A Case for Jerkins

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Greg
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A Case for Jerkins

Post by Greg »

So....I've been wrestling with this one for a long time. Jerkins in the style commonly thought to relate to Rangers (ie. various fantasy/Dungeons & Dragons artwork as well as Viggo's leather vest from the Films) simply don't exist extensively in period. The search has been long, and mostly fruitless, but at the same time, I've pressed on for the simple fact that it's one of those things that separate "Robin Hood" from "Ranger" in the common populous's minds, etc., so in my search for Tolkien accuracy-meets-historical accuracy, I went to the books first, and here's where I've landed.

For starters, references:
ROTK: The Muster of Rohan, @Rohan Armoury, Re: Merry wrote:'No mail have we to fit you,' said Éowyn, 'nor any time for the forging of such a hauberk; but here is also a stout jerkin of leather, a belt, and a knife. A sword you have.'
The context it's described in, along with the keyword "Stout" to me, both suggest a thickness or stiffness that lends it to being a protective garment. Now, I believe most of us know that flexible leather, though it insulates well and protects well against thorns and other such things, doesn't do a whole lot when put up against a sharp blade. There's a reason we use broadheads on live deer. However, that's what the professor wrote, and I firmly believe that if he intended this "Jerkin" to be stiff, boiled leather, he would have described it differently. SO. For all intensive purposes, I believe the Jerkin placed on Merry is a stiff-er, but decidedly pliable, potentially (though not definitely) sleeveless, leather "vest" of sorts. I think the professor would have used the word Jacket if it had sleeves, since he uses the word elsewhere, but that's strictly conjecture, and isn't as firmly based as the rest of this.

Moving on:
ROTK: The Land of Shadow; Frodo/Sam: wrote:'Orc-mail doesn't keep these thorns out,' said Frodo. 'Not even a leather jerkin is any good.'
Frodo and Sam are talking about the orcish garments that they donned ("There were long hairy breeches of some unclean beast-fell, and a tunic of dirty leather.") upon leaving the Tower beyond Shelob's lair, so though they may be referring to a leather garment of orcish make, they wouldn't have any specific knowledge of Orcish tailoring/garments, so the word Jerkin must already be known to them from another context, and then be applied to the leather garments they are wearing as a way of describing them in their own words.

The trick is...they never passed into Rohan, so they hadn't seen any of the Rohirrim wearing garments similar to the one found in the armory and given to Merry. Being as little-traveled as they are, we can deduce that Frodo has encountered Jerkins:
1) In the shire, worn by hobbits. Unlikely.
2) Worn by the elves he has encountered on his rambles. Possible, but I'm not sold.
3) In use by Dwarves...perhaps not encountered in person, but perhaps described to him by Bilbo when telling stories of his travels (though there are no references to Jerkins in name in the Hobbit...but it at least leaves the possibility that Sam has heard the word in that context too, hence his understanding of the term).
4) Or, more directly, in their experiences with the Fellowship, meaning that there's a reasonable possibility that the Aragorn that they know, "...clad
only in rusty green and brown, as a Ranger of the wilderness" is being described as wearing brown leather, rather than brown wool/fabric.

That last one is all conjecture, of course, but it is plausible enough. In Rohan, it seems to be considered the lightest protective garment they have available, and Aragorn (here I go again!) is described primarily as a Traveler and Huntsman, so it isn't too far of a stretch, I would think.


I've long wrestled with "What's the point?" on the subject of the Jerkin. It adds another layer of insulation, and a plausible layer of light protection according to the Professor's design, whether we practically agree with its protective properties or not. "Story trumps rules", a wise man once said...

So is it worth wearing, and what would it look like?

Images are very sparse, since leather as a garment material was very rare through much of history, and punching in Jerkin doesn't start revealing workable results until well into the 16th century, and at that point, I feel the vast majority of period fashion well outside the scope of Middle-Earth-feeling styles...too fancy, over-tailored, etc., to be tromping about in the woods in. Their take on hunting and ours are decidedly different...more sitting on a horse and waiting for a dog or servant to flush game than the sleeping-in-a-ditch, muddy and spot-and-stalk experience we all cherish.

BUT, here's a start. A painting based on Christ's parable of The Blind leading the Blind from 1568 shows what I would assume are either meant to be earlier-period characters, or blind characters sporting old hand-me-downs due to their lack of social status, and the third gentleman from the left sports something that approaches what we tend to picture. Now, I can't vouch 100% for the accuracy of what they're wearing as per the period of the painting, as there are many of you on the forum that are far more the expert on the subject than I am, and it may well reflect true medieval style as accurately as our present-day Hollywood films show medieval culture well outside what was real, but at least it wasn't painted during this Millennium.
the Blind Leading the Blind_1568.png
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I wouldn't call this definitive, because I don't see the over-garment he's wearing as a protective piece at all (and why would it be, since he's blind? Not expecting to get in a tavern brawl, is he?) but it gives us a start as far as form/cut goes, and things like tassets or simply additional length could conceivably be worked into a middle-earth appropriate design without any real guilt, since it DID, at some point at least, exist in similar form, and it definitely existed as per the Professor's wishes, regardless of what today's top Fantasy artists have to say.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Manveruon »

Great thoughts here!

Jerkins are, for me at least, so ingrained in the mental picture of the ranger that I could not possibly imagine dispensing with them altogether. Furthermore, having worn one in many different situations over the last decade or so, and now having worn it into the actual field for my ranger camping trek (I swear the write-up is coming soon, I swear I swear!), I can honestly say, it's comfortable, it really DOES offer an added layer of protection, and it really IS nicely insulating. Though it does tend to get a little sweaty after a while of hiking, it airs out easily, and I can honestly say my tunic and other under-layers would've taken much more of a beating without it. So from a practical standpoint, I like my jerkin. Other folks, I know, are not especially partial to this style of garment, for their own entirely valid reasons, but for me, it's a mainstay.

Another thing to keep in mind, too, is that sleeveless or short-sleeved garments similar to what we think of as "jerkins" have popped up over time throughout Medieval history in one form or another - it's just that they're mostly referred to as tunics, tabbards, or surcoats, and they're generally not widely considered to be leather garments. These sorts of tabbards or surcoats show up continually inthe PJ films, and while I can't think of Tolkien ever specifically mentioning such a garment, there is ample historical evidence for them. To me, it seems entirely conceivable that a ranger would have favored a surcoat or tabbard made of leather for the exact reasons I mention above. Whether or not they referred to them specifically as "jerkins" is another matter altogether (especially considering most examples of a "jerkin" I've seen in Medieval art seem to be closer to what we would think of as a doublet or short vest). So when Tolkien said "jerkin" in reference to the Rohirrim and orc garments mentioned above, was he referring to a long leather vest like we think of? Maybe... maybe not... But I think they're still perfectly acceptable as a "Middle-Earth-Plausible" garment. And moreover, I would strongly argue for their practicality in the field as well.
Last edited by Manveruon on Mon Aug 03, 2015 3:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Taurinor »

Greg, I have also been going back and forth on the subject of leather jerkins for a while (to which my fiance says "hashtag ranger problems"). Even though I portray a man Bree, not a Ranger, I like to include some Ranger-esque elements in my kit. I'm a young man; sometime I like to pretend to be dangerous and mysterious by emulating those my society considers to be such. A young man in Bree might not be so different.

I was excited to find the quote you pointed out about Merry being given a stout jerkin of leather, but as you point out, that just indicates that they are used in Rohan. I do like your logic regarding Frodo using the word, though.

I think the Professor may have been inspired by the leather jerkins issued to British troops during WWI:

ImageImage

They were intended to be protection from the cold, not armor, but were hard-wearing and practical, which certainly sounds like qualities a ranger would look for in a garment.

As for historical garments, I've run into a lot of the same problems that you have - not many surviving examples exist, and they tend to be fancy.

Image
c. 1555-1560

It's heavily pinked and decorated, but the overall shape of the garment is fairly simple and could look good over a tunic (although maybe a little more Westeros than Middle-Earth).

From a more military perspective, some leather jerkin fragments were found aboard the Mary Rose, which sank in 1545.

Image
Image

They're obviously in pretty rough shape, but Crossman Crafts has made some reconstructions based on the finds.
Image
Image

A similar garment to consider might be the buff coat, which was used under plate armor in the 17th century, but sometimes worn alone.

Image
ca. 1640 - for more images, see the National Army Museum entry.

I know all of these are a little late (16th-17th century), but I thought they might be something to consider.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Manveruon »

That WWII era jerkin is especially interesting to me, Taurinor. Somehow, I have a feeling that's exactly what the Professor had in mind when he wrote those passages. Little by little it's fun to see a picture emerge of Tolkien really drawing from his own experiences in the wars on the European continent for inspiration regarding Middle Earth. I know he insisted (vehemently) that his stories were not allegorical, but it seems clear that his personal history and experience had a strong impact on much of what he wrote.

Incidentally, I would add one thing, Greg, about your ideas regarding jerkins and the cultures wherein one might find them within Middle Earth. That is, I think the Hobbits may very well have been acquainted with leather jerkins (especially of the sort Taurinor posted from WWII) through use by their own kin. Hobbits may not have been partial to going on adventures, or deliberately putting themselves in any kind of hardship, I could still see a leather jerkin of that kind being worn by the occasional Hobbit huntsman, or by the Bounders at the borders of the Shire. Not to mention some of the slightly wilder Hobbits, like the Tooks, and the Stoors, who might have worn them on short journeys through the woods and fields, as protection against the cold and the occasional grasping branch. They also seem like they might have been right at home on someone like Farmer Maggot, whose trade demanded much outdoor labor, especially during the winter months.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Greg »

Taurinor wrote: Image
That one in particular, I think, is getting into the realms of what people expect from Middle earth. The length is right, and the sleeve caps have a very regal flair to them. Something toco sider emulating, in whole or in part.

My search for suitable leather is ongoing, but I DO have plans, as this post suggests, to make a new jerkin. In the meantime, I need to do some serious fabric-based soft kit updates to acclimate my kit to California, so I'm not ready for that yet. The Surcote discussion, Manveruon, however, is forthcoming! *wink*
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Taurinor »

If you're interested in drawing some inspiration from that jerkin, Greg, this drawing of it by Rebecca Unsworth might be helpful for understanding the construction of it:

Image
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Ursus »

What about something like this viking style gambeson from the folks at The Inner Bailey? This would work well with the Rohan culture and Merry's stout leather jerkin and could easily have a ranger look to it as well.

Alternatively there is also a padded leather gambeson like the one at the bottom, personally I think this looks too militant for everyday ranger wear but I felt I would toss it out as an idea nonetheless.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Greg »

I'd like to re-open this discussion a bit to ask those of you who already possess/have made jerkins about your closure styles. Is everyone doing simple leather ties, or do we have some loop-and-toggle and other more complex goings-on? Any suggestions/thoughts/recommendations to that end from those who may not have one yet?
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by grimwulf »

i have a few jerkins, one has 4 braided leather ties like Aragorns. one has simple leather straps to tie closed and my other has antler buttons on one side and small leather loop on other side. i like them all the same. if you don't like dangly bits hanging off you chest area id say go for a form of button or toggle.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Ursus »

Mine just has basic leather ties, simple to use and easy to repair in the field should the need arise. I did antler toggles at first but they snagged on my straps and quiver to much and any straps across the chest pressed them uncomfortably into my chest.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Rifter »

I love jerkins, it's a nice layer, adds some fullness to the garb and can be used for carious outfits
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Kortoso »

I've got a Strider-style jerkin, as others of us have. I stared at the pics on the Alley Cat Scratch site until I was seeing double.
I realized that the thong on one side is simply tied in a overhand stopper knot, and the other thong is pulled through a gap in the knot. Very simple, really.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Manveruon »

I've got a "Strider" style jerkin with tie closures as well. I quite like them. They're secure, easy to repair, and they don't get in the way. I doubt I would like any other form of closure half so much, but admittedly, I have not tried any.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Manveruon »

Kortoso wrote:I've got a Strider-style jerkin, as others of us have. I stared at the pics on the Alley Cat Scratch site until I was seeing double.
I realized that the thong on one side is simply tied in a overhand stopper knot, and the other thong is pulled through a gap in the knot. Very simple, really.
Interesting... I had always figured they were tied in a simple square knot (that's how I've always done it, in any case). Can you maybe post an example of what you're talking about? I'm having a kind of hard time picturing it.
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Re: A Case for Jerkins

Post by Greg »

What I'm picturing from his descriptionis that the lace/thong on one side is a loop, and the other has a granny knot on it that's pulled through the loop and gets stuck, kind-of like a toggle.
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