Why the fish?

Hey peeps,

anybody know what the fish in the Mordheim artwork and some models (Zealot, Possesed Magister) represent? Are they just there to be weird (or Mordheim-y) or do they have some specific background rooted in the fluff (like we hear in the description of the Witch Hunters that some of them wear chains around the neck to protect against magic).

I'm planning to sculp a fish on my warrior priest and I was just curious - it's gonna be there no matter what, because of the weirdness.

Thanks

A

Now THAT is a question that has bugged me as long as I've been into the Mordheim thingy. I still haven't got a clue. I figured someone put a "raining-from-the-skies" fish on a mini &, being a one trick pony outfit, G.W. just continued the idea perpetually like the skulls & overused word like "mighty" & "characterful".

Fish are one of the recurring themes in Mordheim, like playing cards, amputation, checkers, jester hats, laurels, blindfolds, animals in armour and equipment, etc. The fish are there for a few reasons, not just one...

In the UK (and possibly elsewhere) fish are used as shorthand for surrealism, especially in jokes (i.e. How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Fish. and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCwLirQS2-o )

The city is on a river and fish are a major trade product.

And this fella: Hieronymus Bosch. John Blanche is a big fan.

My favourite fish reference though: in the back page of the rulebook, among the credits:

Quote :

No toads or rats were harmed during the production of Mordheim. Several fish were consumed.

My god - there really should be fish-smilies on this forum!!!

My memory is entirely foggy on this one but I swear I could remember reading somewhere that the fish theme was Steve Hambrooks doing. But as I don't have anything to really back me up on this one it is just conjecture.

I read somewhere that it's related to the fish in the Bible.

I read somewhere that it's related to the pickled herring and aquavit that Tuomas Pirinen was living on while writing Mordheim

It's symbolism! :3

"Lastly, in Norse and ancient European cultures, the fish had symbolic meanings of adaptability, determination, and the flow of life. It was observed by these cultures that fish often display enormous attributes of adaptability in the wild, and they adopted these characteristics for themselves. Salmon were commonly revered for their determination in their annual pilgrimage to their spawning grounds – the entire journey swum against the current. "

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-meanings-of-fish.html

A wacky page, but yeah! They're generally considered signs of good luck and determination - it's why people in Eastern Europe paint them on psanki eggs. :3

I took this in Stockholm last summer because it reminded me about of Mordheim.
Also I believe the fish is a symbol on one of the shields of the Mordheim Dwarves