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<DIV><FONT size=4>From <A
href="http://www.celtictrim.com">www.celtictrim.com</A> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Describing Saxon trim design is a bit like stumbling around groping
in the dark. Few written records survive from this period, and even fewer
are devoted to describing clothing decoration. Our few sources of Saxon
knot trim is limited to crude images in illuminated manuscripts, tombstone
reliefs, and tattered remains found in excavated gravesites?none of which
are exactly ideal resources. </DIV>
<P>It is tempting to simply avoid using Saxon costume trim in theatrical
productions. Unfortunately, producers and directors continually set
Shakespeare's King Lear in Anglo-Saxon England, before the Norman invasion
of 1066 when the English Middle Ages, as we know them, officially began.
<P>This article will do its best to explain the different types,
materials, and designs that the Saxons used in their clothing trim
<P><B>SAXON TRIM DESIGNS</B>
<P>Saxon knot trim designs would probably only apply to woven and
embroidered trim. There were several different types.
<P><B>Geometric Designs:</B> Pretty much any geometric design can pass for
Saxon costume trim: ovals, chevrons, triangles, strapwork, spirals,
checkers, swastikas, and stars. Saxons were particularly fond, however, of
diagonal lines and zig-zag patterns. Saxons also favored continuous,
flowing designs that ran the length of the trim, rather than a repeating
set of alternating symbols.
<P><B>Animals:</B> The Saxons originally set out from Denmark and northern
Germany to invade Romano-Celtic England. Consequently, early Saxon animal
designs resemble what we today consider to be Viking designs, stylized
animals with long, thin, curving necks and legs, and spiraling tails.
Unfortunately, it is hard to find commercially made trim with such animals
on it. Some costume trim can be found, however, featuring Viking/Saxon
style hounds, horses, or griffins (not of the correct historical period).
<P><B>Knotwork:</B> Once the Saxons conquered England, they were exposed
to Celtic knotwork designs. They were slow to adopt it, however, and did
poor imitations at first. Saxon knotwork designs them to be less complex,
looser, and more open than Celtic knotwork. Early Saxon knotwork consists
more of overlapping loops and ovals, rather than true interlacing and
interlocking patterns.
<P><B>Zoomorphic Designs:</B> This is a unique design that resulted from
Germanic animal designs being combined with Celtic knot work. A zoomorphic
design has the head, legs, and tail of an animal, but the body consists of
Celtic-style knot work. Zoomorphic designs did not appear until the late
Saxon period. Again, it is difficult to find commercial costume trim with
zoomorphic designs, but thorough hunt on the internet will turn up trim
with zoomorphic hounds, serpents, and dragons.
<P><B>Vegetation:</B> In the later Saxon period, continuous, scrolling
steam-and-leaf designs began appearing. Due to the complexity of this
design, it had to be embroidered, and thus would only appear on the
clothing of royalty.
<P><B>Missing Designs:</B> Saxon decoration is also characterized by what
you WON'T find in their designs. Saxons, for whatever reason, didn't care
for flowers, paisley, or circles (ovals, but not circles) in their
ornamentation.
<P><B>TYPES OF SAXON TRIM</B>
<P>There were four basic types of Saxon trim. We'll describe them in a
hierarchy of increasing complexity, expanse, and (consequently) social
prestige. <B>Plain:</B> The first and most common type of Saxon trim was
simply a plain cloth band of a contrasting color and/or material to
garment it bordered. The only clothing materials available to Saxons were
wool (cheaper) and linen (more expensive). Ceorls, or Freemen, would have
worn this type of trim. Slaves would have no trim on their clothing at
all.
<P><B>Braided:</B> The second type, also quite common, was braided. At one
end of the scale, braids could be as simple as three thick cords of the
same color braided together. Simple and cheap to make, Freemen would
commonly wear such braided trim. At the other end of the scale, braids
could be very complex, involving dozens of thin cords of several different
colors, woven in an intricate pattern. Obviously, such complex braids were
more expensive and worn by wealthier people of higher status, such as
wealthy Freemen (tradesmen and merchants) or even Thanes (Lords).
<P><B>Woven:</B> The third type of Saxon knot trim was tablet-woven. This
trim, usually around one centimeter wide, usually had a design woven into
it. However, due to the limitations of tablet weaving (in which curves are
hard to achieve), woven trim usually contained geometric designs. Woven
trim may have included some of the simpler and more angular Saxon knot
trim designs, particularly Saxon knot trim with "thatching", which
featured interlaces, crisscrossing diagonal lines. Woven trim, taking much
longer to make, was more expensive. It would probably only be worn by
Thanes (Lords), and Ealdormen (Dukes).
<P><B>Embroidered:</B> The fourth and final type of Saxon costume trim is
embroidered. Any and all designs could be worked onto embroidered trim.
Embroidered trim was often done on silk. Silk was available to the Saxons
from the orient, but was so hideously expensive that it was only used in
small amounts for ornamentation, such as costume trim. Labor-intensive and
insanely expensive, embroidered silk trim would only be worn by the king
and the royal family.<BR></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Lady Runa of The Thundering Herd<BR><A
href="http://runa-herd.livejournal.com">http://runa-herd.livejournal.com</A><BR><A
href="http://www.bedlambazaar.com">www.bedlambazaar.com</A> <BR><A
href="http://thethunderingherd.net">http://thethunderingherd.net</A> <BR><A
href="http://bedlambazaar.blogspot.com">http://bedlambazaar.blogspot.com</A>
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