What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

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Iodo
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What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Iodo »

It's been unnaturally hot here in the UK for quite a while now and it looks set to continue. I haven't gone out in kit for quite a long time, simply because I have nothing appropriate for hot weather (a very un-British problem).
My most recent kit outing was the medieval fair, in a reduced version of kit with only linen and no wool. That combination worked quite well, up until it came to watching the battle re-enactment out on a field in full sun. I realised I really need some sort of hat? My hood could have worked but seemed to absorb heat and had no brim. My first thought was to make a hood to the same pattern but from a light color linen, that might solve the heat problem but I still wouldn't have a brim. My second thought was some form of medieval hat. At the fair there must have been forty styles of hat from various times all through history for sale. It didn't matter how much I tried, I just couldn't imagine a young adventurous dwarven lady wearing any of them. The only thing left is to invent some kind of hat never before seen in history, it is a fantasy world after all :mrgreen:

So there you have it, I am completely stuck and any thoughts will be welcome :P
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caedmon
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by caedmon »

That's a hard one. The straw sunhat doesn't scream, 'citizen of Erebor'.

Well, in the Silmarilion, It's remarked that the Dwarves' helms had masks originally adapted from face masks for forging...

What about something between a light, flip-up welding mask and an ancient greek helm? A linen welder's ugly hat, and a water hardened leather face shield with dwarven styling?
athena_helmtest.jpg
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Udwin
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Udwin »

Actually I believe a hood would be most appropriate. Not only do Thorin's Company each have their own color-coded hoods in the text, but every time Tolkien drew a dwarf at this period, it was wearing a hood, usually with liripipe. (see attached)

Plus from FotR we have:
"An odd-looking waggon laden with odd-looking packages rolled into Hobbiton one evening ...It was driven by outlandish folk, singing strange songs: dwarves with long beards and deep hoods." (LR I:1)

A heavy linen hood pulled down over your eyes would kind of act as a hat brim (and help conceal you from unfriendlies--see: Strider in the Pony).

However, if a hood is too much and you want something you can take on and off more easily, what about this?
"Presently Sam appeared, trotting quickly and breathing hard; his heavy pack was hoisted high on his shoulders, and he had put on his head a tall shapeless felt bag, which he called a hat. In the gloom he looked very much like a dwarf." LR I:3

While this may be Tolkien's subtle jibe at CS Lewis' battered trilby, it does suggest that something felted and higher gives a dwarvish silhouette, without going full-on garden gnome cone. You could always get an unblocked hat blank and shape it to your own liking. What about these?
Image (looks a bit like an acorn, but in a good way!)
Image
Image
Attachments
From 'Artist & Illustrator'(Hammond&Scull) pp. 111,112,138.
From 'Artist & Illustrator'(Hammond&Scull) pp. 111,112,138.
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Straelbora »

Udwin:

What's the source for that felt 'acorn' hat? I want one!

Thanks.
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Udwin »

Straelbora wrote:Udwin:
What's the source for that felt 'acorn' hat? I want one!
Thanks.
So cool, right? Etsy, of course! It sold out last November, but perhaps you could contact the owner and commission another.
Personae: Aistan son of Ansteig, common Beorning of Wilderland; Tungo Brandybuck, Eastfarthing Bounder, 3018 TA; a native Man of the Greyflood, c.850 SA
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Iodo
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Iodo »

Hmmm.... A lot to think about. Very well researched, thank you to both of you.

I like the idea of an adapted version of a linen welding hat, not so keen on a face shield though. I think a felt hat would be great in the winter but probably to hot for the summer and still doesn't have a brim, even though the acorn hat is awesome :P

What I have in mind at the moment is a hat made from light linen with a small brim all the way round that is maybe octagonal in shape and is tipped low at the front and back mimicking the shape of the brim on a welders hat. It's a work in progress :mrgreen:
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Peter Remling
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Peter Remling »

Women who did hearth cooking primarily used wool skirts up the Colonial Period. Wool was used as it smoulders instead of bursting into flames. Smouldering wool gives off quite the odor and many fires were prevented due to the stink and oily smoke. When I think of smiths, I picture a leather apron with a wool shirt or trousers. I think a dwarves headgear might also have been wool.
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Straelbora »

Udwin wrote:
Straelbora wrote:Udwin:
What's the source for that felt 'acorn' hat? I want one!
Thanks.
So cool, right? Etsy, of course! It sold out last November, but perhaps you could contact the owner and commission another.
Thanks! It's wonderful.
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
Hávamál
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Iodo
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Iodo »

Peter Remling wrote:Women who did hearth cooking primarily used wool skirts up the Colonial Period. Wool was used as it smoulders instead of bursting into flames. Smouldering wool gives off quite the odor and many fires were prevented due to the stink and oily smoke. When I think of smiths, I picture a leather apron with a wool shirt or trousers. I think a dwarves headgear might also have been wool.
I totaly agree and for that reason wool would have a more dwarven feel, I was almost considering using it. Only the problem is: A dwarf working forges in the mines would be likely to use wool, however a dwarf whose job is keeping an eye on the land around Erebor (dwarven bounder? Not quite sure what to call it) would have different needs and different stuff. To day I went for quite a long trek through forest and across moorland, I was bordering on too hot in thin linen trousers and tunic (with the sleeves rolled up and a modern sun hat) I think, being British and not use to heat, I couldn't cope with a wool hat, nice as it would be. My interpretation anyway.
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Straelbora »

Udwin wrote:
Straelbora wrote:Udwin:
What's the source for that felt 'acorn' hat? I want one!
Thanks.
So cool, right? Etsy, of course! It sold out last November, but perhaps you could contact the owner and commission another.
I got in touch with the Etsy shop owner and commissioned one for this coming fall. Thanks!
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
Hávamál
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Taurinor
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Taurinor »

Iodo wrote:To day I went for quite a long trek through forest and across moorland, I was bordering on too hot in thin linen trousers and tunic (with the sleeves rolled up and a modern sun hat) I think, being British and not use to heat, I couldn't cope with a wool hat, nice as it would be. My interpretation anyway.
I don't know how dwarf-ish (or text-supportable) it would be, but if your primary concern is heat, have you considered a straw hat? Historically speaking, they make an appearance in the mid-13th century French Maciejowski Bible (Fol. 17v) -

Image

Might be a bit later than the 11th-12th century clothing that a lot of folks on the forum draw inspiration from, but not too far off. Interestingly, those look quite a lot like Udwin's cattail hat! If you search "maciejowski bible straw hat", you can find a few vendors selling replicas.

Straw hats shaped more the way we would expect a straw hat to be shaped start showing up in 14th century manuscripts, so even those go back a ways. Again, that doesn't make them right for Middle-earth or for a dwarf, specifically, but it's old technology. I personally find them very comfortable to wear over a linen coif or bandana.
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Iodo
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Re: What Sort of Hat for a Dwarf?

Post by Iodo »

Thankyou Taurinor for the research. That's nothing like what I first had in mind but it's interesting and another option to think about. (Now I have a lot of options :P )

I guess that because traveling wouldn't be that comon place for a dwarf or Erebor, they may not make a hat designed for summer use. Which would leave me with two options:
- It was made by Iodo to suit her needs
- It came from lake town or some other market
If the first option it would be distinctly dwarvish in design. If the second it wouldn't be dwarvish in design but might have dwarvish decoration that was later added.
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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