If you are a Viking in the north and like things a bit cosier, you can opt for a fur-trimmed medieval woollen cloak, which has a sort of fake fur cape. The medieval woollen cloak with the wolf head clasp is a good choice, as it covers the body from head to toe in its normal length. Whether medieval or modern, from late autumn onwards it is advisable to have a cape with you at all times, as an addition to your normal clothing. For the colder medieval days: capes made of wool Last but not least, a beautiful cape or hooded cloak completes any medieval costume. These capes will keep you warm even in cold winters. From hooded capes made of cotton to short or long capes made of wool, you will find them at .uk. In the evening or at night it keeps you nice and warm. Already in summer such a cape is quite advantageous, it protects you from direct sunlight during the day. Unless, of course, you have equipped yourself for the LARP with a cape or even a hooded cape from the mail-order company .uk. This was the case in the Middle Ages and it is still the case today. Ermine.If you've ever sat around a campfire in the evening, you know what it's like: the fire warms you in the front, but the cold is a real pain in the back. Practical Advice On The Choice Of Furs.(2004 edition) Whitefish, MT: Kessenger Publishing. (1968 edition) New York: Benjamin Blom, Inc. The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopædia of Armory.

^ 'Armorial - Members - William John UNCLES'.^ a b c Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles Johnston, Graham (2004).^ Woodcock, Thomas Robinson, John Martin (1988).Arthur Charles Fox-Davies describes it as a 'silly of former heraldic writers, not of former heralds.' Erminois is ermine with a field or (gold) instead of argent (silver), and pean is the reverse of erminois (i.e., or spots on a field sable).Įrminites is alleged to be the 'same as ermine, except that the two lateral hairs of each spot are red.' James Parker mentions it, as does Pimbley, though by the former's admission this is of doubtful existence. French contre-hermine and German Gegenhermelin). Ermines is the reverse of ermine – a field sable semé of ermine-spots argent it is sometimes called counter-ermine (cf. Both in continental heraldry and British, the fur pattern was used in varying colours as a blazon atop other tinctures (e.g., ' d'Or, semé d'hermines de sable' for black ermine spots on a gold field ).īritish heraldry created three names for specific variants, rather than blazoning them longhand. Though ermine and vair were the two furs used in early armoury, other variations of these developed later. In the arms of William John Uncles, the field ermine is cut into bendlike strips by the three bendlets azure, so the ermine tails are (unusually) depicted bendwise. On a bend ermine, the tails follow the line of the bend. The ermine spot (so specified), however, may also be used singly as a mobile charge, or as a mark of distinction signifying the absence of a blood relationship. When 'ermine' is specified as the tincture of the field (or occasionally of a charge), the spots are part of the tincture itself, rather than a semé or pattern of charges. The ermine spot, the conventional heraldic representation of the tail, has had a wide variety of shapes over the centuries its most usual representation has three tufts at the end (bottom), converges to a point at the root (top), and is attached by three studs.

In heraldry it has become especially associated with the Duchy of Brittany and Breton heraldry.Ī stoat in winter fur Ermine spots The coat of arms of the former Duchy of Brittany, blazoned ' Ermine' Due largely to the association of the ermine fur with the linings of coronation cloaks, crowns and peerage caps, the heraldic tincture of ermine was usually reserved to similar applications in heraldry (i.e., the linings of crowns and chapeaux and of the royal canopy). The linings of medieval coronation cloaks and some other garments, usually reserved for use by high-ranking peers and royalty, were made by sewing many ermine furs together to produce a luxurious white fur with patterns of hanging black-tipped tails. Style of tincture in heraldry Some of the many variations of ermine spots found in heraldry over the centuries Ermine fur, from the robes of Peter I of SerbiaĮrmine ( / ˈ ɜːr m ɪ n/) in heraldry is a 'fur', a type of tincture, consisting of a white background with a pattern of black shapes representing the winter coat of the stoat (a species of weasel with white fur and a black-tipped tail).

Medieval fur cape