Ostentatious, fearless, brave and courageous warriors, so fearful that even the very devil closed the gates of hell because he was afraid of them... These knights of steel or servants of the land were the warrior elites of the Renaissance, recognizable by their striking features, colorful and extravagant clothing (until then reserved for the clergy and nobility, as they were exempted from the rules of the state and the sanctuary laws) their actions were recorded in legendary battles such as Pavia, San Quintín, the siege of Vienna, or the sack of Rome.

In a period, at the end of the 15th century, in which feudalism was dying —with it the caste system that determined by birth the roles in life— and the art of war was changing, the peasants, craftsmen or servants had the possibility to become by their own merits pikemen, arquebusiers or swordsmen within the new mercenary armies of the emperor. Without a noble title, lineage and ancestry, the Lansquenets were able to become highly paid land soldiers thanks to their impeccable combat technique, their high risk in the battlefield that made their lives "so short and brutal" (Maximilian I).

To approach the Tolkien universe on the anniversary of his death is, in addition to remembering his life and his original work, to approach the myth, his ancestral conception, his values and his wisdom. To travel through Middle-earth with its dragons, hobbits, dwarves, elves, giants, wizards, ents, demons, skin-shifters, orcs, uruk-hais, nazguls, men... through its amazing landscapes, kingdoms and places, and to be left alone with the epic episodes and battles against the diabolic hosts of the dark lord Sauron would be to miss his spiritual teachings.

Through the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings or the Unfinished Stories we can learn from the magical and ancestral wisdom of the great wizards or sacred sages, observe and teach us against corruption, degeneration, weakness, envy, the mastery and ambition that will lead to a scenario of struggle between good and evil, as well as contemplating with hope the incarnation, love, friendship and dedication of archetypal characters with heroic vocation such as Gandalf, Bilbo, Frodo or Aragorn who will give us life lessons.

[Interpretation of Tolkien's original drawing]

To approach the Tolkien universe on the anniversary of his death is, in addition to remembering his life and his original work, to approach the myth, his ancestral conception, his values and his wisdom. To travel through Middle-earth with its dragons, hobbits, dwarves, elves, giants, wizards, ents, demons, skin-shifters, orcs, uruk-hais, nazguls, men... through its amazing landscapes, kingdoms and places, and to be left alone with the epic episodes and battles against the diabolic hosts of the dark lord Sauron would be to miss his spiritual teachings.

Through the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings or the Unfinished Stories we can learn from the magical and ancestral wisdom of the great wizards or sacred sages, observe and teach us against corruption, degeneration, weakness, envy, the mastery and ambition that will lead to a scenario of struggle between good and evil, as well as contemplating with hope the incarnation, love, friendship and dedication of archetypal characters with heroic vocation such as Gandalf, Bilbo, Frodo or Aragorn who will give us life lessons.

[Interpretation of Tolkien's original drawing]

If you are a warrior and you don't have a beard, have it looked at... Let's take a look at history: Leonidas looked impressive with his 300 men…but his bushy beard was equally scary, Ciro and Jerges combed their incredible long beards, while Attila the Hun, whore a very thin but fine beard, in the Ancient Mesopotamia they even wore ringlets on theirs beards!! Let's remember the white beards of the Samurai masters, and the presumptuous Vikings who placed their razor blades in their tombs, what about the gods of Ancient Greece, Zeus or Poseidon...? and then came Alexander the Great and he screwed up by forbidding his soldiers to wear them because in battle their enemies caught them by making them fall off their horses. Neither did the Romans, because they gave them to the gods in their ritual (depositio barbae) of their passage from childhood to adulthood, or the native Indians who shaved like maniacs, and what about the pharaohs who manscaped their balls but wore false beards?? Well, in spite of these and other exceptions, the beard has its own twist and turns and brings out the warrior that exist in each of everyone of us.

If you are a warrior and you don't have a beard, have it looked at... Let's take a look at history: Leonidas looked impressive with his 300 men…but his bushy beard was equally scary, Ciro and Jerges combed their incredible long beards, while Attila the Hun, whore a very thin but fine beard, in the Ancient Mesopotamia they even wore ringlets on theirs beards!! Let's remember the white beards of the Samurai masters, and the presumptuous Vikings who placed their razor blades in their tombs, what about the gods of Ancient Greece, Zeus or Poseidon...? and then came Alexander the Great and he screwed up by forbidding his soldiers to wear them because in battle their enemies caught them by making them fall off their horses. Neither did the Romans, because they gave them to the gods in their ritual (depositio barbae) of their passage from childhood to adulthood, or the native Indians who shaved like maniacs, and what about the pharaohs who manscaped their balls but wore false beards?? Well, in spite of these and other exceptions, the beard has its own twist and turns and brings out the warrior that exist in each of everyone of us.

If you are a warrior and you don't have a beard, have it looked at... Let's take a look at history: Leonidas looked impressive with his 300 men…but his bushy beard was equally scary, Ciro and Jerges combed their incredible long beards, while Attila the Hun, whore a very thin but fine beard, in the Ancient Mesopotamia they even wore ringlets on theirs beards!! Let's remember the white beards of the Samurai masters, and the presumptuous Vikings who placed their razor blades in their tombs, what about the gods of Ancient Greece, Zeus or Poseidon...? and then came Alexander the Great and he screwed up by forbidding his soldiers to wear them because in battle their enemies caught them by making them fall off their horses. Neither did the Romans, because they gave them to the gods in their ritual (depositio barbae) of their passage from childhood to adulthood, or the native Indians who shaved like maniacs, and what about the pharaohs who manscaped their balls but wore false beards?? Well, in spite of these and other exceptions, the beard has its own twist and turns and brings out the warrior that exist in each of everyone of us.

If you are a warrior and you don't have a beard, have it looked at... Let's take a look at history: Leonidas looked impressive with his 300 men…but his bushy beard was equally scary, Ciro and Jerges combed their incredible long beards, while Attila the Hun, whore a very thin but fine beard, in the Ancient Mesopotamia they even wore ringlets on theirs beards!! Let's remember the white beards of the Samurai masters, and the presumptuous Vikings who placed their razor blades in their tombs, what about the gods of Ancient Greece, Zeus or Poseidon...? and then came Alexander the Great and he screwed up by forbidding his soldiers to wear them because in battle their enemies caught them by making them fall off their horses. Neither did the Romans, because they gave them to the gods in their ritual (depositio barbae) of their passage from childhood to adulthood, or the native Indians who shaved like maniacs, and what about the pharaohs who manscaped their balls but wore false beards?? Well, in spite of these and other exceptions, the beard has its own twist and turns and brings out the warrior that exist in each of everyone of us.

Those lively merchants from Syria who, guided by the stars and their magnificent boats, sailed the Mediterranean around 1000 BC until they reached the south of the Iberian Peninsula. They exchanged their products ... spices, oil and wine with the indigenous peoples in exchange for silver, among their most famous settlements is Gadir (current Cádiz) and one of their greatest legacy the alphabet

The first warriors of the Iberian Peninsula were fierce and faithful Iberians who defended with their death their warlords. They were expert riders who carried bows, arrows and the feared Falcata that they used until the end of the battle. Just like the men, the women, in addition to devoting themselves to cattle and cultivation, also participated in the warrior life and in the Assembly where the important decisions of the tribal states were taken. Dedicated to the cult of female deities (symbol of creation & fertility), they also offered rites to the Sun and the Moon. In their temples, adorned with sculptures of sacred wolves —representing the warrior ardour, the cult of the night, the guide in the beyond— magical ceremonies were celebrated by priestesses such as the famous Lady of Elche.

Are you scared? Face your dangers! The courage lies within you. Even if you are afraid, look fear in the face. Give yourself up, be genuine and brave, fight for what you love even if you take risks and sometimes you are misunderstood and do not please everyone. Let nothing frighten you and prevent you from facing your dream. Always play the game, you have a Lionheart.

Courage to face your fears and injustices, like that epic and adventurous medieval knight, descendant of the legendary King Arthur and friend of Robin Hood, the brave monarch Richard I who legend says faced abuse for justice and for his people in times of conspiracies, betrayals, ambitions and expediencies. God knows! In any case, courage!

Horns? Who needs those horns if not to drink beer, mead or whatever you want. If you want to imitate daring Vikings, please stop embellishing and sharpen your axe because your helmet does not have horns. Today this is already evident, but when German Romanticism - well, more precisely, in the illustrated re-edition of the "Saga of Frithiof" - and in Wagner's "Twilight of the Gods") and, later, Vicky the Viking was given to put two antlers on the helmet, we all ate it with potatoes. The damn truth is that in the tombs found there were some horns positioned near their hooves so that they could drink their favourite concoctions on their way to their bloody feast in Valhalla, hence the legendary confusion. Yes, the giants of the North wore helmets, shields, axes and swords, were butchered and worshipped gods such as Thor, Tyr, Freja and Odin, and none of them wore any kind of bony, pointed projection on their heads.

Not everyone who wanders is lost... It could symbolize a compass or the Vegvísir of the giants of the North, but the truth is that it is the adaptation of Da Vinci's Vitruvian man to bring us closer to the Viking anatomy. Clichés aside, were they muscular, tall, blond and blue-eyed, tattooed, with a beard and a big hair that you shit on? Well, yes, with nuances. As for the Scandinavian touch, it must be said that there was also ethnic diversity due to the migrations and abductions around Europe, their strength was that of the multi-faceted farmers who so soon fought, fished or farmed. They were fearful because of their height, the axes, the looting and those "little details" that we have been told about. It must be said that they were no more terrifying and violent than other people or civilizations of the time.

Not everyone who wanders is lost... It could symbolize a compass or the Vegvísir of the giants of the North, but the truth is that it is the adaptation of Da Vinci's Vitruvian man to bring us closer to the Viking anatomy. Clichés aside, were they muscular, tall, blond and blue-eyed, tattooed, with a beard and a big hair that you shit on? Well, yes, with nuances. As for the Scandinavian touch, it must be said that there was also ethnic diversity due to the migrations and abductions around Europe, their strength was that of the multi-faceted farmers who so soon fought, fished or farmed. They were fearful because of their height, the axes, the looting and those "little details" that we have been told about. It must be said that they were no more terrifying and violent than other people or civilizations of the time.

"He was not the most honest or the most pious man, but he was a brave man" P. Reverte.

If you lived dangerously and your life was hanging by a thread, if you defied authority, defending your reason and rights with the proud point of your sword, if you sacrificed yourself and were generous and human, if you were fearless, reckless, arrogant, brave, adventurous, seductive, rogue, loyal, if you were capable of the most heroic but also the meanest actions, if you were guided by your code of honour, if you sought glory on the margins of society and the law, if you lost your innocence in the face of the harsh reality of mud and blood, and if, disenchanted, everyone abandoned you. .. then you were probably an Old Thirdsman, a tired hero in rusty armour, a forgotten anti-hero like a cursed Alatriste.

"He was not the most honest or the most pious man, but he was a brave man" P. Reverte.

If you lived dangerously and your life was hanging by a thread, if you defied authority, defending your reason and rights with the proud point of your sword, if you sacrificed yourself and were generous and human, if you were fearless, reckless, arrogant, brave, adventurous, seductive, rogue, loyal, if you were capable of the most heroic but also the meanest actions, if you were guided by your code of honour, if you sought glory on the margins of society and the law, if you lost your innocence in the face of the harsh reality of mud and blood, and if, disenchanted, everyone abandoned you. .. then you were probably an Old Thirdsman, a tired hero in rusty armour, a forgotten anti-hero like a cursed Alatriste.

Disciplined centurions, medieval knights, furious Spartans, lethal Vikings, honorable samurai, untamed Celts, courageous Thirds, legendary native Indians, fearsome Aztecs... Warriors of the world who have changed history. Idealists and mercenaries faced almost always in cruel and unjust wars. Acts of heroism, bravery and honour are sullied by the most despicable and ruthless actions... The warrior by his activity of Justice, Fortitude and Temperance, has to avoid the effects of the wars, not to invent, to promote, to foment and to live of them.

Disciplined centurions, medieval knights, furious Spartans, lethal Vikings, honorable samurai, untamed Celts, courageous Thirds, legendary native Indians, fearsome Aztecs... Warriors of the world who have changed history. Idealists and mercenaries faced almost always in cruel and unjust wars. Acts of heroism, bravery and honour are sullied by the most despicable and ruthless actions... The warrior by his activity of Justice, Fortitude and Temperance, has to avoid the effects of the wars, not to invent, to promote, to foment and to live of them.

There, at the end of the known land, there is nothing but darkness and fearsome demonic creatures… The Delphic oracle tells that the hero of Greek mythology Heracles (Hercules in Roman) to purify his crimes and compensate before the gods should perform 12 tasks requested by King Eurystheus himself in extremely remote places. His last job took him to the ends of the most distant lands never trod by man. There he fought and killed a 2-headed monster, and placed to signal that he had been at the end of the world two imposing columns (which separated the mountain range from the old and the new world), along with the inscription Non Terrae Plus Ultra, the last frontier of sailors, where not even the most daring sailor should dare to cross...