Áistan: Soft Kit

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My interpretation of clothing in this area is based on the following passages from The Hobbit, Chapter 7: Queer Lodgings:

“Standing near was a huge man with a thick black beard and hair, and great bare arms and legs with knotted muscles. He was clothed in a tunic of wool down to his knees…”

'“Bilbo…could easily have trotted through [Beorn’s] legs without ducking his head to miss the fringe of the man’s brown tunic.”(118).

“…in came some snow-white sheep led by a large coal-black ram. One bore a white cloth embroidered at the edges with figures of animals…” (125).

Aistan Clothes Layout.JPG

From these passages, we see that during high Summer, while working outdoors, male dress consists of a knee-length tunic which leaves the arms bare; the “fringe” tells us that the bottom edge is unhemmed and has been allowed to unravel. The material is clearly stated as wool, of which white (therefore dye-able) and black are available colors (Beorn’s brown tunic may also simply be undyed wool of a brown sheep, which in Europe’s Bronze Age seems to have been the only color available).

Basic clothing:

To help decide on the specific pattern of tunic, I first turned to Tolkien’s few vague geographical comments. In Letter No. 294, he suggests that the Shire was “at about the latitude of Oxford”, so by extension the Anduin valley might be said to roughly correspond with northern Germany or Denmark. This is reinforced by linguistics, as names in this area of Middle-earth are drawn from Primary World languages of northern Europe (Gothic and Norse). Therefore, I researched wool garments from northern European prehistory – P.V. Glob’s books The Mound People and The Bog People were very helpful in this. I finally decided on a tunic based on that worn by the man of Emmer-Erfscheidenveen, a bog find in the Netherlands from approximately 1200 BCE.

The pattern is exceedingly simple (only three rectangles), and I was able to make each tunic from a single yard of of period-appropriate plain/tabby weave, which was purchased at $10/yd from the very helpful Hamilton Dry Goods of Tennessee [1]. I wear the same style of tunic throughout the year, but in differing weights of wool. My spring/autumn tunics are a medium-weight brown (originally gray, which I dyed with English walnut hulls), and a very thick beautiful gold—originally a bright yellow darkened with repeated soakings in a tub of black walnut dye.

Aistan clothingSummer.jpg

While no mention is ever made (thank goddess) to his underclothes, it is entirely possible Beorn was wearing his tunic in true ancient European style (without anything underneath!). However, as I prefer to preserve at least some of my modesty on the trail when I meet passerby while trekking, I needed something under my tunic. Enter the simple loincloth or breechclout, which is known in ancient Europe from at least 3500 BCE—Otzi the Iceman wore one made of goatskin. I elected for a woolen ‘clout, however, and was able to find a few suitably long (48”) 100% wool scarves at the thrift store for a few dollars. They are edged with suiting wool, and ‘embroidered’ around the edges—a method of decoration which we know was practiced in the area—with Middle-earth iconography. To hold up the breechclout, I wear a belt inspired by that of Ötzi, made of braintanned* deer and decorated with an ‘alpine’ motif. It includes a narrow pouch that holds my bare essentials (a biscuit of Beorning’s cram, flint & steel, tinder, small cordage).

True to Beorn’s style, when working around the homestead I am bare-legged (and usually barefooted). However, when I must travel—to the next village over, or into Mirkwood, perhaps—I wear a pair of leggings made of deerskin which I braintanned. These extend about a hand’s width above my knees and attach to the belt that holds up my breechclout; such leggings are known on both sides of the Atlantic.

The only description of footwear worn by anyone from the Mirkwood area is that of Legolas Greenleaf, of whom it is said that “…the Elf had no boots, but wore only light shoes.” (FotR 328). (No mention is made of what kind of footwear (if any) Beorn wore).

I wear a pair of one-piece leather shoes I made several years ago, based on one found in a German bog, dated to ~200 BCE. Although they can sometimes collect debris, I prefer to wear these shoes, as the adjustable toe area makes the inevitable task of patching very easy. While I am used to traveling barefoot in low temperatures, below about 40° I usually opt to wear my shoes with a pair or two of thick wool socks

If it is very cold or snowy, I combine my bog shoes with my needle-felted boots ** and wool winningas to keep my feet dry and warm, even without socks (tested all day with temperatures hovering around 10°F)! These can be paired with wool winningas to keep debris out and warmth in. I am considering making a pair of ‘shoepacks’ and wool liners for non-snowy winter wear.

To shade my head in warm weather (while farming, &c.), I wear a simple basket-y hat woven from cattail leaves. As with my cattail sleeping mat, I submit that utilitarian uses of local native plants are attested to in the area, such as Beorn’s bell-shaped straw beehives, and his rush-bottomed chairs (TH 118; 125).

Considerations for cold

Since our only firsthand visit to the region occurs in summer, we do not know what kind of clothing was worn in the Anduin valley in winter. However, even in fairly chill weather (say, high 20s to high 40s °F), wearing a wool tunic and breechclout with buckskin leggings does a good job at keeping me warm (especially if I am active or wrapped in a wool blanket).

With that said, in regards to winter, the one obvious downside to my wool tunics is that they are sleeveless!; to remedy this, I wear this buckskin tunic in cold weather, as braintan is perfect for cutting wind and trapping body heat—provided you don’t get it wet!

Aistan buckshirt.jpg

The tunic is entirely 100% handmade by me—I braintanned the four hides from start to finish and sewed it together with sinews from the same deer. Prehistoric European leather clothing is exceedingly rare in the archeological record, so I had some free rein in designing this garment. While I drew most of its pattern from a medieval kyrtle (integrating the gore panels into the body), with Tolkien’s mythic prehistory in mind I aimed to design a garment that would be at home anytime from the Upper Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. Because braintan is miserable to wear when wet, I get the best of both worlds by wearing 100% wool over and under it. A thin kyrtle-type tunic serves as an underlayer, and a blanket makes a decent cloak.

While out and about in very cold and windy weather (when windchills go below 0°F), I have found that any exposed skin is quickly sought out, and the one downside to wearing buckskin leggings under a tunic is that my bare thighs are exposed. Therefore, in such conditions I omit my breechclout and instead wear woolen 'Thorsbjerg trousers' under my buckskin leggings. This combination does a very good job at both cutting the winter winds and keeping my thighs warm.

I found a new use for some old holey wool socks by turning them into mitts, which are perfect for chilly spring or autumn. In deep winter, however, I have the option of doubling them up with a pair of fur-lined buckskin mittens.

To keep my head and neck warm during the evening or when sleeping, I wear a hood which contains a double-thickness of soft wool and a linen lining.

  • While brain-tanned (or buckskin) leather is never mentioned specifically by Tolkien, on two occasions Frodo Baggins is described as wearing a “shirt of soft leather” (FotR 377; RotK 237).

Additionally, we know that “small herds of red deer” —whose hides would be ideal for braintanning—lived in the lands north of Beorn’s house (TH 135). Finally, not only is buckskin indispensable in the wild for turning brambles, briars, and other such prickly vegetation, but it is exactly the kind of 'fabric' a self-reliant woodman such as Aistan would be able to produce from his hunted game. I imagine that the racial Beornings who maintain their vegetarian code would not kill animals for their furs or skins (see Gandalf’s comments regarding the word ‘furrier’), but a cultural Beorning who harvests game to eat could make useful materials out of the animal, for his own uses as well as for trade.

    • We do not know exactly when felt was first discovered in our Primary World history, but many felted items date at least to the period which Tolkien attests his Middle-earth occupies (prior to 4,000 BCE). Felt is, I believe, only mentioned once in Tolkien: in the form of Samwise’s “tall, shapeless” ‘hat’ (FotR 78). However, we know sheep were commonly kept in the Anduin valley, and given the time and level of technology depicted in the region, I do not think it would be out of the question for an Anduin Man to have a few felted garments.