"Portraying a Medieval Hunter; Getting Started"

by Paul D. Wilburn

Introduction

The Middle Ages encompassed nearly a thousand years of history, and styles continuously evolved over that time.  Therefore, detailing any sort of “how to” information in this article isn’t practical.  However, as our Brotherhood and website grow, I hope that our 'Research' and 'Links' pages will become invaluable sources of information regarding the portrayal of medieval hunters.  For now though, I’ll give you a few pointers which will hopefully help get you started, whether you decide to make or purchase the components of your hunter kit.

There are those who view their portrayals as one big craft project, and they get satisfaction from hand-crafting as much of their clothing and accessories as possible, which often results in greater authenticity.  Then there are those who would gladly pay others to invest that kind of time so they can look good.  Over a decade ago, as a young college student without much money, I made as much stuff as I could.  As the years went by though, and the responsibilities of adulthood increased exponentially, I found myself with much less time, but more money, so now I purchase most of my clothing and accessories.

Choosing a Time Period

Before you start those projects or make those purchases though, you need to choose a time period; at least specific to a particular century, but choosing a specific year can be even more helpful.  Nowadays, life seems to move at a pretty fast pace, and styles can change quickly.  In the 20th Century for example, there are distinct clothing styles associated with each decade.  In the Middle Ages, change may not have occurred quite so quickly, but there are often distinct differences in the styles of clothing and accoutrements (and even weapons and hunting equipment) from one century to the next.  These changes are most significant among the upper classes, which brings me to my next point, create a persona.

Creating a Persona

Some people feel that by creating a persona (character), you are crossing the line from history to fantasy.  I’ve personally experienced sub-cultures out there where many individual’s pseudo-medieval personas become their primary identities; their real world responsibilities seem to be merely a means to pursue their weekend endeavors as a Lord or Lady.  I won’t pass judgment, but that is not what St. Hubert’s Rangers is about.  Having a persona isn’t even a requirement for developing a period kit and hunting in a medieval style, but it can certainly enrich the experience and really help narrow the focus of your portrayal.

Since the dawn of time, where there are groups of people, you will find social structure and politics.  Within the same community and time period, the personal belongings and appearance of a person from one socio-economic group might be completely different from that of someone from another group.  For example, in medieval times, there was a huge difference between the, relatively few, wealthy nobles and the masses of poor serfs.  This is why developing a persona, at least to a certain degree, is necessary for creating an authentic portrayal.  There are often distinct clothing styles and accoutrements associated with various class levels and professions.

Purchasing What You Need

To complete a hunter portrayal you need a period method of hunting.  If you plan on actually hunting in a medieval-style, there are no shortcuts; you need to select a quality weapon (or hunting animal) and learn to use it safely and proficiently (visit our 'Links' page for suppliers of medieval reproductions).  Even if you do not plan on actually hunting, getting involved with falconry or archery, for example, can be very expensive.   Probably the easiest and least expensive way to complete a basic hunting portrayal is with a boar spear.  Spear heads can be purchased from Museum Replicas or Three Rivers Archery and fitted to a staff (closet pole) that you can purchase from most any lumber or home store.

Above is a period illustration from the "Book of Hunting" by Gaston Phoebus, and to the right, are photos of a replica spear I made using a $30 hand-forged spear head from Three Rivers Archery.

Making What You Need

To personally make everything you would need for a head to toe kit, you would have to be a jack-of-all-trades.  Surprisingly, I’ve known a number of reenactors who are just that; part seamstress, part cobbler, part bowyer, part fletcher, etc.  Most of us aren’t so lucky.  But making what you can is usually more economical, and usually gives one a greater sense of satisfaction than purchasing what you need.

Check the 'Research' page of this site often, as we will continually add useful content that Rangers submit.  There are also a lot of good books available on just about every related topic.  I like doing key word searches on Amazon.com because customer reviews are shown with the ordering information, which can give you a better overall impression a book before you order.  Unfortunately, the selection of medieval-themed books, relevant for reenactors, usually isn’t very good at local retail book store locations.

Period illustrations can be an excellent visual resource, but one can never know how much liberty the artist took in the depictions.  But by studying illustrations and archeological finds, one can come up with a pretty good sense of how most things were made.  There are a lot of good books available which feature medieval illustrations, but one of the most popular among hunters is “Medieval Hunting Scenes”, which is based on the 14th century “The Hunting Book” by Gaston Phoebus, and features detailed illuminations.

Another great resource for the 14th century reenactor is "Daily Life in Chaucer's England": by Jeffrey L. Singman and Will McLean. It is amazing how complete the info is about every aspect of daily life.  It includes detailed info about fabrics, dyes, and even has clothing patterns. 

One of my other favorites is "Medieval Military Costume" by Gerry Embleton This book is great!  It covers 12th-15th centuries and has large, colored photos of costumed reenactors from Europe, along with a lot of great info.  Don’t let the “Military” in the title turn you away; there are some great photos of garbed men and women which translate well to hunting personas.

Even though this article lacks the specifics one needs to make components of their hunting kit, themselves, I hope it helped point you in the right direction, and will help you get started.  I would be happy to personally assist you in anyway I can, and please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Paul Wilburn
Forester of St. Hubert's Rangers
rangers@sthubertsrangers.org