40 Years of Warhammer: Miniature Retrospective – Alarielle The Everqueen
Alarielle the Everqueen is the embodiment of life and her miniature showcased new look and a new direction for Age of Sigmar.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Warhammer and Games Workshop is taking some time to look back at miniatures that had a big impact on their work. Today we’re focusing on Alarielle the Everqueen. This miniature really showed off how Games Workshop was not just breaking away from the previous range of Warhammer Fantasy but how Age of Sigmar was going to embrace these god-like figures and up the ante for fantastical creatures in general.
“Intimately connected to the cycles of nature, the Queen of the Radiant Wood manifested in the early history of the Mortal Realms, awakened from her hibernation to become a vital member of the Pantheon of Order. When the Chaos Gods made their play for dominion, Alarielle’s realm was overrun with Nurgle’s corruption, and the Everqueen fell into mourning – until she re-emerged, transformed into her war aspect, at the end of the Realmgate Wars. “
Alarielle The Everqueen
When this miniature was revealed I remember being taken aback by the stature of this miniature. Sure, we’d had Nagash before this but this was another massive reimagining of a character from the Old World. Alarielle was back and riding (or really just balancing on) a MASSIVE war beetle. Plus, she was no longer “just” a fancy wizard or damsel in distress; she was the Everqueen now and was reborn for war. Wielding the Spear of Kurnoth and clearly not skipping leg day, Alarielle was ready to fight for her realm once more.
It’s quite the massive glow-up from her old Warhammer Fantasy Battles miniature.
“This new miniature granted her a magnificent new form that mixed traditional aelven artifice with natural shapes and tree growth, creating a clear visual identity for the Sylvaneth. The soul amphorae leashed to the Wardroth Beetle are a visual motif found on other Sylvaneth miniatures, like Drycha Hamadreth and the Lady of Vines.”
The new Alarielle miniature really did help pave the way for the rest of the Sylvaneth range. Clearly the sculptors were separating the “Wood” from the old “Wood Elves” and crafting something new. With Alarielle at the head of the range as the centerpiece model the rest of the range sprouted up around her has guardians of the wood and of life. The combination of wood/trees and the ethereal spirits that formed the Sylvaneth range owe a lot to Alarielle the Everqueen — and we’re not just talking about the lore!
It’s also worth noting that Alarielle also was a hint at things to come for the rest of the Pantheon of god-like characters in the Mortal Realms. There’s plenty of parallels between her new model and Teclis the Archmage as one example.
Raise a toast for the Everqueen! Long live Alarielle!
