Ancient Board Game --Fitchneal [Irish]

This game is the Irish version of Hneftafl. The board is handcrafted in the USA of cedar wood. Because each board is handmade no two are identical and colors and shades may vary.

The game of Tabut was discovered in Sweden in 1732 and is believed to be the Old Norse board game called Hnefatafk that was mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. . The word hnefatafl is a compound of Hnefi (meaning fist) and Tafl (ultimately from tabula and meaning board). This game was popular in the Viking homelands in Scandinavia as early as 400 AD and was carried by the Vikings to the lands they conquered. Over the centuries the game developed and different versions of the board have been found by archaeologists in sites from Ireland to the Ukraine. Occasionally referred to in manuscripts the game was known as Hnefatafl which means literally "king's table". Its decline began in the 11th century as chess grew in popularity. It soon lingered on only in remote country districts.