Middle Earth Ranger Forum

I've been focusing pretty heavily on Book I this week, and was sifting through various descriptions of Aragorn, when I encountered this passage today (page numbers will vary based on edition; this is from a larger paperback print of the second edition, printed post 1994 copyright renewal.)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; Book 1, Chapter XI, A Knife in the Dark, Pg. 184 wrote:"Sam and Peregrin had not been idle. ... Not far away they found a spring of clear water in the hillside, and near it footprints not more than a day or two old. In the dell itself they found recent traces of a fire, and other signs of a hasty camp. ... 'It is just as I feared, he [Strider] said, when he came back. 'Sam and Pippin have trampled the soft ground, and the marks are spoilt or confused. Rangers have been here lately. It is they who left the firewood behind. But there are also several newer tracks that were not made by Rangers. At least one set was made, only a day or two ago, by heavy boots. At least one. I cannot now be certain, but I think there were many booted feet.'"

What we can extrapolate from this is fairly clear, if you dig into what he did not describe: the Ranger's footprints. Fact is, Aragorn is able to tell the stranger's footprints apart from the recent presence of Rangers because they donned heavy boots. Heavy doesn't always refer to weight, though in this case it could. That distinction here, however, doesn't give us any specific clues as to the Ranger's boots, unless we turn back to read only a few chapters prior:

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; Book 1, Chapter IX, At the Sign of the Prancing Pony, Pg. 153 wrote:"His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were not caked with mud."

Sup·ple ˈsəpəl
adjective
1. bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible.

Now, this isn't a new quote to us, but all it talks about are Aragorn's boots. If we put two and two together, however, what we're seeing is that Rangers, being skilled travelers and huntsmen as told us by Gandalf [assuming Aragorn is the rule, rather than the exception (Ch. II, Shadow of the Past)], have almost universally accepted flexible, softer-soled footwear as their primary and/or preferred means of footwear. In short, they are wearing something such as a turnshoe/turnsole with a high upper, in stark contrast to the footwear worn by the mysterious visitors to the grassy dell at Weathertop, who we are left to assume were the Black Riders. Given the nature of their travel, being on horseback, it is reasonable to assume, then, that they were wearing riding boots, likely with a heel for keeping a foot securely in a stirrup. Such a distinct track would lead us to this stark contrast, and (in my opinion) lends credence to the idea of Turnshoes being a mainstay for the wanderers about Bree.

I agree. I suppose the Professor was envisioning something like moccasins or turnshoes.

Solidly logicked as always, Greg! I feel like heavier or heeled Boots (often with extraneously complicated lacing systems) are too much a part of the Fantasy Ranger Aesthetic, and hopefully your revelation will help persuade newcomers to move away from that look.

I think your reasoning here sounds pretty solid. It does seem that a Ranger would wear a lighter, softer soled boot than a Black Rider in any case, not least of which because, as you say, the Black Riders were just that - riders - who needed heavier, heeled boots for their chosen mode of transport, as opposed to rangers who generally went on foot. It also makes sense from the standpoint of stealth - you would want a style of boot that was quieter and left a less distinct impression, if at all possible.

For myself, the boots I currently use are based on a 13th century design which was probably originally constructed as a turnshoe (although mine are not). I had lugged vibram soles added to them last year right before my big camping trip - and I'm glad I did - but I am perfectly happy with that little concession to modernism in my kit, because those soles saved my neck on several occasions during that steep, treacherous hike.

As it happens, I am just about to start working on a project to replicate Strider's costume from the Peter Jackson films (this was actually the first costume I ever tried to make, back in like 2002 or so, but I have decided at long last to actually finish it), and one of the top items on my list is his boots. I have to say, I feel like the movies did quite a good job with this detail.



They are tall, they certainly look supple, and they also appear to have no heel to speak of. Furthermore, they lace up the side for a snug fit (without being too complicated), and they fold over at the top, allowing them to be un-folded so as to offer better protection in tall brush, or in soggy weather, or indeed on horseback, similarly to more stout riding boots. The suede is perhaps ill-advised, but there were plenty of "rough-out" style boots worn throughout various historical periods. Overall, I'm quite a big fan of these. They seem extremely practical.

The sole... well, the sole is, admittedly a bit odd. It almost looks like a wedge of some kind, and appears to be rather thick. This detail may not quite be in keeping with what you're talking about, Greg, but the overall design does seem to fit. As for my reproduction of these, I have decided to use a pair of Clarks desert boots as the base, and then modify the living snot out of them:



These have a crepe rubber sole, which does have a heel, unlike the screen-used boots, but should theoretically still be rather soft and pliable. They're obviously of modern construction, but I believe that when I get done with them, they'll be unrecognizable, and should be as close to the real-deal as I can possibly manage without resorting to learning cordwaining myself. I should be receiving the base boots in the mail in the next couple days, so updates to come soon, I hope!

In any case, I think my current Medieval-based ranger boots are probably slightly closer to the type of footwear you are describing, Greg, but I think the movies did a decent job getting the "feel" right, at the very least. I don't know if I'll ever get myself a pair of actual turnshoes... maybe for historical reenactment... and I have never been a huge fan of moccasins for myself, but I'm excited to start work on these new ones and see how it goes.

Hunh.

I had always read "supple leather" to be referring to the uppers of Aragorn's boots, and not necessarily the soles. The other quote though certainly implies a comparatively light sole as well though. Neat - I'd never noticed!

If anything, it's the heavy soles that are a bit anachronistic, but there being no pre-industrial technological limitation to stacking up a heavy riding sole of leather I can't say I'm really troubled by it. They're hardly silk waistcoats and mantle clocks, after all!

Manv - very cool! That is quite the project!

Agreed, Elleth. I still have a rather heavy (>1/16" thick) piece of veg tanned leather that I've been procrastinating stitching onto my turnshoes as a clump sole for longevity's sake. Last group trek, I created holes in both my heels. This was supposed to be more of a commentary on construction techniques/boot styles than "how thick your soles should be". By all means...protect your feet. Mike, if those lugged soles weren't on your shoes, they'd be exactly what this is talking about, so for the same reason (protecting your feet), I think you're in very good hands.

Manveruon, that's the closest image I've ever seen of his boots. That sculpted sole is, in my mind, pretty clearly a modern foam sole that's been shaped and fitted to their boot. Good for his needs; can't blame them. That'll be a heck of a project! Looking forward to watching that unfold.

So, when we are talking high boots, how high is high? To the knee? I think we have discussed before about real world examples, wondering beside moccasin boots, what would fit this description. I had some boots made a few years ago, and have pics in them, funny story to show how sensitive our feet have become wearing heavy soled shoes, I wore my moccasin boots to faire one year, natural sole, with some inserts inside. Felt every single rock It was slow walking for this Ranger lol so since then I stiched modern soles on, also have some boots from GDFB that are thicker leather, with leather soles, that I wear. Very comfortable but watch that wet grass!

Ken

I'd say 'high' is one of those things we'll just have to leave up to personal interpretation. Mine are about 2/3rds up the calf, but it could be argued that you should go up to the base of the knee, if you intend to wear knee breeches (seeing as how Breeches are the most common form of 'pants' described in Arnor.) That being said, several forms of breeches are ankle length, and there's a whole 'nother category of medieval-based pants styles, so there really can't yet be a rule on boot height. Haven't found anything that would indicate specifics, and I'm not likely to.

Manveruon wrote:These have a crepe rubber sole, which does have a heel, unlike the screen-used boots, but should theoretically still be rather soft and pliable. They're obviously of modern construction, but I believe that when I get done with them, they'll be unrecognizable, and should be as close to the real-deal as I can possibly manage without resorting to learning cordwaining myself. I should be receiving the base boots in the mail in the next couple days, so updates to come soon, I hope!

In any case, I think my current Medieval-based ranger boots are probably slightly closer to the type of footwear you are describing, Greg, but I think the movies did a decent job getting the "feel" right, at the very least. I don't know if I'll ever get myself a pair of actual turnshoes... maybe for historical reenactment... and I have never been a huge fan of moccasins for myself, but I'm excited to start work on these new ones and see how it goes.

I see what you are after. The Strider's boots in Alleycat Scratch look very similar to these desert boots. Are they Clarks? I have had shoes like these; very comfortable.

Of course, the studio would have their own in-house cordwainer, and whatever this person is doing now, they are probably charging a lot for their shoes now!

That just got me doing some research. Jim MacIntosh is the man who made the shoes.
http://holesinmysoles.blogspot.com/2011 ... lenge.html
One of the best pics yet of those boots:

Gods, I love this forum. It seems every time I'm really focusing on a specific piece of my kit, an elaborate topic has recently come to life on the very topic. Well done, all.

Any links to where one can purchase soft leather/suede high boots? I'm willing to be lenient as far as anachronism of the soles, for practicality.

I'd take a look at Manveruon's thread to get a good start on how to customize some decent boots to make your own. Also, try looking at the Summer 2016 Issue of Edge of the Wild, and read Taurinor's extensive review on the Medieval High Shoes that he has. Good starts, either might fit your bill.

If you prefer modern soles/support, Urthgard modified some modern desert-style boots, or you could look at Minnetonka's knee-high moccasin boots.

OMG I remember those moccasins! They were *the* rage when I was in middle school for good ol' boy metalheads and SCA geeks alike. Back in the dark ages before lots of historical craftsmen had websites and importation businesses it was the closest thing you could get to a medieval boot. I still have mine and though they've lost a sole and a couple of the lace holes have pulled out they're still in decent enough shape to go woodstromping in.

With all the stuff on the modern market I'd not go that route today however. Even if you must have suede, I think there's better options out there today.
Personally I'd look at Armstreet or Bohemond for off-the-rack.

Elleth wrote:With all the stuff on the modern market I'd not go that route today however. Even if you must have suede, I think there's better options out there today.
Personally I'd look at Armstreet or Bohemond for off-the-rack.

They wouldn't be my first choice, but they're significantly cheaper than boots of a comparable height from Armstreet or Bohemond, if you like the knee-high look. Could be a decent "budget" option (still almost $100).

Bohemond has some lower boots with optional rubber sole in the $110-130 range, but those are more mid-calf height. I've got Bohemond's medieval high shoe, which I like, but rubber soles aren't an option on those.