JCC [Image heavy]A thread for art: See note on page 776

Mambokadzi Izibongo of Mwene a za-Mabwe (Zimbabwe) by Gambargin on DeviantArt

Spoiler

A concept drawing of the Zimbabwean/Mutapan (Bantu-Shona) Woman Warrior as part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited which aims to portray Women Warriors in a fictitious historical settings based on AD 800s - AD 1400s era of warfare. She represents the height of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, Zimbabwe as well as early Kingdom of Mutapa in the middle ages.

Inspired by the Music: Igne - African Voices Song of Life


INTRODUCTION

The name Zimbabwe may sound familiar to people, to modern historian, it was one of the richest colony in Africa, known back then as Rhodesia. To others, a source of much talk due to the country's infamous hyperinflation. But in this region, 1500km inland from the swahili coast, where 2 of Africa's great rivers that connected the Indian Ocean runs, the Limpopo and Zambezi, was a place that was once a major trade center that linked Asia, India, Africa and eventually Europe whose wealth would bring envy to emperors and kings across the globe. It was home to the still enigmatic Great Zimbabwe who built large sophisticated atone structures, and even more enigmatic Mapungubwe whose gold became the driving force of the prosperous trade along the Swahili coast and the hint of its influence, could be found as far as north Africa.


DRAWING COMMENTARIES

When I first started looking into the history of pre-colonial Africa, amongst all the great empires, states and kingdoms, Zimbabwe is something that didn't caught my attention. Indeed, perhaps its history is something that has yet captured the imagination of people in general, but when I looked into the the Great Zimbabwe, my heart was touched. Because to know a place, seemingly unrelated and unknown, was actually part of the big global network of trade, was rewarding. It really helped to solidify my views that Africa, was indeed, a continent full of wealth and dynamic history comparable to that of Asia, Europe and the New World.

The challenge for me was to draw the actual historical representation, because historical descriptions of how the warriors look, both men and women, of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe and its predecessor, are either virtually non-existent, very hard to find or simply undiscovered. However, I took up my inspiration from its descendants, the Shona Tribes as well as the Zulus, studying what they wore and what its significance was, to come up with this image.

In this drawing, Queen Izibongo is drawn in a rather mix of stylistic elements, combining various elements of Tribal Shona and Zulu war dress. Her headdress, is made up of Lion's mare, signifying great strength, though historically speaking, it was exclusively worn only by men who defeated a lion in hunting. Underneath that, she wears a gold cap/headgear, as well as various necklaces and bracelets made up of gold beads, signifying her tremendous wealth and status. Interestingly enough, initially I wanted to draw her half-nude due to lack of attires to choose from, but instead, decided to use Cow tail which hung from her shoulder. Cattle was (And still is) considered prized possession, and in such harsh climate, it signified one's wealth. Similar fashion could be seen in the depictions of Zulu Warrior. The Dagger she is holding is speculative, and possibly something obtained from trade while her shield is a traditional cow-hide shield.

The drawing is meant to depict her in focus, probably praying while being surrounded by dancing and chanting warriors,priest as well as retainers. I have included the stone structures found in Great Zimbabwe in the background to add more flavor to the image.

[...]

HISTORICAL COMMENTARIES


Trade was no stranger to this part of region along the central and sou then east-coast of Africa, but for trade activities to be established, one must have valuable commodities to begin with. The Trade along the Swahili coast connected this part of Africa with the rest of the world, from Europe, Persia, Arabia, India and even as far as China. From Ivory, Cloth, Glass, Weapons to other, goods, archeological evidences have pointed out that even since ancient time Swahili coast had been bustling with merchants, but what attracted them the most, was a commodity so valuable in every language, a commodity we know as gold.

Gold was indeed the thing that made this area glitter for merchants, and it was from this, we can trace back the history of the kingdom and people that controlled their trade and sources, the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. But, to understand the importance of Kingdom of Zimbabwe, one must also understand what influence it had with the trading activities. We can trace this to the trading hub along the Swahili coast called Rhapta, which was mentioned in the records of Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Greco-Roman records of voyages and trade routes from the Roman Ports in Egypt, along the read sea, North-east and eastern Africa, as well as India as early as mid 1st century AD. Rhapta itself had been considered almost mythical by scholars who debated its actual location, but recent archeology have uncovered pieces of potteries, both local and foreign, along the banks of Rufiji river, and was believed to link the gold trade from Zimbawe. If one were to go further into inland, another trade outpost called Manyikeni, also mentioned to have linked the lucrative trade that connected the interior and the Swahili coast, with gold as its most valuable commodity. Another evidence can be found by looking at the artifacts left behind by the Kilwa Sultanates, whose gold was brought from Zimbabwe interior. Evidently, all of these has strong connection to the great Kingdom of Zimbabwe and its gold, but what do we know of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe?

Historically speaking, the Kingdom of Zimbabwe was preceded by an even older kingdom, called the Mapungubwe, located at the confluence of Sahshe and Limpopo rivers, in what is now the Limpopo province of South Africa. Its origin and culture are still shrouded in mystery, but archeologist postulated that it was a highly rigid society, with complex social division and mastery in gold metal-working. The Kingdom was postulated to be founded somewhere in late 11th century, and lasted till early 13th century. At its height, it had about 5000 population and controlled vast resources of gold. this is supported by the remains of gold artifacts, such as gold beads, rhinos and headgear recovered from the burial site at Mapungubwe Hill.

However, somewhere in the early 13th century, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe ceased to exist, but the survivors and the rulers migrated to Zimbabwe plateau and established the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. The Kingdom itself was said to have been very powerful, and exacted tributes from neighboring clans, tribes and settlements which numbered more than 150, while at the same time controlled vast amount of gold. They also built sophisticated mortar-less stone structures, the greatest of which can be found in Great Zimbabwe. It was from this gold that the Kingdom of Zimbabwe prospered, attracting merchants to trade their goods. Apart from the precious metal, ivory, glass, slaves and weapons were also traded.

But in the early 15th century, another state called the Mutapa was founded, and proceeded to developed itself to be the main political and economic power in Zimbabwe. The rivalries fragmented the state, which caused the collapse of Kingdom of Zimbabwe, giving rise to several independent and fragmented proto-shona powers in the region. The disunity damaged the gold trade, and in turn, severely affected the economy along the Swahili Coast. With the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, conflict arose and saw most of the trading city states in decline and eventually, Mutapa itself came under the control of Portuguese and became its colony.

With the successive colonial governments, the History of Kingdom of Zimbabwe became largely forgotten until recently. Still, what remains of the Kingdom and this great civilization stand as a remainder that even in the seemingly furthest frontiers of southern Africa, it was a place of powerful and sophisticated African kingdoms, unlike the backward and barbaric tribes it used to be associated with.

Malkia Bikumbwa of Uflame Waswaili (Bantu Swahili) by Gambargin on DeviantArt

Spoiler

A concept drawing of the South Eastern African (Bantu/Swahili or Banto-Persian) Woman Warrior as part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited which aims to portray Women Warriors in a fictitious historical settings based on AD 800s - AD 1400s era of warfare. She represents the medieval equivalent of the trading power along the Swahili Coast during its height, like that of the Kilwa Sultanate, Mombasa, and Zanzibar City States.

Inspired by the Song: Baba Yetu - Lord's Prayer sung in Swahili


INTRODUCTION

Every medieval historian, or those that are aware of medieval history, when introduced with the term "Trading City-States", the first association that comes in mind would undoubtedly be the Italian City States, like Venice, Pisa, Genoa, almafi and other Italian Merchant Republics. This much I can say is true, but if we go beyond the border of Europe, and into the continent which we so often overlooked, Africa, lies competing urban-metropolises and trading city states/sultanates along the South Eastern Coast of the continent which we refer today as Swahili Coast. It was a vibrant trading region, whose wealth and riches came from trading exotic goods to Arabia, Persia and India along with several centers of cultural melting pot. To many of us, this is something which we rarely hear, but to the Arabs, Persian, Indian and even the Portuguese who made contact with the powers of Swahili coast, it was a place of awe and astonishment.


DRAWING COMMENTARIES

When it comes to portraying the warriors or even female warriors of the Swahili Coast, I find it rather easy for my imagination to run wild. First of all, I chose the Kilwa sultanate as the basis for the portrayal, mainly because it was a cultural melting pot for the Bantu People, as well as migrants from Persia and Arabia. You would probably notice with the armament and her attires, and given her status as depicted here, I find it more justice to present her image like this, as compared to the traditional tribal Bantu amazons which we often associated with in popular media.

As you can see, Queen Bikumbwa is drawn in a mixed or stylistic armors and armaments. Her head-dress, which covers her ornate but simple metal helmet/cap, is of indigenous construction but with added oriental decoration. She wears a quilted armor on top of her chainmail, both of which covers her richly decorated dress. While chainmail could be made locally in this region, most of them would have been expensive imports; on the other hand, her Quilted armor, which is similar to the European gambeson, was much more commonly worn in both Sahara and Sub-Saharan armies, being easier to construct and obtained. What signifies her status, apart from the expensive attires, are her weapons which includes richly decorated dagger and straight sword based on that which were used by the Kilwa's and Zanzibar's sultans. As for her decorated metal shield, it's an expensive import, most likely from Persia, again, proudly displaying her wealth.

Given her background, she isn't exactly Bantu, rather, a mix of Bantu, Arab and Persian Heritage, because it was rather tricky to draw an African female face. Besides, I wanted to portray her image as a ruler of a powerful and rich kingdom, not as one who wages near-ending war, but someone who excels in administration and leadership. Not sure the drawing turned out the way i wanted to be

While this portrayal seems to display her and her retinues/guards in the background, fully armed and armored, in reality the actual armies would actually be very small in comparison to Europe and the Orient. The smaller size is attributed to the fact that, it was not wealth that made mustering large army near to impossible, but rather, the logistical aspect. Limited food and water resources, hostile environments and equally hostile terrain, plus the ever present danger of diseases, drastically limits the numbers of troops on the field, as well as the length of military campaign.

[...]

HISTORICAL COMMENTARIES


The region which is referred to as the Swahili coast, had been home to some of the most vibrant history of Africa. Today, it is home to one of Africa's economic powerhouse, Kenya, but also some of the poorest like Tanzania and Uganda and Mozambique. Disregarding the economic prosperity, the region is rich with natural resources and mineral deposits that are vital to the demands of modern day industries. Historically speaking, in the past, the Swahili coast was home to some of Africa's dynamic ruling power and cultural development.

The term Swahili Coast is coined from the numerous number of Swahili Speaking people that inhabited the coastal region of Southeast Africa. Swahili itself was originally part of the Bantu language family, but centuries of Arabic Influence and various inter-cultural mixing resulted in a distinct, unique language and culture called the Swahili, derived from the Arabic word Sawahil which means "Coast".

Historically speaking, mainstream paleanthropology pointed out that this region is one of the most possible place of the origin for the earliest Modern Human Migration, a theory commonly known as the OOA "Out of Africa" or academically RSOH "Recent Single-Origin Hypothesis". Moving forward into 2000 BCE, a migration period called the "Bantu Expansion" saw the mass movement of proto-bantu (A branch of Niger-Congo Language) and then, bantu speaking people into the region. The process was gradual and lasted for millennias, depending on which study to take into account, it ended somewhere in the 11th century AD. By then, several Bantu speaking tribes and societies had settled in the region and called it their home.

When it comes to the Historical documentation, the region is mention in the Roman Documentary called the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, which outlines the trade journey and interests from the Roman Egyptian port, along the red sea and into the Indian Ocean. The name Rhapta is mentioned as one of the marketplace along the coast of Azania, to which, based on recent archeological findings of Ancient Roman trade items, is situated in the Mafia islands. Other findings gave a closer location to the mainland and further inland, which strengthen the evidence of trade activities in the region since classical antiquity. Not only that, both the Indian and the Chinese documented contacts with the Bantu people from trading settlements along the Zanzibar island, Kenya and as far as south of Tanzania.

During the middle ages, especially after the Great Islamic Expanison in the 8th Century, numerous Arab and Persian merchants, traders and later on, refugees, made contact with the Bantu speaking people of the region and settled alongside them. This resulted in a rich and vibrant mix of Bantu, Arabic and Persian culture, which developed into several Swahili City States, similar to that of Italian City States. It is from here that several powerful sultanates began to grow and established their trading power, rivaling the Somalians to the north.

For example, the Sultanate of Kilwa or the Kilwa Sultanate, ruled the Swahili coast from 10th century till the beginning of 16th century. The origin of the ruling class could be traced back to the Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi, a Persian Prince from Shiraz born of Persian father and Abyssinian Mother. Story has it that he migrated to Mogadishu after being excluded from inheritance, taking dome of his loyal followers with him. After failing to get on the good side of the ruling somalian elite, he sailed further south and bought the island of Kilwa from the local Bantu. Due to the strategic position of Kilwa, it made it a more lucrative destinations for merchants, and with the new richest that comes with it, the Kilwa Sultanate was born. The successive rulers tried to compete and wrestle trade power over the region, and in late 12th century, successfully took control of Sofala, a main trade port for Gold and Ivory coming from Great Zimbabwe and Mutapa Interior. This allowed the Kilwa to expand their influence and expeditions, and finally, in the late 15th century, they claimed overlordship over the mainland cities of Malindi, Inhambane and Sofala and the island-states of Mombassa, Pemba, Zanzibar, Mafia, Comoro and Mozambique (plus numerous smaller places), which essentially the region that became the Swahili Coast.

When the portugese came into the region in the 1498, they came with a mission to control and dominate the trade, as well as bringing in christian missionaries in an attempt to Christianize the Swahili Coast. Unlike the other Tribal region and Kongo whom the Portuguese, encountered, the Swahili put up strong resistance against the colonization effort by the portugese. Though the Portuguese managed to dominate the Kilwa and reduced it to several small city states, they failed to achieve total control over the swahili coast, and were driven out in the 17h century. The remaining surviving small cities became protectorates of Sultanate of Oman, while those that came under the control of Portugues Colony, would later become part of Mozambique.

Ina Boqor Ahmara of Suldanaada Asumaliya (Somalia) by Gambargin on DeviantArt

Spoiler

A concept drawing of the Eastern African (Somalian) Woman Warrior as part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited which aims to portray Women Warriors in a fictitious historical settings based on AD 800s - AD 1400s era of warfare. She represents the Islamic sultanates that ruled Much of the Horns of Africa in the middle ages, such as that of the Warsangali, Ifat, Adal, Ajuran Sultanate, as well as a general representation of Somalian Culture in the series.

Inspired by the music: Barra Barra by Rachid Taha (Algerian Arabic)


INTRODUCTION

The region of Somalia has their share of great historical legacy along with their Ethiopians neighbors to the west, but unfortunately, that legacy is buried under the negative modern perceptions, caused by warring infighting between factions amidst the instability, famine and refugees, as well as rampant violence with pirate activities that plagued the region along the Somali coast. But little do we know, that this region was home to some of the most powerful trade powers that linked richest from India and Indonesia to africa and eventually, Europe. Apart from that, Islam has a strong connection to Somalians, since the presence of muslims here is as old as the history of Islam itself.


DRAWING COMMENTARIES

When it comes to representing the Somalian women warriors, I had to get on my creative side as resources are very scarce, especially concerning the armaments and attires that fits the anachronism and the inaccuracies that is the trademark of the series. On the other hand, what I do know is that the Somalians had been trading with the Arab and Indian world. which would gave the hint as how the equipments would look like. In this drawing, Princess (Ina Boqor) Ahmara is represented in a rather aggressive image, with a stylized shield and generic chainmail armor which could be found in the arabic world. Her Helmet however, is influenced by Indo-persian style worn by the Muslim Sultanates of North India. On the other had, the dagger and the fabric are based on indigenous design. Such equipments were common amongst the elite warriors of Somalia of those time.

Women Warriors in this part of the world are no strangers in the pages of History, so I'm assuming she may not be historically wrong afterall

Drawn as part of the Women Warriors of Africa in the Historically Wrong Sketch Series, featuring 5 distinct African cultures represented in the series Anachronism and Historically Inaccurate depictions

[...]

HISTORICAL COMMENTARIES

What do you know about Somalia? What do we know about this part of the world that we have not yet seen from whatever it is depicted in the media? Somalia, the region and country that was one of the most devastated region in the late 20th century due to civil war, has been immortalized in the movie "Black Hawk Down". Feuding rival clans vying to control Mogadishu, and for the most part, Somalia, had left the country in ruins, with millions of refugees trying to escape the conflict (whom you would have seen in many somalian diaspora in your country), while the others 300,000 who were unfortunate, perished from starvation in the famine of biblical scale that took place. If the number is not very convincing, that is roughly 80% of the population of Montgomery. The region has also been noted for its notorious pirate activities, but nevertheless, has seen a slow recovery in growth of post civil-war era.

But did we know that these region was also home to some of the most powerful kingdoms that held major influence on trade coming from India, Indonesia and land as far as China? Indeed. Horn of Africa was an important trade center, even since its early historical records. The Egyptian of the Old Kingdom in ancient time recorded the land of Punt, which includes modern day Somalia. The region containts many pyramidal structures, archeological artifacts, abandoned structures as well as stone walls, denoting of a highly cultured and settled civilization as far as 2 millenium BCE. Even during the classical antiquity, the Persians, fellow eastern African as well as the Roman empire relied on the Somalians for the lucrative and prosperous trade which link red-sea and Mediterranean sea , bringing exotic and riches from India and Indonesia.

Just like how the Ethiopians adopted Christianity in its early time, the History of Islam is connected closely to the Somalians. When some the followers of Muhammad (PBUH) were heavily prosecuted from the Quraysh, they sought refuge at the Court of the Aksumite Emperor in the city of Zeila (Saylac in Somalia). The Muslims refugees were granted their protection and some of them settled in many regions of the Horns of Africa, assimilating as well as spreading the new Teachings of Islam. When the majority of the Arabs were converted to Islam, this brought a deep impact to the Somalians, who had been their long trading partners and many further started to adopt the religion. Also, the instability within the arab world at that time led to some Arabs settling down in horn of Africa, which contributed to the accelerating the pace for the Somalians to convert to islam due to its newfound popularity. These led to numerous sultanates being born, like the Warsangali, Mogadishu, Ifat, Adal, and Ajuran Sultanate. They enjoyed prosperous trade with their neighbour, and for the most part of the medievlal world, the Somalians maintained a friendly and tolerant relationship with their fellow Christians, as well as their Christians Ethiopian neighbors.

It was a golden era for the Somalians, whose wealth and power were often left unnoticed or unheard to the ears and eyes of many. I feel really sad that there anot many people who are interested to study this beautiful part of the world

Nigiste Nigist Zala of Mangisa Abisinia (Ethiopia) by Gambargin on DeviantArt

Spoiler

A concept drawing of the Eastern African (Ethiopian) Woman Warrior as part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited which aims to portray Women Warriors in a fictitious historical settings based on AD 800s - AD 1400s era of warfare. The faction Mangisa Abisinia is a corrupted name of Abyssinia, the actual name of the Abyssinian Empire that ruled much of Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as the representation of medieval Miaphysite Christians kingdoms in Nubia.

Drawn while listening to: Hamadoun Toure by Toumani & Sidiki Diabaté


INTRODUCTION

Ethiopia and the surrounding land, including Nubia, had been home to some of the oldest civilizations which dates back even to the times of ancient Egypt. It was also one of the region where Christianity took its root, much earlier than the rest of Latin world and Europe. This is probably one part of Africa whose legacy is one of the best preserved, since Ethiopiahas remained independent to this day, when the rest of Africa fell into the colony of Europe's major powers.


DRAWING COMMENTARIES

In this drawing, Empress Zala Maryam Negasizana is drawn in somewhat stylistic armor found throughout the history of Ethiopia. The Helmet is unique to the warriors of Danakil, hailing from the desert in North East Ethiopia, located in Afar Triangle. The fur (maybe from ostrich?) cloak is somewhat represented in various portrayal of Ethiopian warrior and her shield is a richly decorated ethiopian shield produced in the later period of 15th century and beyond. Chainmail was worn by the Ethiopians during the middle ages, mostly by the noble elites and the ruling class due to its expensive cost (most were imported). Also, I have made the stylization on the cross and banners to further emphasize the religious nature of the faction. Of course, Women warriors in this part of the world are no strangers. Nubia and Ethiopia are famous for its queen, empress and women warriors since classical antiquity.

Perhaps what is most interesting part which I found from learning about Ethiopia is that, It was one of the earliest nation that adopted Christianity as a state religion after Armenia, long before it was adopted by the Roman Empire. Although, in terms of Christology, the Church of Armenia and the Church of Ethiopia, which are considered "Oriental Orthodox", belongs to the term Miaphysitism. This doctrine was rejected by the Council of Chalcedon in attempt to reconcile and standardized the liturgical and theological difference within the world of Christianity at that time, whose Christology became the basis for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox as well as the Protestants. Indeed, the world of Christianity is very diverse, and i would like to explore this more. Though, that will probably come on for a different day

Drawn as part of the Women Warriors of Africa in the Historically Wrong Sketch Series, featuring 5 distinct African cultures represented in the series Anachronism and Historically Inaccurate depictions

[...]

HISTORICAL COMMENTARIES


Now, writing about this part of the world as a representation of Ethiopians is a bit tricky. There's the Ethiopians, but I must also not overlooked the region south of the Nile River, whom historian also refers to Nubia. Since the setting of the series is in medieval period, both region came under Christianity so I suppose I had to explore both.

The earliest historical record for Ethiopia was present during the times of Ancient Egypt, more specifically, in the times of the Old Kingdom. The Egyptians referred the region as the land of Punt, or Pwene, denoting the trading partners of the kingdom on which woods, Myrrh, gold, ivory and other goods were important trading goods. The exact location of the land is still a subject of debate, but the Egyptians maintained in their records that they send plenty of voyages and expeditions into the area. Another mention which can be found in many of the scriptures of the Old Testament as well as Quran, was the State of Sheba that ruled the region (although, scholars pointed out that the centre of power was in Yemen). Perhaps Sheba was famous for the narration between King Solomon/Sulaymain (PBUH) and Queen Sheba. It was not until the time of classical antiquity when the Greeks who ruled Egypt refer to the region south of their border as Aethiopia, a term used for the people living south of Egypt, most notably the kingdom of Kush as well as the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa.

But somewhere in the 7th century BCE, rose the first Kingdom that ruled the region, whose name historians referred to as Kingdom of D'mnt. There were very few historical records that remained to this day about the Kingdom, though near the 1st century AD, it somehow disappeared, paving the way for the Aksumites to rise in power, creating the Aksumite Kingdom. It's beginning is also quite a mysterious one, though the State of Aksum appeared many historical records of its neighbors. Christianity came to this land somewhere in early 4th century AD, on which the Aksumites adopted it as state religion after Armenia, the 2nd nation to do so in the History of Christianity. It maintained healthy trade relationship with its neighbors, reaching as far as India and Ceylon, as well as keeping communications with the Byzantine Empire. At around the same time as the rise of Islam in the 7th century, the power of the Aksumites grew weaker and became de-established due to numerous factors which are pretty much still under debate by historians.

By this time, the history of the Ethiopia can be divided between the Solomonids and the Zagwe. Between the 10-11th century, rose another powerful Dynasties, the Zagwe, which rules certain smaller portion of the land compared to the Aksumites, and developed a relatively dormant and peaceful urban states. The technological and stability during the reign of the Zagwes were praised by historians, attributed to the fact that the Church and the state was very closed linked as well as having 3 of its Kings canonized as saints. On the contrary, the Solomonids were more agressive and ruled a much larger part of the region, whose dynastic line claimed their ancestry on the previous Aksumites. The Solomonid established their rule from the Abyssinian highlands, and proceeded with expanding from there on. Trough successful military and social reforms, the Solomonids managed to establish Military dominance over the region exacting tribute from conquered province, establishing one of the most powerful empire in the region, the Ethiopian Empire, whose nation could proudly boast their independence until now, unlike the other African nations that came under the colonization of European Powers.

On the other hand, the history of Nubia offers a slightly different picture compared to the Ethiopians. Although it shared the same historical account with the Ethiopians during the time of the Kingdom of Kush, after its fall, the region came under the control of Meroetic Kingdom. The kingdom was famous for the remains of its pyramids, reffered to as Nubian Pyramids. Perhaps their matriarchal society was famous for producing many powerful queens and the power of women within the ruling class, both politically and militarily. The Meroetic Kingdom also maintained trade relationship with the Mediterranean world, India and Arabs. Historical records also mentioned that the society adopted and incorporated some aspect of Hellenistic culture as well as the Indian Hindu culture in their life. By the 4th century BCE, the Meroetic kingdom suffered from numerous incursion from the Nobatian people in the north, and the growing Aksumites states. The Aksumites successfully subjugated the region in mid 4th century, forever erasing the Meroetic Kingdom from the map.

What follows after that in the middle ages, was the successive Christian states that ruled the region, the Makurians, the Nobadians as well as the Alwa. These three kingdoms carried their legacy from the previous Meroetic aristocracy, with its matriarchy as well as adopting many Greek titles, emulating the Byzantines whom they hold friendly relationship with. The earliest records of contact with the Nubian Kingdoms were accounted by both the Greeks and the Coptic Church. The traditional accounts referred to the Christian Missionaries sent by Empress Theodora (yes, that Theodora, the wife of Justinian the great) of Byzantine Empire to Nobatia in mid 6th century, although Christianity had already penetrated the region much earlier. With the Rise of Islam in the 7th century, the Arab Muslims who now ruled egypt, became a threat to their independence. Despite the growing threat and military expedition sent by the Muslim armies into the region, the Christian Kingdoms of Nubia managed to hold its ground, leaving the Arabs to abandon any attempts to conquer Nubia by force, ending with the treaty of Baqt that lasted for at least 7 centuries. The Nubian maintained their independence and prosperity throughout the 9th and 10th century before collapsing in the early 14th century and became increasingly Islamized and Arabized.

Nigiste Negest Bekele of Mangisa Abissinia by Gambargin on DeviantArt

Spoiler

A concept drawing for the Abyssinian Woman Warrior from the Project: Blood and Steel, a part of Historically Wrong Sketch Series based on the 17th Century Era Warfare. The inspiration comes from reading the History of Abyssinia (Modern day Ethiopia), and she is roughly based on the Miaphysite Christian Kingdom that ruled the region, like the Historical Ethiopian Empire. I'm not really that good in drawing African people and their dark skin, so please pardon the shortcoming.


Inspired by the song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Pxc-… - Baba Yetu (Lord's Prayer sung in Swahili)


Africa, for most of the time, has always been portrayed by the modern media as the source of conflicts, ongoing warfare, famine and despotic governments. No one of us can deny this, and certainly not myself, and sadly speaking, its great culture, people and civilization remains relatively Unknown to many of us. While various media portrayal of African Women Warrior has been that of a fantasized and objectified image (Just search African Warrior Women in DA), my aim of this drawing is to increase the awareness that Africa deserves a better portrayal in media. There are many great civilizations that ruled this diverse and rich continents, and it was a challenge to pick one that represents the faction in the historically wrong sketch series. After much selection and discussion with my friend, i chose the Ethiopians (Abyssinians) as the basis for inspiration.

We must not forget our historical lesson, that Ethiopia was considered as the place where the early modern humans (Homo sapien sapiens), at least 200,000 years go, first existed. The early classical antiquity did recorded an ancient kingdom D'mt, although it disappeared into obscurity, until the rise of the earliest ethiopian sovereignity, Axum or the Aksumite, or historically referred as Abyssinia . One thing to note, the Axum were the first major empire that adopted christianity, after Armenia, long before the religion spread to Roman Empire and the rest of Europe. It is also the site of the first Hijrah, where the prosecuted followers of Prophet Muhammad in its early stage of Islam, fled and sought refuge. Throughout the middle ages and beyond, the Abyssinian ruled much of the horn of Africa, exchanging rulers several time, and even managed to defeat european forces during the colonization of africa in 19th-20th century. The Ethiopian managed to maintain their independence while the rest of Africa being colonized, an achievement worth a mention.

They have some of the world's richest history and culturally rich people, with wealth and power that envied many of their neighboring powers. Perhaps, reading more about their history would change the way we think of Africa, one of the world's most diverse and rich continent.


In anycase, the character and woman warrior of this series, Nigiste Negest Bekele Negasizana, is the Queen regent of the Kingdom of Abyssinia, and dressed in stylized typical ethiopian war attires, highly influenced by the Miaphysite religion that is embraced in real-life. Her ancestry can be traced to the Woman Warrior from the previous series, Queen Zala Mangesa . Warrior women in africa is not uncommon, from the time of the Nubians till the modern age, there are many accounts of Women who partake in battles, and equally trained alongside the men, one famous example would be the Dahomey amazons. Although, the accuracy of the dress may not be the best, but certainly she is not the type of Warrior Woman who would dress in loincloth or bare-clothing (if any, at all), as depicted in many media.

As a Queen leading her men in battle, just imagine what short of responsibilities and burden that she must carry. Every men she lead, is a father or a son to their families, and their death would made many young children orphans, Wifes to be widows, and parents to be childless. Each men put trust and belief in their queen, that she would take care of their life, or their families should they perished in battle. To be able to hold such trust and responsibilities, demands a person of extraordinary strength and mentality, as such, her image is much more than that of a fantastic African amazons who captured the heart of men with just her "physical" attributes.

Dedicated to my friend from western africa, i really miss the time where we had good food and wonderful hospitality . Also, many thanks for the suggestions and feedback contributed by the kind deviants on my recent journal, in shaping this character

Women Warriors of Africa - Concept Drawing by Gambargin on DeviantArt

Spoiler

My first attempt at drawing African Women Warriors as a part of my Historically Wrong Sketch. Their attires were based on the stylized dress and armor used by the Ethiopian Kingdoms such as the Axum, Abyssinia as well as Makuria and also the ones used by the Western African superpowers, the Mali Empire. I tried incorporating a few elements of the armor used by the Europeans and Arabs, given that these two people would have had trades contact with their northern neighbors. Still, this may not be the most accurate depictions, but I'm open to correction from those that knows better .

In my opinion, popular media often neglects the legacy of various African Kingdoms before the colonization period. Furthermore, their women warriors were often depicted in clothing which would be more appropriate for swimsuit calendar than the actual fighting itself, of course, this does not include the ones actually used during battle-rituals (where some of the African tribes uses very little clothing). Hence, after a discussion with my colleague, hopefully this drawing will bring the light to the African legacy.

Contrary to the (ignorant) popular belief that Africa is mostly inhabited by tribes of nomads and hunter-gatherers, it is actually home to some of the most influential and powerful civilization that the world had seen.

Let us take a look at the eastern Africa; If you were to read the history of Ancient Egypt, you would come across the Nubians, who at one time, conquered the Egyptians and became their Pharaohs. These people came from southern Nile region which incorporates modern day Egypt and Sudan. Another one to mention would be the Abyssinian (Modern day Ethiopia), who ruled a powerful Myaphysite Christian kingdom such as the Axum and Malkuria. It is actually worth the mention because they managed to defeat the Egyptian forces under the Rashidun Calipate in the battle of Dongola in 642, that halted their expansion towards southern region of Africa for a brief period.

If we go further to west, you will find one of the richest, greatest and powerful Empire of Mali in the high middle-ages. This great African power rose to its greatest height under The Great Mansa I Musa, who establish a scientific, political and commercial center in its capital Timbuktu, who is said to have attracted merchants, scholars and other intellectuals as far as Middle East and Asia. On the other hand, one must also take note of the other great empire such as the Kanem-Bornu and the legendary Kingdom of Hausa.

Meanwhile, historically speaking, the concept of Women Warriors in the history of Africa is actually very common. The Ancient Kingdom of Kush had queens who fought in battle called the "Kendake". Several of the nomadic tribes also practiced combat-ritual which includes women as the participant. If you were to look at the various history the many African kingdoms and empires, you will find that not only their women at some point occupied positions of power, they were also responsible for launching warfare, subjugating rival states and improving the socio-economic condition of their realm. If you really want to tickle your curiosity about african warrior women, please search "Dahomey Amazons".

If the Greeks had attributed the "Amazon" to the Iranians (Scythians), perhaps we should also attributed similar title to the Women of Africa

===================================================

In this drawing, the first one on the right is Djire Kambine from the Njimi Empire, based on the Empire of Mali. The second one on the left, is Regent Zala Mangesa of Axum from the Kingdom of Maqurra, based on the Abyssinian Kingdoms of east Africa.

Djire Kambine is drawn with the stylized clothing worn by the nobility of Mali, with mail shirt underneath, whereas Zala Mangesa is depicted wearing a hauberk with Nubian headress and longbow. The mail or other types of metal armors would have been common in Africa, given the historical period, they would have obtain it from trades with the Greeks, Romans, Byzantine and Arabs.

Inspired by the music: Babaa Maal - Hunger (Sung in Fula Language by a Senegalese Artist - the song speaks about peace)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqOmbQ…

 

Pulsar issue #1 by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

Spoiler

Cyberpunk fun.
All original ideas that I just rolled with as I painted. Turned into a fake book cover. I also wanted to show you guys that I'm no one-trick pony. There is no fluff or lore.The only plan I had is I wanted to paint a guy with that awesome high flat top peroxide colour hair like Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man and obnoxious pink Bret Hart sunglasses. Unfortunately the scanner does not show just how pink they are. I knew I wanted some big chrome letters but I didn't know what I wanted it to say, something with an "er" or "ar" just a big woody word with some "oomf". What does it mean? Doesn't matter. It's a big woody word with some oomf.

 

Porco Rosso dogfight fixed by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

 

Eostre 2021 by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

 

I ought to watch that movie again, some of the scenes were beautiful.

 

Commission - Blue Jays 2021 by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

Spoiler

I've been busy with commissions, I know you're not really here for my baseball paintings Especially as most of my fans seem to be European (you never know who will enjoy them) but perhaps you ARE interested in a painting of your favourite sports figures?

Baseball poses are HARD because they don't exist in a setting outside the game, they're very unnatural looking and it's difficult to figure out proportions, like where the muscles flex and bend etc. Even if you are just working from a photograph it is still important to understand this so you can make your own adjustments. Even moreso as every player has a different batting stance, gloves, sleeves, pads. And then there's the foreshortening on the bat! The logo, the numbers, I very much underestimated it.

Happy Birthday Willie Mays by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

Spoiler

Ok well Willie turns 90 today.

Obviously you know who he is if you know 'ball.

If you don't well to summarize breifly he's considered by many to be the very best player ever.

With the deaths of so many legendary baseball players I find it impossible to keep up, thankfully I had time to do a quick painting of the Say Hey Kid. I'd like to do one of Hammerin' Hank eventually.

 

Dune Stillsuit doodle by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

 

Kaine (Nier Replicant) by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau shared on his official Facebook page

 

Yojimbo - Mifune Toshiro by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

"Decided it would be fun to paint a film still from Kurosawa, what with his beautiful use of contrast and composition. I actually used two different ones, one for the pose and the other for the background, I adjusted several things."


Throne of Blood by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

"Mifune Toshiro, Shimura Takashi"


Contemplating life and death by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

"Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. - Yamamoto Tsunetomo / Film still painted but heavily edited to include the narrative that I wanted to tell. / Seiji Miyaguchi as Kyuzo from Seven Samurai"


Takashi Shimura sketch by deWitteillustration on DeviantArt

"from Seven Samurai / He only has one sword in the film, the other sheath in his belt is a knife. oh well, he can be like Musashi."

 

from

Spoiler

 

Earth Mightiest's Foes... by devilkais on DeviantArt

Spoiler

WARNING: We apologize for the lack of activity these last times, it's just that we don't know what we should focus on... also, no refunds.

Yo guys, now that I've pretty much said what needs to be said about the main mutants series, I guess... Maybe I'll eventually talk Bishop's solos, he's cool. Or Maverick cus he's neat... Or Excalibur, if I ever went insane or found the proper type of smack to get hooked on.
For the time being, let's switch to that other big team in Marvel Comics that pretty much crashed and burnt right after the dude who writes Green Lantern (and Hal Jordan with his boner) left.
As I previously pointed out, I would deal with Avengers in a "distinct" way. You see, some of the initial member ALREADY have their own series and I run after a select few takes. Mostly. Maybe. But since I have a boner for super-villains, I've decided to start there !
And by there, it will include Thunderbolts foes because shut up, THAT book is pretty the X-Force to the Avengers' X-men, a fitting parallel... Except that the "In Name Only" follow-up by John Arcudi was actually awesome while the mutants got the unreadable pile of **** that was X-Statix (If I want something about Reality TV, I'll re-watch Duck Dodgers' final episode, thank you very much...).
I will go from the newest to the oldest of these 10 fine fellows ! OF course people will bitch and moan about my choices. But **** that, I'm the boss 'round here son !
My condition is simple: the candidates must have given the Avengers, Thunderbolts or their affiliates a run for their money... so pretty much what I did for the mutants' antagonists. And by mutants, I mean the 90's has-beens that were heroic and fighting against and not the pretentious ****s that made some pretentious nerds jizz in their pants because AWSO2DEEP4U OR the current sex-cult segregationists (OH we will get to THAT can of mongoworms !). Additionally, the ONLY "X-men VS Avengers" that even has a reason to ****ing exist should be about these 2 !
Plus who knows, my ego realized that since I have the means to go digital and that mere smut fanart has a 1000 times the best quality I can reach, I need to evolve (including revisiting some old stuff...) or croak. The most perceptive of Avengers afficionados may have already guessed who are my favorite Avengers (clue: it's back when that title ****ing meant something !). Let's a go !

PROCTOR
Theme Song: Ditto (Guilty Gear Korean OST)
The final boss of my second favorite Avengers run. Now I don't want to spoil the whole deal about him but I'd say he would have made a more than fitting Exiles villain down the line and had that series not suffered from Bendis' dumbass lust for Mags' rotting decaying cock. Voice-wise, he should sound rather calm and metallic as in trying to mask his natural vocalization.


KORVAC
Theme Song: Oxide Station (Crash Team Racing OST)
You should totally read this arc, it's got the Porcupine!
This is basically what happens when failure and sheer dumb luck result in cosmic abomination... who gives Thor and the 31t century GOTG hell ! And it is even better in the cartoon. Speaking of which, the EMH cartoon gave us the best guardians on screen to team-up with the Avengers and fight Korvac's cosmic brokenness. Great episode, great Troy Baker performance, great series, so of course they cancel it...



BARON HELMUT ZEMO
Theme Song: Propaganda (JJBA: Battle Tendency OST)
I know most of you are surprised to see him maskless and with a face that does not look like cooked strips of bacon, BUT you know me, I either play surgeon with various designs of the same character OR pick one that made sweet love to my tastes. And the way Zemo is here is the result of shenanigans involving penetrating the body of an alternate version of himself (**** I LOVE the counter-earth arc in Thunderbolts ! It's the kind of insanity that makes me love Nicieza's stories and ONE of the reasons I like the Onslaught saga even with its flaws!).
The voice of our dear baron ? Robin Atkin Downes. Though it's interesting that they mixed Heinrich and Helmut there...


ULTRON
Theme Song: Niveneh (E.S. Posthumus)
Basically Dr Hank Pym's biggest error and masterpiece. I obviously went for our robotic boy's "Annihilation Conquest" design because... seriously, LOOK AT IT ! This ****ing thing SCREAMS final Boss ! It YELLS Badass ! And as such, the voice of Machinedramon would suit him. Though, Ultron goes through several shapes. That does guarantee his versatility even if he utterly despise flesh-bags.


THE SUPREME INTELLIGENCE
Theme Song: Brave New World (Iron Maiden)
Now, while the Krees are just as big *******s as the skrulls are, I feel that Jabba the Head here deserves the douche crown of his species for having orchestrated the events of "Operation galactic storm". Founded from the incorporation of the disembodied brains of the greatest statesmen and philosophers in Kree history, it comes up with invariably ****** ideas. Proving that they are a bunch of ****heads... making the few likeable ones exceptions to the rule.


THE DREAD DORMAMMU
Theme Song: And The Heavens Shall Tremble (Diablo III OST)
My favorite Dr Strange villain AND character ladies and gentlemen ! A fellow yours truly relates to in some capacity even if I lack the capacity to absorb dimensions and have their inhabitants worship me for MORE POWAH ! Our good dread one has indeed confronted the Earth Mightiest Heroes and would've succeeded in his conquest hadn't it been for that sexy witch and her mischief-producing powers ! Seriously kids, always handle your occult hazardous items with care. A little art nitpick ?n Never draw his face as a skull, it has to be a face with features immolated with mystical flames.
Whether it is the serious Dormammu of the Classic Dr Strange era (from Stern to Quinn...) or the comedic frustrated faltine of Giffen and DeMatteis, I am always game for a story with him. He even appeared in a cowardly movie where he should've been played by Mads Mikkelsen... but ethnic quotas and creative laziness said otherwise.
Did I mention that Michael T.Weiss KILLED it while voicing him ?


KANG THE CONQUEROR
Theme: Dawn Of Destiny (JJBA-ASB OST)
This guy... Nathaniel Richards became ****ing awesome once Marvel decided "hey, let's NOT job Kang to prop up Dr Doom and, you know, PROPERLY ****ING USE HIM ! That'd be a novel idea".
Kang is easily my favorite Avengers antagonist. Not only did he ruin the life of my favorite X-men antagonist (why the **** don't we get a storyline involving these 2 clashing is anyone's guess but I have my suspicions) BUT he also pulls a whole titan of a scheme JUST TO NOT BECOME IMMORTUS ! And once he's been freed from THAT eventual fate, he kicks off the Kang's Dynasty plan. The man THIRSTS for adventure and challenge moreso than power for power's sake. And if not for genocide, slaughters and senseless loss of human lives, wouldn't that be a motive anyone can admire ?
Also, kudos to Jonathan Adams, that is nailing it !


THE MANDARIN
Theme: Iron Head (Rob Zombie)
What ? You think it's out of favoritism ?! PFAH ! You don't know him ! He's fought the Avengers thrice ! Hell the last time, he was not even that interested in them and still stalled them just to have a calm conversation with Tony. And much to my surprise, there IS a Mandarin in EMH...well...the comic adaptation that is. It is a decent issue for sure BUT, I feel that the writers (had the show not been cancelled !) could have gone for a whole season-long arc with him. Either re-adapting the "Dragon Seed Saga"-"Hands of The Mandarin" (leaving the violence intact) OR fusing the best elements from "Haunted" and "The Future". Those giant squid robots spreading the Extremis treatment ? That's a nightmare more than worth the Avengers' while ! As for his ideal voice, well the way James Sie plays him in the MUA game is a perfect fit, a mix of Jafar and Dr Orpheus. And that theatrality is part of why he's so enjoyable !


LOKI
Theme Song: Insane Aristocracy (Castlevania-Curse Of Darkness)
OK, levelling with you guys and gals, I am talking about the Loki of old. The one they based the first Thor movie portrayal on, the one fought on MUA or EMH, the one who out of pettiness caused the Acts Of Vengeance scheme and who later ended up beheaded still-living and hung on Thor's belt because his bro's ****ing hardcore when pissed-off and ****ing Ragnarok's happening ! Couldn't care less about the ****** Thor sequels' or that whole Dark Reign Cabal horse****... NO, not everyone loves that Loki. In fact Thanos euthanised a dead joke by that time.
Also, yeah, I'd go with Larry Cedar as the voice, I dig the accent...


THE RED SKULL
Theme Song: Werewolf Women Of The SS (Rob Zombie)
Was there any doubt ? After all he is the antagonist of the very last Avengers arc yours truly gives a **** about after all. The dude is a huge part of the Gruenwald's Cap run (that I love very much) and the best thing about the Brubaker's Cap run (that I don't like much...) ... yeah I need to talk about Cap one of these days since I've the picture ready but I gotta work on the text...
And I'll give the crown to Steve Blum. That's how Gru's Johann should sound like !


I hope you enjoyed these ! See ya later my dear audience !

 

Nice, but not very colourful.

khallion: Wonder Mermaid

https://www.deviantart.com/khallion/art/Wonder-Mermaid-681891238

 

Shinnok by devilkais on DeviantArt

Spoiler

And among favorite MK villains, the silver medal goes to the lord of darkness, demise and bones !
You know if they made a proper MK Mythologies remake with the proper corrections (and sticking to the OG timeline), that'd be great. Obviously Shinnok would be voiced by Troy Baker but for Quan Chi, I really hesitate between Ron M.Banks and Rich Divizzio, they both did well. Or HELL, ****ing animate it ! Give Shinnok some animated screen time for **** sake ! Just seeing him calmly troll Bi-Han would be a treat. And have Raiden move his lazy ass and fight, I mean if you have your netherrealm dwelling nemesis freed then you better earn your keep Blunder God !
To this day, I still hold him as the best element from MKX. Dude was likable all the way through and was only defeated by the ****ing script... because lord forbid we focus on MK4's story instead of containing it in one chapter... morons...
Now if you excuse me, ALL DEALS ARE OFF !

www.youtube.com/watch?v=maB1ho…

 

Calendar Man by devilkais on DeviantArt

"And the best version of Julian Day is..."

 

Top 6 "Popular this century" result for when searching for "Youxia" on DeviantArt

20170816 by ShadeShark on DeviantArt



Youxia: Wandering Knight by fong-saiyuk on DeviantArt



Log Horizon Class Variation icons - Anime Style by Sliter on DeviantArt

Spoiler

These are the official class and variation icons, in the anime style version.
I did not designed them, just redrawn from photos/references I've found (except the Samurai and kannagi[also the series logo], I haven't redrawn them, just placed there xD

I plan to update here the more classes icons get released, and them update here.
Free to use, just don't claim as your.
[Download link coming soon]

Youxia, the Wandering Knight by Tanqexe on DeviantArt

Spoiler

Done in early 2003, I believe. It's all getting really blurry now, lol. I've recently started to draw a lot of inspiration from Jin Yong, a prominent wuxia writer of the 20th century. Blame it on my father, who was a big fan when he was a kid and passed his passion for the genre on to me. Youxia (and wuxia) were knight errants of the ancient Chinese dynasties, romanticized by many writers as inhabitants of the Jiang Hu, the martial arts world. The clouds were done remniscent of the stylized ones in Chinese tapestry. Emphasis is to immerse the viewer in the environment rather than the man in the image by putting him in the shadows. (Also, if you're perceptive enough, the way the man folds his "robe" is also indicative of his character)

[ADOPT - Closed] Are you brave enough to adopt me? by Lailyren on DeviantArt

Spoiler

*angry pony noises*


Do you remember when I asked you about some adoption of ocs inspired by RPG fantasy classes?
I made the first of them!

This is Youxia (it's only my sugesttion, you can change the name if you want)
CLASS: Barbarian
Species: Earth pony


Fullbody sketch: Traditional Art > Drawings > Movies & TV" data-super-img="https://pre00.deviantart.net/c123/th/pre/i/2018/050/e/4/quick_sketch__barbarian_by_moonlight_ki-dc3ng6j.jpg" data-super-width="904" data-super-height="884" data-super-transparent="false" data-super-alt="Quick sketch: Barbarian by Moonlight-Ki" data-super-full-img="https://img00.deviantart.net/fe26/i/2018/050/e/4/quick_sketch__barbarian_by_moonlight_ki-dc3ng6j.jpg" data-super-full-width="1024" data-super-full-height="1002" data-sigil="thumb" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: var(--L8);">

sb: 7$ /700
mi: 3$ /300

+ quick little headshot sketch (of any character) for the winner :3

OWNER:

RULES :
- I accept and
- Auction ends after 24 h from latest bid
- Bid by replying on my "Bid Here!" comment, please
- Reply to the highest bidder
- Pay within 48 hours after winning.
- Don't delete/edit your comments, sugarcubes!



Enjoy :3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sb - starting bid - minimum price that you have to give to be able to bid
mi - minimal increase - minimal price that you have to give as reply to other price *e.g. if mi=20pts, someone gave 300pts, then you have to give 320pts or more*

Log Horizon localized class icons by Sliter on DeviantArt

Spoiler

If you know log horizon you would find them similar?
Well if you know more about the series, probably saw that the classes may have localization for different servers, bu without the icons for them so I decided to make it some eras ago ... But recently I've found out that some actually got official icons so I gave up this project...

Capoeirista and Persilat are localisation for Monk class
Templar is for Cleric
Hunter for Assassin
The rest is the "Pirate" and it's localization, that one is Samurai for the Japanese area (and saw on the series).
Here a list of the localization if you want to check out vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/l…

The funny thing is that I've made it with the toughs "I have to do it the way I think the creator would do it, not how I think it's best" (This is why have two viking, I wasn't decided haha) and at end the oficial haven't follow a "pattern" :v oh well

The border was just to present it better :v I've made it for another idea xD

Well, you can use it if you want, just don't tell it yours or earn money from it.