I cannot in good character claim sole responsibility for all of the research and information present. Having a background in Scouting, Archery, and Bushcraft, rather than Historical reenactment, I am still catching up in the world of historical knowledge...particularly where it relates to garments and similar everyday cultural topics. Much of the information contained in here was originally provided by other forum members, most Notably Taurinor and Eledhwen, among others. Thanks for the info, hope I do it justice!
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" And my search would have been in vain, but for the help that I
had from a friend: Aragorn, the greatest traveller and huntsman of this age
of the world."
I've been beating this dead horse a lot lately (apologies to Equestrians), that the goal of a Tolkien-accurate Ranger persona should be, first and foremost, that of a Traveller and Hunter. This is an honorable charge, but I KNOW it can't be the only pursuit. There are too many references to Rangers as protectors to overlook combat readiness and effectiveness.
Soooo....how do we put the two together?
The Surcote, historically, seems to have begun as a military garment and then, as Taurinor suggests, meshed itself with nonmilitary culture over time, much as epaulettes have become commonplace in our modern culture long after finding their place on Military uniforms. The military form, which, in my opinion, would be the most typically useful cut of the garment for a Ranger, was used in a practical manner to protect armor worn underneath from the sun/oppressive heat, as well as to display a coat of arms, etc. There is more to the concept, but that's all we really need here.
Tolkien references Surcoats twice:
ROTK: Minas Tirith, Re: Guards of the Citadel wrote: Upon the black surcoats were embroidered in white a tree blossoming like snow beneath a silver crown and many-pointed stars. This was the livery of the heirs of Elendil, and none wore it now in all Gondor, save the Guards of the Citadel before the Court of the Fountain where the White Tree once had grown.
Both of these references are strictly military, and show that the basic function of a Surcote, as we discussed above, was understood by Tolkien: Worn over armor, and often displaying a coat of arms. However, these references are both strictly in Minas Tirith, which doesn't help us for Rangers in Arnor. At least...not directly.ROTK: Minas Tirith, Re: Pippin wrote:It was as he said; and Pippin soon found himself arrayed in strange garments, all of black and silver. He had a small hauberk, its rings forged of steel, maybe, yet black as jet; and a high-crowned helm with small raven-wings on either side, set with a silver star in the centre of the circlet. Above the mail was a short surcoat of black, but broidered on the breast in silver with the token of the Tree.
If we allow for Taurinor's suggestion that military dress often affects civilian styles, this could allow for the wearing of the Surcoat from Minas Tirith and Southern Ithilien all the way west to Pinnath Gelin, especially among the male adolescents aspiring to the Gondorian military (with high hopes of someday wearing the Silver and Black themselves). So there's that...but it still doesn't get us up to Bree...
Until we recall that the Silver and Black of the Guards of the Citadel was reserved for their position exclusively, and they wore the livery of the king which itself was a tradition hailing from the days of Numenor. Since the Rangers are the last remnant of the trueborns from Numenor, the livery of the King would not be forgotten in Arnor, and I wouldn't think it too far-fetched to think that the garment the symbols were worn on would be remembered. Surely some treasured Artworks, embroideries, or other items would, somewhere, contain the wearing of a Surcoat amongst the king's guards (or perhaps images of Elendil himself, etc.) Who knows...maybe the Argonath were sporting Surcoats as well?
So that gets us that far, theoretically. Now...why would a Ranger want one?
All of the patterns based on historical sources I've found for the military Surcote tend to flare widely, especially past the belt line, much like period tunics using Gores. This creates a free-flowing, yet lightweight garment that serves its purpose well on campaign...but how much sun exposure do we expect a Northern Ranger's chain maille to be getting? Eledhwen spoke from personal experience about the importance of the Surcote keeping the sun off armor to avoid overheating...but how often would a Ranger be put in that situation? Few of us even own maille, and we don't exactly post regularly about wearing it in the bush. So, does this mean that the Surcote doesn't serve a purpose for us, since there's no armor to protect?
Strictly historically...yeah. Not much purpose. But this is Middle-Earth we're talking about, so I went in a somewhat different direction. I maintained the theme of the Surcote being a "protective" garment against the elements, but from the perspective of the needs of a Traveller, rather than a campaigning Crusader, etc.
My cloak protects me from the rain rather well. My back, head, shoulders, and (with a little ingenuity), arms, are covered well...but when you walk briskly in the rain, time and experience will reveal that there's one part of you that ALWAYS winds up soaked. Your thighs. From the knees almost up to the belt line, with every step, you get more and more wet. This is an area, along with your feet and your head, that will create maximum discomfort to sleep in when wet, so I sought a solution, and here present to you my 100% oilcloth, hand-stitched Surcoat.
The material is stiff, so making a widely flared surcote such as historically would have been made from linen would not be practical...it wouldn't drape right or move how/when you do, so the pattern had to be modified. This Surcoat is more fitted, though it DOES taper slightly from the base up towards the shoulders, so it's a bit wider along the bottom edge for extra coverage. The oilcloth is a thick, difficult-to-stitch material, and this project represents over 20 feet of backstitching...two of my fingers are still healing, and it took two months between work, moving, and parenting to finish. I cut this out before my last moot in Indiana, and had hoped to wear it on that trip. Fat chance.
It can be worn over or under the outer tunic, depending on wants/needs, and is slim fitted through the torso to be worn under an outer jerkin (an upcoming project for which I don't even possess the materials yet, so don't get excited). The arm slits are ample and allow for plenty of movement, and the side openings and front/rear slits do not hinder at all...I can run in it comfortably. The length rides right around the height of my boots, so the material bridges the gap between tunic and boots, obscuring the obvious and often out-of-place human silhouette when the need arises, and the color is a pleasant, naturally-occurring brown. It is completely waterproof...I can literally carry water in it if need be, though I don't plan to use this function...it just shows how well this stuff works. It doesn't breathe exceptionally well, due to its inherent properties, so I don't intend to wear it at all times (particularly on long stints of foot travel) but it rolls up VERY tightly, and could be rolled either inside the bedroll, or could be strapped to the side of the bedroll or slipped down inside the quiver, etc. for a more convenient stowage location. It is big enough to wrap my foodstuffs in and tie into a bundle to be suspended in a tree, thus bear-proofing my camp on a rainy night without any risk of contaminating my dry goods with water, while allowing me to make full use of my oilcloth tarp for a shelter. At the same time, it's also just big enough that if I needed to, I could attach it to my shelter tarp as an extension if more room were needed or I needed additional protection from rain falling in multiple directions, etc. Not a perfect seal like the actual shelter tarp, due to slits and things, but a weatherproof buffer that can hold its own nonetheless. I've also contemplated using it to wrap my blades during a stormy night to avoid water invading scabbards, etc.
Now, I'm not claiming that this is a 100% original idea...several forum members, notably Eothain among others, have Surcotes of varying similarity to this in their kits, or other garments with a hemline that resembles this 'split' profile. In addition, the Ithilien Rangers in the New Line films are shown with a non-split Surcoat, whereas Faramir has something closer to mine worn under his leather chestpiece. However, I very much dislike the non-split ones the Ithilien Rangers sport...that is a gigantic underbrush-snagging-nightmare waiting to happen, despite the fact that they look pretty cool. That factored heavily into this design, coupled with the fact that oilcloth is very tough but smooth, so I've found it resists snagging significantly over wool and linen.
My attempts to find a credible reference for Oilcloth have been fruitless, as even the search for the world 'Oil' in a usable context has been found wanting...it is not even discussed in reference to protecting steel from rust, which could have at least set the stage for knowledge of its water repellent properties. I do consider the use of the fabric to be well within the realm of possibility, due to the cultural and technological variety present, as well as the seeming variances in historical parallel from one region to the next. All the same, I find some small comfort in the fact that the professor (or, at least Christopher Tolkien) knows what "oilskins" are, as per letter 96:
96 To Christopher Tolkien 20 Northmoor Road, Oxford wrote:I arrived late (after an appalling acrobatic ride) attired like a 'Skegnes' fisherman, [3]...
Not perfect, not Middle-Earth...but it's something.Footnote 3, found in Notes, for letter 96, the Letters wrote:3. A reference to a celebrated poster advertising the 'bracing' air of the sea-resort of Skegness, on which there appeared a cheery-looking fisherman clad entirely in oilskins.
Thanks for taking the time to wade through all of that (if you, indeed, had the patience!) Hope you enjoyed, and hope you found my thoughts and/or references helpful.
-Greg
