Feather plumes - what kind of bird ?

[Theodosius the Great]

Okay, I just bought 50 of these Ostrich feathers.



They measure from 11 to 16 inches tall. I hope they look good when I mount them onto my helmet.

Thanks, everyone, for helping out

[A_Volpe]

Wow, yeah those should look pretty spiffarific.

were those from a duster? just curious to see if it was feasable

And if you ever want to do 1570's Landsknecht, you got some feathers for your hat!

[Theodosius the Great]

Wow, yeah those should look pretty spiffarific.

Thanks 8) Hope they come by tomorrow.

were those from a duster?

Nah. eBay. Paid less than $30

[Carlton Bach]

Wouldn't a couple of pheasant feathers look rather spiffy in an optio's side plume holders? Plenty of them in Northern Britain!



And wouldn't lark's feathers be very appropriate for Legio V Alaudae (The Larks)?

Cheers

Britannicus

How thick are pheasant feathers at the base? I handled some once, but they struck me as rather thin and fragile compared to goose or swan.

The Alaudae may well have worn lark feathers - makes sense - but again, how strong are those? How would you mount them?

any ornithologists here?

[Crispvs]

When I fit my crest to my helmet for what you might call 'parade order' I roll a little square of leather into a tube and push it down into each feather tube. This makes a pair of very secure seats for the goose feathers (more secure in fact than the brush crest between them, which tends to wobble slightly). I suspect if you used the same technique with pheasant or lark feathers similar pieces of leather in the feather tubes could protect the delicate quills.

Crispvs

[Theodosius the Great]

Crispvs,

You don't just glue them in :?: :?

[Crispvs]

No. I don't wear my crest most of the time. I suspect too, that even if you always wore a feather crest, you would have to store your helmet extremely carefully to avoid damaging the crest if was not removable. Doubly so for feather crests.

Crispvs

[Peroni]

Paulus Britannicus suggested that pheasant feathers would look good.

As far as I am aware, the pheasant that is so common in northern Europe now was not aorund in vast quantities 2000 years ago. I was under the impression that it is a bird native to India and wasn't introduced (In Britain anyway) until the arrival of the Romans(?)

I think Crispvs means the feathers he uses in the side-tubes not being glued-in, as opposed to a crest-box.

Regards,

[Crispvs]

That is correct. Thanks Peronis.

When my crests are attacted they consist of a horsehair brush crest in a wooden mounting held in a centrally mounted brass crest box and one goose feather in each of the two feather tubes.

By the way - I like your new picture Peronis. Was that taken at Richborough earlier this year?

Crispvs

[tlclark]

so it'd be a fair assumption to say if they were importing ostriches into 2nd C. AD Rome for sport, and possibly food (well supersize 'drumsticks' would be tempting)... then ostrich feather plumes wouldn't be unrealistic in that context.

Actually, as I understand it, it was ostrich BRAINS that were considered a delicacy.

As far as byzantine feathers from peacocks and others, I only know about flabellae, or liturgical fans, but I don't know why something in use for a fan could not be used for a crest, so why not?

Travis

[Peroni]

Thanks Crispvs, it was taken at Kalkriese!

ps I have a spare copy of the Grew/Griffiths book if you'd like it. Cross my palm with Denarii


regards,

[DAN OF BRITANNIA]

Ostrich BRAINS???

Served with the frozen pi55 of elderly people no doubt.

(You'll have to read the national delicaies thread in the Off Topic section to understand).


As for peacock feathers in the liturgical fans also being used for crests... why not.

[tlclark]

Ostrich BRAINS???

Served with the frozen pi55 of elderly people no doubt.

(You'll have to read the national delicaies thread in the Off Topic section to understand).


As for peacock feathers in the liturgical fans also being used for crests... why not.

Actually, the brother of Vespasian apparently had a meat pie that fed 200 people, filled with moray eel livers, ostrich brains and flamingo tongues.

When you think how many flamingos, ostriches and moray eels had to die...

Which makes me think. Parrots were popular eats too. What did they do with all the ostrich, flamingo and parrot feathers?

That's a vast resource for crests.

Travis

[Marcus Mummius]

Parrots were popular eats too.

They were even tastier when they had learned to talk