RenSymp from the eyes of a newbie.

[sstormwatch]

Rydell on Tribe posted this, and I wanted to remember the words the blogger posted. She reminded me of a much younger me, who had joined a new Scots guild way, way, way back when. The blogger is posting about her experience at this year's Ren Symposium.

Musings from a Ren Faire Newbie - Part 1, the crash course trainingThe part I wanted to savor

Comments

[katexxxxxx]

I read the whole article, not just your extract. It is well written and brings up points that are interesting to me as a total outsider wanting to know what this faire stuff is all about

[sstormwatch]

I used to do island Scots (MacLeod clan) many years ago... late 80s to late 90s. What we had available then for research was limited to our college library, and a little ILL if we knew titles, and if the libraries would loan out the older books. We were also adopted by a local MacLeod leader who had a small library of books that he allowed our first guild master access to, in helping with research. But most of his books did not go into the 16th century, as I think his interest was post Jacobian

[katexxxxxx]

This Scots dress thing is where I have some trouble... Chunks of tartan/plaid apart, and excepting the kilt, MOST of Scotland dressed exactly as their English counterparts did, with a little more French influence in the court. At the time of Elizabeth and Mary, the kilt wasn't a matter of pride: it was what you wore when you couldn't afford both clothing AND bedding! Or for women, both a shawl and a blanket. Women would kilt their plaids round themselves in much the same way as the men, only about mid calf rather than shorter, and wrap the rest round like a shawl. Or they'd have a large shawl made of two pieces of cloth sewn together into a square that was folded into a triangle during the day, wrapped round the shoulders and crossed at the front and tied at the back, worn as a sling for babies, or opened up as a blanket for the night. Older more worn pieces were cut down for children or gathered into a more permanent skirt. Jackets often followed the same pattern as those for men. They were often inherited from brothers that

[sstormwatch]

Most of what is known of 16th century Scots is... well hard to piece together, at least in the costume books I have that cover the period. Images are scarce, women are completely covered in something furry (not sure if woven furry like frieze cloth, or dressed in furs, hard to tell with woodcuts), and island/highland men look like the Irish. Lowland men look English, and comments from the period make the same comment. We know more on what King James V ordered as fabric to look "highland", but not much idea on what it looked like. We know great kilts come in sometime in the 17th century.

We use great kilts as a theatrical concept to make the highland scots look "scottish" and distinguish them from the Irish or the English. I've tried to discourage the noble Scots from wearing tartans, but the also want to not look English, so they wear kilts and arasaids as well. Those who actually are Scots have come to expect this, and see it as a matter of national or clan pride. So for theatrical reasons it stays, even tho we know better.

[docryder]

I think that teaching is good, but maybe a different, less "Bill-controlled" venue would be a better choice.

[margorose]

Absolutely.

[sstormwatch]

That's what I am looking into. I want to help the students, but Bill is another issue.

[katexxxxxx]

Clue by four? ;)