On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

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Thalion of Bree
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On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Thalion of Bree »

Hello, all. I had a question, if I may. How closely ought we to be holding one another to the MERS standards for garb? I understand, of course, the drive to stick to primary sources (indeed, as a historian, I had better take it to heart if I haven't already!), but how do we determine whether someone's garb is too off-base?

Let me give an example. Let's say I recently ordered a jerkin for my Dunedain garb. It looks the part, and fits well; it gives me the silhouette I look for from the books, from actual history, and, due to personal preference, from the Jackson films. But herein lies the problem: it is of cotton, not wool or leather or linen.

My main question is this: would this be a dealbreaker, even if I intended to upgrade my kit eventually? If so, why? If not, where ought the line be drawn?
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Greg »

The heart of your question is not what you think it is, I believe.

The real question you are asking is "How closely ought *WE* to be holding one another to the MERS standards for garb?"

The WE is what is in question here. You are posting on the Middle-earth Ranger Forum, a welcoming and friendly place where folks from all walks of life can discuss and enjoy Tolkien's works and how they and their various cultures can be re-created in real, functional ways. Game on, no holds barred, have at it.

With that in mind, the Middle-earth Reenactment Society is an entirely separate entity. The MERS exists to give people who are in pursuit of high-level authenticity and thrive on it a place to stretch their legs, callous their fingers hand-stitching, and get into the minutiae. This forum happens to be home to nearly all of the current Membership, and was the starting place for nearly all of their journeys into Middle-earth Re-Creation...but they are unaffiliated on-paper.

No one here on this site is expecting you to pursue difficult, time-consuming, and expensive standards to be able to enjoy doing whatever it is you're doing. There are folks from all walks of costuming on these boards, from Faire-goers, convention cosplayers, SCA fighters, hard-core wilderness trekkers, and dedicated bookworms.


Now.
If you intend to pursue Membership with the MERS (and I'd never discourage someone from doing so!) then you'd want to read over the Society standards and, perhaps most importantly, the Membership Tiers description found here, at the end of this newsletter: Edge of the Wild Vol. 5, Issue 3: Autumn 2020. You'll find that there are indeed forms of membership that do not have such nitty-gritty requirements, and are much more accessible. All of it depends on what you want to get out of our hobby.

Hope this was helpful in some way! Cheers,

- Greg
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Thalion of Bree
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Thalion of Bree »

Thanks so much, Greg; that helps a lot. I was actually unaware of that distinction, so I'm glad to know that there's a difference. I do fully intend to make my kit more authentic as I go along, but I'd like to get out in a set of kit first. I'm practicing my hand-stitching on linen leftovers all the time, though, so maybe I can get into MERS-levels of authenticity before long!
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Tom_Ranger »

Fact is, most people can't tell the difference without looking at a tag sewn on the inside. Cotton is a cheap material for the modern day peasants. Wool and Linen are superior in almost every way, but if cotton is what you have, I doubt anybody will say anything.
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Eofor
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Eofor »

What Greg said.

The boards here are a very safe space and even if I see something that I personally don't like, don't think fits or is just plain wrong for middle earth I would never come out and openly condemn it.
It's elitist, I've seen that approach in reenactment and I think it's counter-productive which is why we adopted the following core value for our historical group.

To lead from the front with our own standard of authenticity while accepting and encouraging the standard of others

What does this mean practically? It means you focus on your own kit, strive for the standard you expect of yourself in doing so you hopefully inspire others through your actions. It also means accepting those who simply don't have the desire or means to take it to that level.
Remember too that there are many branches to a tree and that there are people here on the forums who probably don't have a completed kit but bring a wealth of knowledge, art, woodcraft and crafting skills that I can only dream of, they enjoy the hobby from a different and no less valid angle.

It's also important to note that not everyone comes into the hobby down the book path or has the knack of researching so when I feel I have something to add I try and help people find their own way to a more accurate portrayal.

I might ask leading questions - 'why would a Dunedain have a Dwarven axe?' or 'have you considered a woolen cloak? You live in the snow and it would be much warmer than cotton, that's why the fellowship wore them'
I might also provide helpful quotes from the books to nudge people in the right direction or encourage them back into the texts.

You soon get a feel for those who wish to push things further and are receptive and those who aren't and both groups are fine by me.

So yeah, I wanted to add a few things but my Covid brain is scattered so basically what Greg said.

Edit: Having said all that I must admit that I would prefer to see non Tolkien content a bit further down the page. It's only that I sometimes worry that someone visiting may click on the first thread they see which is usually 'MERF random adventure pictures' and often it isnt the clearest representation of what we do.
But the white fury of the Northmen burned the hotter, and more skilled was their knighthood with long spears and bitter. Fewer were they but they clove through the Southrons like a fire-bolt in a forest.
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Manveruon »

Both Greg and Eofor have summed it up perfectly, I believe! I came here to say much the same, but likely in a less succinct and eloquent manner.

Eofor - you have especially echoed my own EXACT feelings about this hobby, and precisely how I try to personally run my local group of Rangers and Tolkien enthusiasts here in Colorado! In fact, if you don’t mind, I may quote you directly in future when and if the subject comes up - most particularly:
…you focus on your own kit, strive for the standard you expect of yourself in doing so you hopefully inspire others through your actions. It also means accepting those who simply don't have the desire or means to take it to that level.
Remember too that there are many branches to a tree and that there are people here on the forums who probably don't have a completed kit but bring a wealth of knowledge, art, woodcraft and crafting skills that I can only dream of, they enjoy the hobby from a different and no less valid angle.
My philosophy is always to spread the doors open wide to anyone who wants to participate, as long as they are doing so in good faith and have a general understanding of “what we do” (i.e. Tolkien and Tolkien-adjacent fandom with an emphasis on realism and immersion) - and then leading by example with my own kit and practices as much as possible. Folks can follow, or forge their own path and choose to pursue the hobby in whatever way they wish, but I’ll always encourage a deeper dive into the authenticity and realism I personally strive for if they are open to it. But then, my own personal standards of authenticity are sometimes also different from others here on the forum, so there is a certain your-mileage-may-vary aspect to it, no matter what your aspirations may be.

That being said, I’m very glad that the MERS exists, and that they DO have specific standards in place, because it allows for a much more focused, goal-oriented pursuit for those of us who do want to hold ourselves to a certain level of precision in re-creating Tolkien’s world.

Incidentally, for a while now I’ve been under the impression that my own kit wouldn’t technically pass muster for the MERS standards as-written, but as it turns out, I must have been misremembering them somewhat, because I technically already meet the requirements for at least the Traveler tier with my current kit, and very very nearly the Contributor tier! (Possibly Vendor tier as well, for that matter). The only thing that might not fit in is my bedroll tarp, which is made from cotton oilcloth - but I have yet to find an oilcloth from a more period-correct material that meets my needs. For the Contributor tier I would need to either re-stitch some of my cloak by hand, or make a new one (which I have planned but haven’t executed just yet) since there is a bit of visible machine stitching, and I still technically need better trousers - but otherwise, I’m pretty much set! Makes me want to start getting everything laid out and photographed here soon so I can start the documentation process!
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Udwin »

Manveruon wrote: Tue Nov 15, 2022 6:08 am The only thing that might not fit in is my bedroll tarp, which is made from cotton oilcloth - but I have yet to find an oilcloth from a more period-correct material that meets my needs.
Dude, no need to stress about your tarp! I recently bought 5 yards of gorgeous yellow ochre cotton oilcloth, made an 8x9.5 foot shelter with it, and it's just the greatest stuff.
Looking back at our original 2017 tiers (which, to be fair, could probably do with a 5-year dusting-off), it seems to my eyes that as written, the cotton prohibition only applies specifically to clothing items under section 2:
"Clothing/'soft kit': a) Materials: i) Clothing must be made from approved Natural Materials: linen/flax, wool, silk, hemp, nettle, leather. (1) Cotton items are not permitted..."

The next section on Hard Kit simply states "i) Use appropriate period-analogous materials". A big sheet of Tyvek (an inappropriate but analogous material), for a shelter would be Right Out... while modern cotton oilcloth is an analogous approximation of a homemade linseed & linen oilcloth...just much more attainable and without the all the tackiness, cracking-in-the-cold, and fire hazard (process and product!) that goes along with it.

If we Do do a Standards update, an exemption for oilcloth is probably in order.
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Cimrandir »

Splitter!.jpg
Splitter!.jpg (154.02 KiB) Viewed 4502 times

Splitters! Everyone here knows only the hard-core believers are allowed on the board! What's the group coming to talking about cotton oil-cloth?!
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Manveruon »

Oh for shame! I shall go and self-flagellate now, as befits my crime :lol:
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by ForgeCorvus »

Manveruon wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 5:04 am Oh for shame! I shall go and self-flagellate now, as befits my crime :lol:
I shall be round with a cheese-grater to remove your MERS tattoo tomorrow :lol:
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Eofor »

Manveruon wrote: Tue Nov 15, 2022 6:08 am Eofor - you have especially echoed my own EXACT feelings about this hobby, and precisely how I try to personally run my local group of Rangers and Tolkien enthusiasts here in Colorado! In fact, if you don’t mind, I may quote you directly in future when and if the subject comes up
Of course not, they're only words after all and you already exemplify the type of approach I am talking about.
Manveruon wrote: Tue Nov 15, 2022 6:08 am Incidentally, for a while now I’ve been under the impression that my own kit wouldn’t technically pass muster for the MERS standards as-written, but as it turns out, I must have been misremembering them somewhat, because I technically already meet the requirements for at least the Traveler tier with my current kit, and very very nearly the Contributor tier!
There is always another bit of gear, or another commission on the horizon but don't do what I did and put of applying until your impression is finished or you will never join at all. No kit is ever truly finished which is the reason why the society tiers exist.
But the white fury of the Northmen burned the hotter, and more skilled was their knighthood with long spears and bitter. Fewer were they but they clove through the Southrons like a fire-bolt in a forest.
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Re: On How Strictly the Society's Standards Are To Be Adhered To

Post by Iodo »

This thread is great, as is everything everyone has said so far :P it reminds me that my rather hap-hazard approach to the whole thing that leaves me with a kit with a fully hand sewn shirt/tunic/coat while I'm still wearing a modern pair of boots (with no intention of changing them soon) is totally OK on the forum

I have to admit that the serious dedication to law and detail is not my thing even tho I absolutely love to see it from certain members, I just don't have the time or patience, I am here for fun and to make things that take my fancy and this is still the best forum in the internet :mrgreen:
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