Belt
A belt is a length of some material, often leather, cord or woven cloth worn around the waist. Metal belts are also known, such as the plaque belts popular in the 14th Century.
Belts can be fastened in a wide variety of ways, using buckles, rings and the like, or they could simply be tied. Many (some indicate the vast majority) of belts had strap ends of similar materials on the end of the belt.
Belts were used to gather clothing, provide support for structures such as scabbards, a knife sheaf, a pouch or for adjusting clothing to keep it out of the weather.
Typical Viking belts were rarely greater than 25mm (1 inch), based on surviving buckles and strap ends.
Belts in the SCA
In the SCA the belt has many uses:
- Provides a place to attach your tankard or drinking horn
- Holds favours
- a place to hang your pouch or mobile phone
- keeps your t-tunic tidy
- for having belt fights with
- can tuck up long skirts/tabards out of the mud
The decorative form that women wear with their dresses, often made of cloth and embroidered, is known as a girdle.
Contrary to common SCA belief, period belts often had buckles, and were not just straps of leather with a metal ring attached. Belts with buckles can be seen in illuminated manuscripts, and as a heraldic charge.
Belt Colour in the SCA
In the SCA, a distinctly white belt is reserved for knights, one of the few examples of sumptuary law. Other colours, however are not restricted in any way, although various customs exist in various kingdoms and people avoid the use of certain colours to avoid being seen as presumptuous.
- Red belts are often used for squires.
- Green Belts are often reserved for apprentices.
- Yellow belts are often reserved for proteges, but green belts are sometimes used for them, as well.
