When I came back to play in the SCA in 2017, creating a new persona was a goal of mine. In that pursuit I explored Scandinavian clothing and inevitably stumbled across the Skjoldehamn hood. You can read the original article here that first sparked my obsession with figuring out what the purpose of the ties are.
This is me, wearing a polar fleece prototype of the hood with the ties bound neatly in a bow just beneath my nose while out shoveling snow. You'll notice a few things:
1) It looks silly. That is your modern brain telling you it looks silly. Ignore it.
2) Due to the fact that the ties are anchored at my earlobes they are perfectly aligned to allow me to tie it below my nose. This is because of facial geometry.
3) My mouth and nose are unobstructed. I can breathe easily and do not suffer from moisture forming ice crystals on the fabric as if I was breathing through it.
4) My cheeks and ears are nice and toasty warm, as are my mouth neck and chin.
5) The top of the hood acts as a brim shading my eyes from sun glare due to the depth of the hood.
6) I am wearing a felted wool cap underneath the hood which keeps the material from moving about.
7) The cockscomb is missing. I need to put it back. Why? The top of the hood was much more stable and would better hold its shape if I hadn't taken it out.
What differentiates this hood from the hoods you commonly see people wear?
1) Functional ties, which are omitted on the "hollywood hoods".
2) The facial opening is a slit cut into the fabric and the seam is sewn at the rear and the top of my hood as it is on the original. The hoods you are used to seeing commonly worn have a fold at the back or are made from two separate pieces of fabric.
Check out the link to the original article by clicking the link above.
Remember folks, function over form.
This side quest is to be continued.......