Germanic Beards

[ioannes sebald]

Greetings!,and yes,i know this looks a bit odd,but i'm presently trying to cultivate one of the above"objects"for the benefit of my alter ego,now i realise that moustaches and full blown beards appear to have been popular during the late 4th Century but my question is,would a western Germanic warrior have sported any kind of variation at this time,specificaly around the mouth and chin only?,as i said,an odd question but,i belive,just as important as any other aspect of an interpretation(and that's my excuse ).

[Robert Vermaat]

If you're a Roman, a beard is OK, but not a moustache only. the Romans seem to have had no word for moustache, although some think that the term 'Gothic beard' may have referred to it.

For a Germanic warrior, both are fine.
However, mind you that the image of long-bearded warriors (preferably fur-clad and dirty) is nor quite the common image of a Germanic warrior..... :|

[ioannes sebald]

Thanks very much Robert,it's a useful thing to know realy,the only thing that i'm still unsure about is whether or not a beard that only covers the chin(coupled with a moustache)and leaves the jaw and face bare is acceptable for a W Germanic of c400C.E,sorry about this but i'm determined to get things right this time(and i did ditch the spatha and pugio by the way :oops: ).

[Agraes]

For mid-Vth century there is some good descriptions of germanic (frankish and gothic) elites in Sidonius Apollinaris.

[ioannes sebald]

Thanks Agraes and sorry for taking this long to reply,as i've been laid up with my back(what's left of it twisted: ,anyhow,thanks again and all the best.