Are Barbarians based on Neanderthals?

I know this is silly to ask but Barbarians have neanderthal-like physical features and humans are evolved from them though in real life this is false. I always thought of an MMO with neanderthals as playable race and EQ and EQ2 are the closest to that.

They're not Neanderthal like at all. They're influenced by Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic people.

I agree with Sigrdrifa. Not sure if the Picts are in that list though.

The Picts are a little folk!


If you're thinking of the tattoos, Arabic observer Ibn Fadlan says of the Nordic Rus in his Risala, "Every man is tattooed from finger nails to neck with dark green (or green or blue-black) trees, figures, etc."

Small ? I know they took on the Roman soldiers and are one of the reasons Hadrian's
Wall was built.

Ants can overcome very large creatures too.

They are straight up Scottish Vikings.

Scots weren't Vikings, although Vikings did settle a few colonies around the coasts and islands.

No. My Scot ancesters aren't Vikings, nor Norse. I agree they did settle parts of the British Isles.

A different documentary I watched a few years ago, the curator for a museum in Oslo was very upset that people didn't know Norse went a Viking. He said it was either trade or pillaging. And he was also upset people thought they wore horned helms into battle. He said that was from the people they attacked, to demonize them.

Yeah, the whole horned helmet thing is a crock. Anyone who's spent some time in SCA fighting knows that you want nothing solid protruding from your helmet; that's just an invitation for neck wrenching when it gets hit.

The Picts were smaller in stature, but made up for it in other ways. They most likely used guerilla tactics rather than raising an army against the Romans. They would have known the rugged land like the back of their hand.

Okay. I must have thought someone else north of Hadrian's Wall were Picts.

While your statement about neck wrenching is accurate, it's important to remember the primary tactic used by Vikings (when raiding) was to create abject terror in their enemies, hence the use of horns on helmets. It's hard to take a hit when your enemy is running away from you. Vikings were noted for berserker mode; when your enemy is not afraid to die, it puts a whole new spin on battle. Blackbeard used the same fear technique in the Caribbean when he "set his beard on fire." Japanese kamikaze attacks during WWII put a whole new spin on things.

No, no, no, no. We have exactly ONE surviving Viking Age helmet, from Gjermundbu. It's a simple iron cap with oculars and nasal. If you don't believe me (a historian of the Viking Age!) then check out The Straight Dope's debunking of the horned helmet business.

You should've seen what the ogres looked like in EverQuest Alpha. They were quite literally knuckledraggers.

That is not a silly thing to ask. In fact, my barbarian is very neanderthal like, and that is how I play her. Granted, my entire inspiration of her was the character Donna Noble from Doctor Who, but have you seen her temper? LOL

Barbarians are indeed related to Neanderthals. Not so much in the physical but in the mental arena. You see early life had several "accidents" whereupon broken forms of it evolved. The Gods needed a race of fall guys for the worlds problems and therefore couldn't by proxy give them to much intellect. As we all know barbarians will sit and stare at minor magics for hours on end because it fascinates them so much, or sometimes scares them. They know that rocks are hard because often they hit their heads or other peoples heads with them.

When they discover a food source buried in the ground and after attempting to dig everywhere, they know they could lesson the amount of blood from their fingers by using the thing they hit each other with, which of course are rocks. Rocks in fact play a huge part in the daily life of a barbarian, not only does it provide the means for expressing anger but can also be used to express love to their mates.

The simple fact that the years of harsh weather, falling over, being dragged around, and hit with rocks has made them tough or thick skinned as some call it. That is why they often will stand there in winter weather, in a stream poking themselves or using small rocks to see if various parts of their anatomy can feel being struck. Picking their nose is also very common activity.

Communication consist of a single word "Uggg" or in the plural "Uggga!" which when spoken had many intonations indicating what exactly they are talking about. Often this is accompanied by a physical gesture. This is very similar to a cows "Moo!" only with a few more letters. Note they have no written language because it isn't needed. They can flair their arms and other body part to emphasize their point. Ultimately because of the limits of this "language" it is necessary to include rocks as a form of communication as well. In fact they have a saying about this. First they hit you smack the other in the head with a large rock and then point at their own skull. The clear message being that he was clearly "as smart as a rock". Alternately this can also indicate that one has a headache, context is important to determine this.

EQ2 is all about your story and each character can have their own viewpoint, however:

Barbarians, in lore, are hardly based on Neandrathals. They were created by Mithaniel and Erollisi Marr. Mitaniel Marr is the Truth Bringer and governs the Plane of Valor.

(Zam has a Wiki that details the various EQ2 gods and their creations)

There is also a quest book that can be purchased from the sage in major city of either Freeport or Qeynos that sends the player out to visit map locations to update the book after it is read. It has some information on Barbarians. Once completed the book can be placed in the home.

Barbarians also have a quest given by a mentor in each city (Qeynos or Freeport) that will help barbarians learn about their ancestry and place in the city (because of differences in governing, the two cities have different rewards)

Questing in Halas, Everfrost and the Great Divide can also hold many clues on the origin of the Barbarians. After all, the frozen Northlands are their homes.

Players may notice that Halas also has many Frogloks. They are also children of Marr. Now, some may wonder, how in Halas could that happen, since Frogs and Barbarians are very different. This information can be found at:

eq2.zam.com/wiki/Origin_of_the_Barbarians_and_Frogloks

And on top of that, the "History of Trolls" has a humorous take on the origin of Frogloks.

Anyway, just thought I would toss this bit of lore into the mix.

Not the Great Divide. Barbarians originated from Everfrost, they have nothing to do with the Coldain Dwarves who migrated to Velious.

A Barbarian interested in ancestry, legends, myth and lore, might have great interest in (questing) the lands of Velious, and explore the dungeons.

It is too bad the "burbs" were removed. Graystone Yard is where all the dwarves and barbarians started out after leaving the Isle of Refuge. (EQ2 news article Oct. 1, 2008)

Barbarians and Dwarves may not be from the same place, but their temperament brought them together. I am sure that dwarves interested in Brell and booze would want to drag along a few barbarian friends (and vice versa).

Even the Frogloks are poking around to see what is up.

As Finnegan, The Froglok explorer says, "Travel can lead to many surprises it seems"

Anyways, questing, reading the quests and finding books can give a lot of information. If a player can find a hook into the game with their character, and fit in how they perceive their character, they may enjoy the game and hang around for awhile.