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A Believable Fantasy: 10 Points to Consider Point #9: From Rags to Rapiers
Sunday, May 31, 2009
What you wear or what you bear. It’s awfully hard to imagine the weight of a sword sheathed at your side or just how a leather tunic would feel when you’re a blacksmith pounding away at an anvil. Clothing style certainly has changed over the years, and unless you regularly attend authentic Medieval Faires, it can be hard to visualize what everyone looked like in a “simpler” time.
When trying to draw the characters in our novel, I had to pay attention to details about clothing and weaponry. Granted that fantasy is fantasy, and you can create your own variations of the real deal, but authentic style and weaponry can enhance the feeling of “period” or “time” in your novel. Fashion for poorer folk was dictated by practicality and available materials. Clothing was simple, drab-colored, and dirty. The rich, however, wanted to distinguish themselves by bright colors, frills, and imported materials like silk. Believe it or not, buttons were not around in the early Middle Ages. People used thorns to hold their clothing fast.
Weapons also changed with time, and not everyone carried a sword at his side. You might have to do research about when steel replaced iron, how swords were sharpened (and REAL swords were permanently nicked and dinged—not like the shiny blades we see in the movies), etc. If you have the opportunity to hold a Medieval weapon, get a feel for its weight. Or if you can’t hold one, look up how much one of those tools of destruction weighed, and find an equivalent. You had to be pretty buff to wield a good sword and bear your armor at the same time. And if you should be writing a sword-slinging scene, you may want to consider the feasibility of spearing, thrusting, slicing, or throwing your weapon of choice. For example, not every sword was made to cleave; some were made strictly for thrusting and jabbing.
In terms of researching clothing and weapons, the internet is a great resource, as there are many enthusiasts who truly know their stuff. Be selective about the sites you use. Take a trip to a museum, such as an art museum, to see the armor, clothing, and weapons on display. Nothing is better than seeing the real deal. Do some sketches or take notes while you’re there; use a camera, if photography is permitted. Another great source of information is books on costume. Good costume books illustrate and label attire for the rich, the common, and the all-around fashionable for any particular day and age.
Even if you don’t end up describing every sleeve and collar upon your characters, you’ll be able to better visualize their appearance, and you’ll add that authenticity that makes your story so much more believable.
-Stefanie
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