The Armour Archive

Hello Archivers,

I've been looking around, but neither my google-fu nor my search-fu were able to provide me with the info.

In the SCA, I see the rectangular belt favor everywhere, but I've been told on multiple occasions that this is not actually period, and that it's just a SCA thing.

Can anyone help me figure out what an actually period favor looks like? I'm mostly interested in late 12th century european exemples, but I'm curious about others as well.

Chrétien de Troyes wrote:...The young daughter clasps Gawain's legs and asks him to defend her against her sister, who has hit her. She asks him to bear arms for her in the upcoming tourney, and he accepts the charming girl's request, agreeing to be her knight. Her father agrees for her to give him a sleeve to wear as a token of her love.

France, late 12th century. This particular bit is from Perceval, the Story of the Grail, and is thought to have been written between 1181 and 1190.

I seem to recall seeing citations for people wearing gloves, but cannot think of their source at the moment, and I do not know if this is appropriate for the 12th century.

-Derian.

Any article of the lady's clothing that can be easily removed in public without causing a scandal: sleeve (detachable - shouldn't be torn off), glove, scarf, piece of jewelry.

Blaine has the right of it. Chretien de Troyes is writing at the height of the troubadour era, the era of encouraged courtly and/or courteous love, and ideally you want something that has been close to your beloved's person. An article of clothing or jewelry ideally suits that requirement. In period, so much the better if it has a drop or two of her perfume or something.

Of course, a true lover of the period is gracious, and will likely wear that piece close to his (or her as the case may be, if he has also given her some token) heart, rather than gratuitiously showing it off to the crowd.

In later centuries, especially by the 14th or so, it became more traditional to have a third sleeve or tippet made up to give to a gentleman. Gloves, I believe, are later still - 15th and 16th century. In some cases, that was for a husband or given to a fiance chosen by the family, so it wasn't so romantic - but the Black Prince carried a veil of Joan of Kent's even before he became her second husband, and John of Gaunt carried a favor from Katherine Swynford everywhere.

And even from an early day in the courtly love tradition (which really starts decveloping in the late 10th century and comes to full bloom by the time Eleanor of Acquitaine is Queen of France), such a favor could be used as evidence of adultery - whether or not it is the case. Remember your Shakespeare - when Othello believes Michael Cassio has a hankerchief he'd given to Desdemona?

There are a lot of conventions to the whole school of courtly/courteous love which we do not observe - in part because modern people are rarely so concerned with keeping a relationship secret ( remember, the secrecy was part of the excitement for the medieval participants in such a relationship) and also perhaps because we've so created our own traditions with belt favors - historically inaccurate as they are - that we invest a lot of time and effort into them.

We all know people who've gone out of their way to create elaborate belt favors for their champions. Heck, I've seen guys pick up embroidery needles for the first time ever and make them for their wives who fight - which I think is lovely, and quite in a period romantic spirit, even if we aren't doing the "stuff" quite right. As the SCA becomes more invested in the historical aspects of the game, we see less of the belt favors, and more appropriate ones - but I know oldtimers who proudly wear their 20 year old favors from their now wives, and I think it's wonderful.

I keep making a distinction too - courtly love was all about the secret beloved, and it was often an encouraged conceit - Romeo and Rosalind, not Romeo and Juliet, if you remember the beginning of the play. The gentleman (usually unmarried) sighed with devotion over a lady who was unattainable, and strived to find some way of making her so (usually adulterous, in an era when female adultery was anathema, because it could influence blood lines dramatically).

Courteous love, which we also see in poets like Chretien, involves what we would consider grand, romantic love today - but it was attainable, and legal marriage could be the end result. The difference again being that in medieval tradition, you didn't always have much say in who you married - so it was a coup if you could actually win the hand of your beloved, rather than be married off by your parents for reason of alliance and inheritance. Romeo and Juliet are a courteous love couple, in contrast to Romeo's idealized "love" for Rosalind - whom he barely knows and doesn't talk to.

In terms of favors, this means that you have the option of something secret or not from your significant other. Try to find what's personally appropriate - e.g. a Viking might have a necklace of beads from his lady, or a piece of brocaded tablet weaving on his tunic - period love-gifts that don't symbolize courtly love, per se, while the 14th. c. mafia types might tie a sleeve tippet to their arm harness, and a 16th c. guy might have his lady's glove.

In reverse, if your lady fights (I' m a fencer, Seth, obviously a heavy fighter) or in some cases not - find an approriate token to give her, that someone from your time period might realistically have given as a love-gift.

Yours,
Gwen

Funny that you ask this question.

As a young lad in the SCA back around 1988-90 I mad a statement that I latter regretted. What I said was " I wish that there was something more cool to wear rather then the "dish-towel" favor everyone seems to wear." I was qouted to have hated to wear favors. Fourtunately I was able to overcome that stigma.

Truth of the matter is that the "dish-towel" favor is still prevelent. Today, I wear my Lady's sleeve from one of her actual dresses she has made. Better yet is it is all hand sewn. I have seen leather gaters worm on the arm - when they are embelished with mottos or words it looks fantastic. A broch or piece of jewelery would be very nice as well.

As for what is truely appropriate for certian time periods I have no reference.

Thomas B? Karen L? any suggestions?

Christian Darmody

At a guess, our "tea towel" belt favors probably evolved from using a period appropriate item - a veil. Veils, however, tend to long an flowy, and as I mentioned above, because we want to flaunt them (nor do we much use lances to tie them around, as we know happened at the court of Henry VIII), we tie them to belts, rather than tuck them inside armour where they get all sweaty. The purpose in our culture is to be seen to have them, not secret inspiration.

The tea towel development possibly came from taking a veil shape and making it more readily able to be carried on the battle or tourney field. The needlework likely borrowed from our fondness for chivalric Victoriana.

Just a guess, but it makes logical sense. There might be something similar too in a Burn-Jones or Morris painting somewhere.

There is plenty of documentation for what to use, as I mentioned above - if you're in the 12th century, veils are commonplace. Sleeves are used, but as it's not a period with readily removable sleeves, ladies of the court might make a third sleeve when making or having made a garment, to give to their significant other. A piece of jewelry is also appropriate - a ring on a cord about the neck and so on.

The decision you have to make is one of visibility. Ask if you want everyone to see this favor, or if the crucial element is the significance of your relationship and support. Decisions should be made accordingly.

Historically, if the fighter was really making a grand show, the veil or sleeve would likely be tied to his arm harness - unless he were jousting, in which case, it might be attached to his lance. We have plenty of later period references to this.

Gwen

Thank you so much for the help.

The favor would be for everyone to see as it would be to bear arms for my lady in a tournament.

The veil would most likely be the best choices for the era my persona is from, followed by the sleeve. A woman removing her veil to give to her champion before the tournament begins wouldn't cause a fit with the surrounding crowd?

Also, I have difficulty figuring out what the sleeve is when it is referred as a favor. Is is simply an arm band like garment that is slid over the combatant own sleeve? Or is it something that is sown on? (My confusion might be due to English being a second language)

Thank you for this thread. Very informative! My first favour was gifted me by my wife for my first tourney. Just a simple strip of cloth from a dress she made. It was a tongue in cheek message for my opponents which basically “take flight in dread”.

This is much later than what you're looking for, but The Gift in Sixteenth-Century France gives an example of a man who has just become engaged taking his fiancee's blue garter and tying it around his neck as a favor.

Phelippe du Peiregore wrote:(My confusion might be due to English being a second language)

Je devine que votre premiere langue est français?

Donal Mac Ruiseart wrote:

Phelippe du Peiregore wrote:(My confusion might be due to English being a second language)

Je devine que votre premiere langue est français?

Effectivement. C'est si évident que ça?

--

I wanted to thank everybody for the information. You've all been a great help!

Any historical sources for using a lock of hair?

Donal Mac Ruiseart wrote:

Phelippe du Peiregore wrote:(My confusion might be due to English being a second language)

Je devine que votre premiere langue est français?

Phelippe du Peiregore wrote:Effectivement. C'est si évident que ça?

Je l'ai deviné parce que tu as un nom français et tu habites Rives d'Estnordia . . . deux et deux font quatre.