In this blog, we provide further explanation on how our blogs are created. We explain which peoples we use as a starting point and how we handle their culture, religion, and mythology. Then, we show the different ways to approach history and the choices we make when writing our blogs.
Our blogs versus our ancestors
Our historical blogs, whether they are compositions (like "get the look") or informative texts, mainly focus on cultures that have evolved from the Indo-European culture. This is because almost all of our historical articles are based on objects from these cultures, whether it's the early Bronze Age or the late Middle Ages. Sometimes, our Neolithic ancestors, who, along with our Indo-European ancestors, make up a large part of our European DNA, will also be covered. Occasionally, we also refer to Food-Gathering Hunter-Fishers or cultures from other ethnic groups.
We are aware of the cultures and movements that do not stem from the Indo-European culture. Although these are equally interesting, they are not our expertise. Additionally, we try to avoid cultural appropriation of non-Indo-European expressions and traditions as much as possible.
Indo-Europeans
People don't sprout from the ground like mushrooms. Through conquest and migration, various ethnic groups spread across the globe. With the help of DNA research, these movements can be mapped out. Especially in prehistory, DNA research is incredibly useful for studying migration and cultural development.
Very broadly speaking, humans spread across Europe as follows:
About 400,000 years ago, Homo neanderthalensis appeared in Europe. They lived here for hundreds of thousands of years. Nearly all Europeans have a small amount, around 1-2%, of Neanderthal (NEA) genes.
Around 45,000 years ago, Homo sapiens likely migrated from Africa to Europe: the food gatherers / hunters / fishers. All Europeans have inherited a bit of DNA from them, abbreviated as WHG (Western Hunter Gatherer).
Between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago, the first Anatolian farmers settled in Europe. They are known as the Neolithic farmers (Early European Farmers or EEF). Virtually all Europeans are descended a bit from them.
About 5,000 years ago, nomadic tribes from the Russian and Ukrainian steppes migrated towards Europe. These people, the Western Steppe Herders (WSH), were the ancestors of virtually all European cultures, such as the Greeks, Romans, Germanic peoples (Vikings), Slavs, and Celts.
As this last group of Yamnaya-related cultures spread across Europe, their language, Proto-Indo-European, and culture were also spread throughout Europe. Because of this common ancestor, there are parallels between the different cultures, which we will regularly mention in our blogs.
Most of our blogs focus on European cultures from the Iron Age around 800 BCE. As shown above, the Indo-European peoples had already lived in Europe for about 2,500 years by then. So, our blogs cover only a small part of human history.
Religion
Throughout the centuries, our ancestors practiced various religions.
Between around 3000 BCE and the early 11th century, and indirectly up to the present day, European paganism was widespread. European paganism venerates the gods, ancestors, and spirits or natural forces. It's possible that this latter aspect was inherited from the Neolithic population or even from the food gatherers / hunters / fishers. European paganism is the religion of the people who fill the majority of our framework.
From late antiquity, Christianity emerged and gradually replaced paganism. Seen from the perspective of our polytheistic European ancestors, the Christian god was initially just an addition to the existing pantheon and then (probably unexpectedly) replaced all the gods. Monotheistic Christianity has adopted much from the old religion. Therefore, both in (early) medieval religion and in later folklore, countless pre-Christian elements are present. After all, the population didn't change radically; only their religion changed.
Mythology
A myth is a story that conveys truths or values about a group of people, culture, or nation, enabling this group to identify itself and understand the world. A myth can be about gods, supernatural beings, or historical events. Therefore, myths must be treated with great respect.
In the Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, mythological stories are placed within a historical timeline. In European paganism, this is less common. The timeline is therefore looser and more fluid. However, this doesn't mean that these religious expressions shouldn't be taken seriously. Entire peoples and cultures derive a significant part of their identity from these stories and traditions, which have been passed down by our ancestors for thousands of years.
In our blogs, we strive to align mythological and religious expressions with the original stories and values, so that we can preserve historical traditions as much as possible.
When interpreting pagan myths, our goal is often not to create a historical reconstruction but to provide an epic depiction while retaining as many traditional details and elements as possible. For example, what is Thor without his hammer?
Folklore and Fantasy
For our ancestors, the boundary between fantasy and reality was much blurrier than it is today. There existed a rich folklore that provided explanations for inexplicable phenomena. Characters such as dwarves and elves originated from this worldview.
Sometimes, we draw parallels between historical fantasy (folklore) and modern fantasy, such as Lord of the Rings and role-playing games like LARP and Dungeons & Dragons. In doing so, we also aim to keep the pattern as representative as possible, just as we do with mythology.
Our Historical Compositions
When creating historical compositions, we devote as much time to the composition itself as we do to the cultural and historical context in which we place it. In our view, both are equally important because the reconstruction represents a culture and its traditions, and therefore we treat them with respect, even if modern views diverge strongly from historical perspectives or traditions. In the arrangement, we strive to follow their traditions, regardless of our modern and personal beliefs.
Our premise is that history is about the respective culture, the resulting traditions, and how people lived at that time. The outfit and objects express this. How accurate a setting needs to be depends entirely on the (personal) goal.
When creating historical compositions, we use products that we sell ourselves. Our extensive range provides a significant advantage in this regard. However, compared to all the objects from European history, the offering is limited. For example, many of our garments are made of cotton. All the clothing we sell has a certain production limit per year, and clothing that doesn't sell is not produced.
Therefore, our historical outfits are an approximation, and we don't claim that the outfits are 100% historically accurate. For example, we have a limited range of 16th-17th-century clothing, and Etruscan culture is underrepresented. In such cases, we choose to create a composition that is as accessible as possible and is a representative approximation of the historical original.
If you want to wear a 100% museum-worthy historically accurate outfit, it's better to make the clothing yourself (using self-woven fabrics) and complement it with accessories such as belts, buckles, and footwear from our range.
We are aware of all the work and effort that living historians put into creating the most representative outfit possible. We have ourselves been (living) historians and (experimental) archaeologists for many years and have much experience with this. With our blogs, we try to bridge the gap between a representative reconstruction and accessibility for a broad audience.
Different Approaches to History
The aim of living history and reenactment is to provide as accurate an approximation as possible of a historical person and setting, but complete accuracy is never achievable. Even if your clothing, weapons, and accessories are 100% correct, you may still differ in age, body type, or weight. Additionally, you have a modern mindset because you were born in modern times. Striving for historical authenticity is admirable, but we must acknowledge that we will never fully understand the past as modern humans, and there are limits to our knowledge.
The academic world seeks to study history as accurately as possible, but they also contend with biases, such as interpretation of historical sources. The issue is that we read all historical sources through the lens of our modern perspective. Our view of history is largely shaped by our interpretation from the modern world. No one will ever know fully objectively what it was like to live in that time unless they were actually born and lived in that time. And even then, each person would have had a unique experience, depending on factors such as living environment, social class, gender, and physical and mental health.
Outside the academic world, living history, and reenactment, there is a large group of people with a deep passion for history. They don't necessarily aim to approach history 100% historically correct; instead, they enrich their lives with (elements of) history and follow in the footsteps of ancient traditions and their ancestors. An example of this is the Viking culture at festivals such as Castlefest. People have a particular historical interest in Vikings and want to incorporate (parts of) Viking culture into their own lives. This, too, is a historical phenomenon. Throughout history, cultures have learned from other cultures, appropriated elements, and applied them to their own culture, or reverted to their ancestors. It's a historical approach that is different from reenactment and living history but not "lesser" or "wrong."
It's essential to realize that from a common passion and interest, there are multiple approaches to history, where it's not everyone's goal to portray a fully historically accurate Viking with linen clothing. We believe that all these approaches to history are important and that they should be treated with respect, even if someone else's approach and interpretations of history differ from yours.
After all, no one knows the truth, so why is your truth projected onto history better than someone who applies history to their life differently?
The goal of history in all approaches is to enrich your life, giving you a connection to the past. Whether your aim is to portray a historically accurate person with your factual knowledge of history or to find a catalyst through which you can connect with your ancestors.
Give others the space to practice their passion and find happiness in it. And realize, as a reenactor, that someone at Castlefest may not necessarily dress as a historically accurate person, but their association with history, their ancestors, and traditions can be just as realistic.
Discussions about history
Of course, we are open to your perspective on history! Feel free to engage in dialogue with us. We're very interested in that. We understand the 'sport' of making reconstructions as historically accurate as possible and take into consideration the interests of all parties involved. If you're a historical clothing atelier, you have different perspectives than those we aim to make history accessible to a broad audience. In our view, history is a highly social subject because it belongs to everyone.