps he named himself Christian of Troyes in contrast to the illustrious Rashi, also of Troyes...
' Perceval, the Story of the Grail
Perceval, the Story of the Grail
Perceval, the Story of the Grail is the unfinished fifth romance of Chrétien de Troyes. Probably written between 1181 and 1191, it is dedicated to Chrétien's patron Philip, Count of Flanders...
, though in these only one side moves, while the hero plays the other.
Gameplay
As often as fidchell is mentioned in legend and myth, however, we are still largely in the dark about exactly how it was played. There are two main theories regarding the rules and board layout of fidchell. The first, and most common, is that fidchell is a variant of the Welsh game tawlbwrdd, itself descended from the Norse tafl gamesTafl games
Tafl games were a family of ancient Germanic and Celtic board games played on a checkered or latticed board with two teams of uneven strength. The size of the board and the number of pieces varied, but all games involved a distinctive 2:1 ratio of pieces, with the lesser side having a king-piece...
. These games, along with the Irish brandub, are played on a grid, often seven squares by seven, with the king in the middle. The king has a number of defending pieces around him at the beginning of the game, and they are surrounded by twice as many attackers. The object is to make a clear path for the king to the edge of the board, while the attackers must attempt to surround, and thereby capture, the king.
This theory is supported by an artifact found in Balinderry, Ireland, consisting of a wooden board with a seven by seven grid, marked off by holes similar to those found in a cribbage board, which has Celtic symbols on it. This artifact is almost certainly a tafl variant, and perhaps even a Brandub board, and most commentators assume that it is the type of board upon which one would have played fidchell. Reconstructions of probable rules proceed from there.
However, there are a few difficulties with this commonly accepted view. First, the tafl variants are usually played with unequal numbers of pieces, the attackers being twice as numerous as the defenders. Fidchell seems almost certainly to have been played with equal numbers on both sides. Secondly, some claim that the tafl games, especially tawl-bwrdd, were often played with a die, made of a sheep’s knucklebone, and this feature seems conspicuously absent in fidchell. In fact, in Wales, there is a clear distinction between tawlbwrdd and gwyddbwyll, which, if carried across to Ireland, would tend to indicate a similar distinction between fidchell and brandub.
Historical impact
In addition, fidchell, as described in the legends, often has a mystical or divinatory aspect to it. Battles ebb and flow as a result of the ebb and flow of a game of fidchell, games play themselves, great events are decided on the outcome of a fidchell match, and so on. This supernatural aspect is not as clearly reflected in the tafl games.There is clear archaeological and textual evidence that a tafl variant was played in Ireland in ancient times. What is not quite as certain is that this game was fidchell, as mentioned so often in myth and legend.
Books
- Bayless, Martha (2005). “Alea, Tæfl, and Related Games: Vocabulary and Context,” in Latin Learning and English Lore, ed. Katherine O’Brien O’Keeffe and Andy Orchard, 2 vols. University of Toronto Press. Vol. II, pp. 9–27.
- Bromwich, Rachel (2006). Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain. University Of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1386-8.
- Celtic Heritage, Alwin & Brinley Rees, Thames and Hudson. 1961.
- Early Irish Myths and Sagas trans. Jeffrey Gantz, Penguin Classics. 1981.
- The Quest for Merlin, Nikolai Tolstoy, Hamish Hamilton. 1985.
- Games of the Gods, Nigel Pennick Rider. 1988.
External links
Rules and Boards
- Shire of Hartshorn-dale - Games - Fitchneal A very clear set of Fitchneal rules.
- MacGregor Historic Games A cloth Fidchell board based on the Ballinderry Game board.
- The Ballinderry Game board believed by some scholars to be a Fidchell game.
- Early Irish Board Games Information about Fitchneal and other ancient Irish games.
- Hnefatafl - A Norse Game Java applets of various Tafl games, including Fitchneal (though a different board arrangement is used)
Computer versions
- PJ's Attic - Fitchneal 2002 A Macromedia Shockwave version.
- Miles Cooley's Widgets A Fitchneal Widget for the Mac OS X Dashboard