Isle of Lewis chess set pieces were not discovered until 1831 but were actually created much earlier. The original pieces found were made from Walrus Ivory and represent a 12th century medieval Nordic army.
Many of you may be looking for viking or nordic chess sets not knowing what that you're actually just looking for the Isle of Lewis set. The Isle of Lewis chessmen consist of a king, queen, knights, bishops, soldier pawns, and a rook represented by a berserker soldier.
Chess originally came to Europe from Islam. However, the pieces used by Islam did not easily fit within the European culture. Therefore Christian Europe adapted its own forms. The Nordic Isle of Lewis set adapted the form perfectly for Europe. Instead of using a shah and a vizier it uses a king and a queen. It also incorporates the bishop representing the church.
These are classic pieces that have been around for hundreds of years but this particular set has become even more popular where the set was featured in the Harry Potter movie.
Isle of Lewis sets have become a classic. These make excellent sets for decoration or play because of their style and proportion. You can't go wrong with this set.
