The Two Armies...

[Lakumi]

Of the Lamanites and Nephites, did the Book of Mormon tell what they looked like? Did they have any banners or symbols?

I wanted to make a diorama of the two armies battling and, well have to find the right miniature as a base, (they make many biblical miniatures but I've not seen any Nephites or Lamanites... mind you if there were, I doubt they'd be in the scale that I want)... Oh well.

[NeuroTypical]

There are some descriptions throughout the BoM, and they change over the decades/centuries. There have been some popular artistic depictions, most of which I feel are sort of goofy (because I'm a historical accuracy snob, and I see the artistic license not backed up by scripture).

This one is rather well known. The Stripling Warriors (sons of former Lamanites who 'switched sides') being addressed by Helaman (Nephite prophet and warrior)

The things that make me chuckle:

* No mention of riding horses anywhere in the BoM.

* Artist doing his level best to make the guys on the left look like a cross between Native Americans and Jews.

* Nephites looking like white Roman centurions

* The Macuahuitl lying on the ground (closest thing archaeologists have found to a 'sword', which are mentioned in scripture).

Another favorite, which probably inspired the above picture, was painted by Arnold Friberg. Arnold worked for over 3 years on Cecil B. DeMille's epic "The Ten Commandments" as his chief artist and designer. He had a thing for big muscles.

I can't find an image on the internet that shows the banners - but they're there. And the cool thing, is they are very similar to the banners signifying the 12 tribes of Israel from DeMille's movie.

If you ever make it to SLC, there's a massive wall mural of this one - I forget where. The conference center maybe? It shows the banners if I remember correctly.

And of course, the king daddy of all artistic representations: Mormon and the Title of Liberty:

No Macuahuitl in this one.

Title of Liberty is from Alma: And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.

13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—

Lots of descriptions of wars and battles in the BoM. Many a young LDS kid got aquainted with scripture because they enjoyed reading about all the fighting and wars.

Happy diorama making!

Edited September 29, 2013 by Loudmouth_Mormon

[pam]

For that one being well know....I've never seen it before. :)

[NeuroTypical]

Huh - it's been hung on about half the ward buildings I've attended over the decades, including my current building.

[Lakumi]

well for miniatures I have ultimately selected a company called Caeser Miniatures, for the Lamenites converted Biblical Egyptians, and for the Nephites the Hebrew Warriors with a few lighter conversions (mostly weapon swaps and a bit of tinkering here and there).

Were they all just infantry, what else did they have?

[pam]

I've seen the bottom 2 pictures but never the top one and I've been in quite a few buildings over the years.

[classylady]

I've never seen the top picture either.

[pam]

Whewwww. I'm glad I'm not the only one. :)

[Lakumi]

I've seen the second one

[Lakumi]

got some of my Lamanites and Nephites painted... where, abouts do people generally agree the battles were fought? (This effects what the terrain board will eventually look like)

[NeuroTypical]

There's no consensus, and the archaeological record doesn't really confirm anything one way or the other. The latest big book from an LDS scholar who has spent his entire career looking at the topic, says maybe somewhere around Guatemala.

[Lakumi]

I see...

Well what do you all think would look best?

[john doe]

I've been watching Nephite Explorer on a local channel and they think it's located more in the Ohio/Indiana/Illinois area. Looking at their presentation, they do seem to make somewhat of a case for that theory.

[Lakumi]

huh, sounds like a neat program, I remember as a kid watching one about the Tower of Babel... I drew a lot of pictures of what I imagined it looked like. I always liked bible stories but they never told the ones I wanted to hear in catholic school.

[Guest]

My kids have figurines of BOM characters. They used to play toy soldiers with them.

Deseret Book Action Figures

[Lakumi]

I like the missionary figures, should get them and have a doll photostory with them, a wealth of hilarity with missionaries and faeries

got some neat stuff here