Re: Druidic Clothing and Dress
Aicerno OCathasaigh
akiernox_ocasey@hotmail.com
Wed Oct 28 15:34:39 1998
Searles wrote,*br*: Celtic Color Facts*br*:*br*: I went out and did a little research on colors in Celtic *br*: dress and here are a few of the quotes I discovered. It *br*: seems that the léine or long shirt would sometimes be banded *br*: with several stripes of different colors as was the right *br*: and status of the person who wore it. Cloaks and tunics were *br*: sometimes different colors, with crimson and scarlet being *br*: favored colors of the upper classes.  If one was related to *br*: a king, a Druid or a Fili, then gold or silver jewelry and *br*: ornamentation also was used.  Other folks used brass and *br*: copper.  The outfits were completed with the wearing of a *br*: sort of kilt that came down close to the knees.  Here's the *br*: bare facts folks:*br*:*br*: Tighernmas introduced the colors of yellow, green and blue *br*: to Ireland in 900 BCE.*br*:*br*: Slaves wore saffron (yellow) colored long shirts.*br*:*br*: Druids wore white robes in ceremony, grey bull hides in *br*: battle and many speckled robes on state occasions such as *br*: banquets and court appearances.*br*:*br*: The kings usually wore robes of crimson or red.*br*:*br*: The foster sons of kings wore cloaks of scarlett, purple or *br*: blue.*br*:*br*: According to the Cain Law, the dath was proscribed as *br*: follows: satin and scarlet for the sons of king; black *br*: yellowish, grey and blay clothes for the maic na ngra'd *br*: fene.  The mac in airrech, mac in airrech tuis, mac in *br*: airrech ard, mac in airrech forgill, mac in airrech rig, *br*: also had colors assigned to their cloths as well, though no *br*: mention is made of them in the DIL.*br*:*br*: In another reference, the following colors were prescribed *br*: for:*br*:*br*: Free class - yellow, black, white, blay.*br*: Noble grade - red, green, brown.*br*: Royalty - Purple and blue.*br*:*br*: Only the Scottish high king could wear a pur ple stripe in *br*: his tartan.*br*:*br*: The shields of the five provinces of Ireland (Leinster, *br*: Munster, Connacht, Ulster and Meath) contain the colors: *br*: red, gold, white, blue, green, black and purple.*br*:*br*: Scottish tartans had a hierarchy of color numbers just as *br*: did the Irish.*br*:*br*: The Scottish King could have seven colors in his tartan.  *br*: All others could have only six colors.  The extra color was *br*: purple. The Royal Stewart tartan contains the colors: red, *br*: yellow, white, blue, green, black and purple (very similar *br*: to the colors of the shields of the Irish provinces).*br*:*br*: From the Tain Bo Cuailgne: (describing the cavalcade of Bodb *br*: Derg)*br*:*br*: "There was no person among them that was not the son of *br*: a king or a queen. They all wore green cloaks; and they wore *br*: kilts with red interweavings, and borders or fringes of gold *br*: thread upon them, and pendants of white bronze thread upon *br*: their leggings or greaves, and shoes with clasps of red *br*: bronze in them."*br*:*br*: From "The Story of the Irish Race" by Seamus Mac *br*: Manus: (said of Tighernmas, Milesian King of Ireland)*br*:*br*: "Sometimes to him, sometimes to his successor, Eochaid, *br*: is credited the ancient ordinance which distinguished the *br*: various classes and professions by the colors of their *br*: dress. A King or Queen might wear seven colors; a poet or *br*: Ollam six; a chieftain five; an army leader four; a *br*: land-owner three; a rent-payer two; a serf one colour *br*: only."*br*:*br*: From the Tain Bo Cuailgne: (Said of Connor Mac Nessa by the *br*: herald MacRoth)*br*:*br*: "A tall graceful champion of noble, polished, and proud *br*: mien, stood at the head of the party. This most beautiful of *br*: the kings of the world stood among his troops with all the *br*: signs of obedience, superiority, and command.  He wore a *br*: mass of yellow, curling, drooping hair.  He had a pleasing, *br*: ruddy countenance. He had a deep, blue, sparkling, piercing *br*: eye in his head and a two-branching beard, yellow, and *br*: curling upon his chin.  He wore a crimson, deep-bordered *br*: tunic over his bosom; and a brilliant white shirt, *br*: interwoven with thread of red gold, next his white *br*: skin."*br*:*br*: From the Book of Ballymote: (describing Cormac Mac Art at *br*: the Feis of Tara)*br*:*br*: "His hair was slightly curled, and of golden color; he *br*: had a scarlet shield with engraved devices, and golden hooks *br*: and clasps of silver; a wide-flowing purple cloak on him, *br*: with a gem-set gold brooch over his breast; a gold torque *br*: around his neck; a white-collared shirt, embroidered with *br*: gold, upon him; a girdle with golden buckles, and studded *br*: with precious stones around him; two golden net-work sandals *br*: with golden buckles upon his feet; two spears with golden *br*: sockets, and many red bronze rivets, in his hand; while he *br*: stood in the full glow of beauty, without defect or blemish. *br*:  You would think it was a shower of pearls that were set in *br*: his mouth; his lips were rubies; his symmetrical body was as *br*: white as snow;  his cheek was like the mountain ash-berry; *br*: his eyes were like the sloe; his brows and eye-lashes were *br*: like the sheen of a blue-black lance."*br*:*br*: Here is a description of Edain from the Tale of the Bruidean *br*: Da Dearga:*br*:*br*: "...he saw a woman on the brink of a fountain, having a *br*: comb and a casket of silver, ornamented with gold, washing *br*: her head in a silver basin with four birds of gold perched *br*: upon it, and little sparkling gems of crimson carbuncle upon *br*: the outer edges of the basin.  A short crimson cloak, with a *br*: beautiful gloss, lying near her; a brooch of silver, inlaid *br*: with sparkles of gold, in that cloak.   A smock, long and *br*: warm, gathered and soft, of green silk, with a border of red *br*: gold, upon her.  Wonderful clasps of gold and silver at her *br*: breast, and at her shoulder-blades, and at her shoulders in *br*: that smock, on all sides.  The sun shown upon it, while the *br*: men (that is the king, and his retinue) were all shaded in *br*: red, from the reflection of the gold against the sun, from *br*: the green silk.   Two golden-yellow tresses upon her head, *br*: each of them plaited with four locks or strands, and a ball *br*: of gold upon the point of each tress.  The color of that *br*: hair was like the flowers of the bog fir in the summer, or *br*: like the red gold immediately after receiving its coloring.  *br*: And there she was disentangling her hair, and her two arms *br*: out through the bosom of her smock."*br*:*br*: From the Book of Rights: (details of the tuarastal payable *br*: from the king to subordinate kings)*br*:*br*: "Seven mantles with wreaths of gold,*br*: And seven cups for social drinking, *br*: Seven steed not accustomed to falter, *br*: To the king of Kerry of the combats.*br*:*br*: The prosperous king of Rathlenn is entitled*br*: To the stipend of a brave great man;*br*: Ten swords, and ten drinking horns,*br*: Ten red cloaks, ten blue cloaks.*br*:*br*: The king of Ara of beauty is entitled*br*: From the king of Eire of the comely face, *br*: To six swords, six praised shields, *br*: And six mantles of deep crimson."*br*:*br*: In the tale of Bruidean Da Dearga, Incel reports of Conari *br*: Mor's druith (jesters):*br*:*br*: "I saw there...three jesters at the fire.  They wore *br*: three dark grey cloaks; and if all the men of Eirinn were in *br*: one place, and though the body of the father or the mother *br*: of each man was lying dead before him, not one could refrain *br*: from laughing at them."*br*:*br*: A description of Maine, son of Ailill and Medb:*br*:*br*: "There were seven greyhounds attending his chariot, in *br*: chains of silver; with balls of gold upon each chain, so *br*: that the tingling of the balls against the chains would be *br*: music sufficient.  There was no known colour that was not to *br*: be seen upon these greyhounds. There were seven Cornaire *br*: (trumpeters), with corna (horns) of gold and silver, wearing *br*: cloths of many colours, and all having fair-yellow hair.  *br*: Three druids also went in front of them, who wore minda *br*: (diadems) of silver upon their heads and speckled clocks *br*: over their dresses, and who carried shields of bronze *br*: ornamented with red copper.  Three Critire (harpers) *br*: accompanied them;  each of kingly aspect, and arrayed in a *br*: crimson cloak.  It was so they arrived on the green of *br*: Cruachan."*br*:*br*: In the "Colloquy of the Two Sages":*br*:*br*: Bricriu gave a "...purple tunic, adorned with gold and *br*: silver..." to Nede an aspiring Ollamh. Then Nede went *br*: and sat in the Poet's Chair and pulled his robe of three *br*: colors about him: a covering of bright bird's feathers were *br*: in the middle, at the bottom a speckling of findruine (a *br*: white gold, white brass, silver combination), while the top *br*: was a brilliant golden color.*br*:*br*: From the _Metrical Dindshenchas_*br*: (referencing the cloak of Fer Berna from Brius):*br*:*br*: "Ni find, ni liath, ni lachtna,*br*: ni derg,ni gorm, ni corcra,*br*: ni breccan raenach riabach,*br*: ni hetgud srianach soccra."*br*:*br*: "It is not white, nor gray, nor dun;*br*: it is not red, nor blue, nor purple;*br*: it is no tartan, striped nor checkered;*br*: it is no beribboned garment of ease."*br*:*br*: In another post I mentioned that Tighernmas (900 BCE) *br*: introduced the colors saffron, blue and green to Ireland *br*: from trading with the Phoenicians.  He also was said to have *br*: established the numbers and types of colors that could be *br*: worn by the different classes of Irish society. Many works *br*: define the number of colors for each level in Irish society, *br*: though none (in my knowledge) specifically equates all of *br*: these levels to particular colors.  I did some research and  *br*: I'd like to suggest these colors for the different levels of *br*: Irish society:*br*:*br*: Ard Righ (also Kings and Queens)- Seven colors: Purple, *br*: white, black, blue, red, green, yellow (these are also the *br*: colors of the Royal Stewart Tartan in Scotland.)*br*:*br*: Nemed (Druids, Churchmen, Lords, Poets) - Six colors: white, *br*: black, blue, red, green, yellow.*br*:*br*: Provincial Chiefs - Five colors: black, blue, red, green, *br*: yellow.*br*:*br*: A Bruiden or Wealthy Landowner (perhaps also the lesser *br*: Nemed?) - Four colors: blue, red, green, yellow.*br*:*br*: A Warrior (officers as well) - Three colors: red, green, *br*: yellow.*br*:*br*: A Peasant (rent-paying farmers)- Two colors: green, yellow.*br*:*br*: A Slave (and servants) - One color: yellow *br*: .*br*:*br*: This is based on information regarding the léine, the long *br*: shirts of the Irish which preceded the belted plaid worn by *br*: the Scots, that I found in "Scottish Clans & *br*: Tartans" by Ian Grimble.  The léine was said to have *br*: been "striped" and persisted into the 17th century *br*: before being replaced by kilts or "belted plaids". *br*:  The class structures were mentioned in both "Celtic *br*: Myths and Legends" by T.W. Rolleston and "A Guide *br*: to Early Irish Law" by Fergus Kelly. I also got this *br*: information regarding colors from "The Sacred *br*: Cauldron" by Tadhg MacCrossan":  White for truth, *br*: red for physical strength, green/blue for fertility. *br*:*br*: According to Seán O'Tuathail these are the color symbolic *br*: meanings:*br*:*br*: blue - protection (dark blue)*br*: black - pure and powerful (here I am interpreting based on *br*: O'Tuathail's other remarks)*br*: brown - strength*br*: gold - magically far less important than silver*br*: red - war, political authority*br*: silver - authority*br*: white - barren-ness, empty-ness*br*: yellow - thanksgiving*br*:*br*: The information regarding Tigernmas "The Lord of *br*: Death", who introduced the colored system of clothing *br*: came from both "Irish Mythology" by Peter *br*: Beresford Ellis and "A Guide to Irish Roots" by *br*: William and Mary Durning.  *br*:*br*: *br*: Searles*p*Beyond that, I've read, also in Ellis' work,, that the bards wore a cloak that consisted of the feathers of multiple birds from the girdle down; from the girdle to the neck, the cloak was consisted of the manes and necks of Drakes (mallard ducks?).*p*Aicerno OCathasaigh*br*
Re: Druidic Clothing and Dress
Searles
194
Sun Sep 27 13:35:10 1998