[Ben Kircher]

So I have been seeing examples of fur mantles and other fur accoutrements on popular shows such as game of thrones. I was wondering if there was any historical significance or widespread use of such items. I enjoy the style and look of these items but I try to keep my kits as historically accurate as possible. Any info and answers would be appreciated.

[Harry Marinakis]

I know nothing about fur mantles.

Re: fur accoutremonts:

Vikings used fur trim around the edges of their cloaks, and sometimes their cloaks were lined with fur.

The Icelandic Vikings had a cloaks called vararfeldur, which looks like a fur cloak but actually it is not (so don't be fooled). The vararfeldur was a woven garment made with their homespun wool using a rya knot. A verarfeldur looks like a flokati rug. Sometimes they were called Icelandic trade cloaks.

http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/FTP_Files/Tho...rticle.pdf

During the medieval period, fur-lined cloaks were fairly common with the wealthy. Typically you'll see three different fur linings:
1. Pelts of ermine
2. Pelts of the winter coat of the Eurasian red squirrel (aka miniver)
3. Pelts of the autumn coat of Eurasian red squirrel (aka bische or strandling)

Additionally, the pelts could be trimmed or untrimmed. Pelts can be trimmed so that only the white belly fur remains, whereas the untrimmed pelts include much of the grey or red fur of the body. Obviously, a cloak made from trimmed pelts was more expensive than one made from untrimmed pelts.

1. Ermine is shown in illuminations as white pelts with black spots (for royalty and the most wealthy)

2. The thick winter coat of the Eurasian red squirrel is gray with white belly fur, and is shown in illuminations as white and blue pelts (for the wealthy).

3. The thinner autumn coat of the Eurasian red squirrel is reddish with white belly fur, and is shown in illuminations as white and rust pelts (for the less wealthy).

Here is a miniver-lined cloak from the Mac Bible, looks to me like it's untrimmed miniver. Substitute a rust color for the blue, and you have a bische cloak.

[Pieter B.]

[Mart Shearer]

Those aren't "dead rodents", they're wolf skins.
http://www.wulfheodenas.com/

[Pieter B.]

[Harry Marinakis]

I'd like to see their research on carrying animal skin across their shoulders, as I've not found any data supporting that. Maybe I need to go back and read the Sagas again.

[Patrick Kelly]

The members of that group take things so seriously, in terms of research, that I doubt they'd just sling a pelt over their shoulders on a whim.

[Jonathan Hodge]

[Ralph Grinly]

I would dare say that cloaks lined with rabbit pelts would have been used by the "lower/middle" classes ? I can't see that a resource like rabbit skins would have been neglected ?
And as for the "dead rodents" in the pictures above, didn't the Vikings have a class of "wolf" warriors, akin to the Bersekers ? I can imagine them wearing Wolf skins ?

[Harry Marinakis]

I spent a lot of time researching Viking cloaks - read through many books on Viking clothing, and dozens of online resources. I did not find any mention of animal skins worn like cloaks or mantles. Regardless of their reputation as a living history group, I would really like to see their references for wolf skins worn in this manner.

[Len Parker]

I searched the sagas for fur cloaks, and found these two words: loðúlpu and loðkápu.

Here Egil gives a loðúlpu to Alf and he's going to make a loðkápu out of it. I think.

Egill bjóst snemma um morguninn til farar og þeir förunautar, en að skilnaði gaf Egill Álfi loðúlpu; Álfur tók þakksamlega við gjöfinni -- "og má hér gera mér af loðkápu" - og bað Egil þar koma til sín, er hann færi aftur.

Tacitus mentions the germans using skins for clothes.

In the 5th century, Sidonius describes the franks:

"They wore high tight tunics of varied colour hardly descending to their knees, the sleeves covering only the upper arm. Green mantles they had with crimson borders; baldrics supported swords hung from their shoulders, and pressed on sides covered with cloaks of skin secured by brooches."

So tunic, skins then cloak.

[Len Parker]

From Einhard's Life of Charlemagne:

"and he protected his shoulders and chest in winter by the skins of otter or marten"

Vatnsdaela Saga:

"those berserks who were called ulfhednar had wolf shirts for mail coats"