"Then fame and renown of Sigmar, hammer bearer of the High King of the Dwarfs spread far and wide. Sigmar the chief, mighty lord of the Unberogens, and other tribes of Mankind. Except for the Teutogens. Who is this Sigmar? Let us wage war on him! Men against men, pleasing to Orcs. Yet the gods shook their heads. Let Sigmar prevail. Let the tribes be united. Let mankind be well-led. And vanquished was the Teutogen chief. And for Sigmar was his hall. Lord of all tribes, leader of Men"
- —The Legend of Sigmar[4a]
Map of the tribal territories of Men in what would become the Empire during the reign of Emperor Sigmar Heldenhammer. The Teutogen lived in the central Old World.
The Teutogen , known previously as the Tutokin people, are an ancient war-like tribe of Human barbarians populating the lands of what is today Middenland, and as such the Teutogens are the direct ancestors of the present-day Middenlander.[1a]
This tribe had settled within the domains of the Old World at around the year of -1000 IC, alongside many of the founding tribes that made up much of the Empire. Once the tribes of the Teutogens arrived upon the northwestern lands of the Empire, they plundered and conquered all the lands from the River Reik all the way towards the Middle Mountains.[1b]
The Teutogens, like this tribesman, were considered the chosen people of Ulric, the fierce god of war, winter and wolves.
Though their territories were vast, the Teutogen were deeply devoted to their warrior-god Ulric, god of war, winter and wolves. And so, the Teutogens continued to search for a proper place of worship for their people, slaughtering their way across the lands of man, butching entire forest tribes and offering up grisly sacrifices in the name of their diety until a vision from their patron god Ulric led them to a flat-topped mountain that stood like a fortified island amongst the surrounding dense woodlands. There they built their great settlement of Middenheim and named the mountain Fauschlag, though it is today more commonly known as the Ulricsberg.[1b]
There the people of the Teutogen lived their lives to the principles of Ulric, fighting and defeating many of their neighboring Human tribes for plunder and land. The Teutogens were fiercely hated and feared by the rest of the Human tribes, for they have preyed and raided their lands whilst the tribes fought hard to push back the Norsii threat to the north.[2b]
The greatest insult came when King Artur failed to join the Funeral of King Bjorn when he fell defeating the Norsii and saving the tribes of the Cherusen and Taleutens from extinction.[2d] Following the destruction of the Norsii, King Sigmar led his confederation of tribes towards the Teutogens, where Sigmar challenged King Artur to single combat and claimed not only the allegiance of the Teutogens but also the approval of Lord Ulric himself. Since then, the Teutogen became fierce allies of Sigmar and became a founding member of the newly formed Empire, with Sigmar naming Prince Wulcan as their new King and first High-Priest of Ulric.[2e]
Notable Teutogens[]
- Artur - Chieftain of the Teutogen Tribe and spiritual Champion of Ulric
- Wulcan - The son of Artur and both the first Elector Count and the first Ar-Ulric of the Cult of Ulric.
Trivia[]
The Teutogen is loosely based upon several major Germanic tribes and traditions which predates the formation of the Holy Roman Empire.
Firstly, the Teutogen may be inspired by the Teuton Tribe of early antiquity, during the time of the Roman Empire and the Cimbrian War. This tribe, led by King Teutobad, was infamous for laying a path of destruction from their original home within modern-day Denmark, fighting and absorbing lesser tribes before being defeated by the Romans in 65 AD. The phrase "Furor Teutonicus", which means "Teutonic Fury" gave credence to the ferocity and battle-prowess of these early invaders and an infamous event where the wives of the warriors killed themselves rather than to surrender to the Romans as slaves and concubines.
The second inspiration of the Teutogens can be attribtued to the Saxons of Saxony. The Saxons were the last and most furiously pagan of all Germanic tribes, so much so that Charlemange and his Empire spent decades trying to subdue them and convert them to the sign of the Cross. They are the most northern tribe within Charlemange's Empire, and despite his best efforts, still clung to the old Germanic ways of blood-sacrifices and savage warfare.
Germanic warriors wearing wolf-pelts is a very well-known stereotype of many Germanic tribes, from antiquity all the way up to the early medieval ages. In fact, Wolf Warriors were a legitimate class of warriors within many Germanic cultures, who act in many ways like berserkers.
The term Teutonic or Teutons were often synonymous with Germans and the German nation in general.
While most things in Warhammer Fantasy do have a historical inspiration, this one is especially prevalent. Many casual history fans are aware of the connection due to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, an expert ambush by the Germanic tribes that gave the Roman Empire one of its most famous defeats.