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Ren Faire Myth

Started by Charlotte Rowan, July 14, 2008, 10:02:51 AM

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Charlotte Rowan

I'm taking a class right now called Living Myths of Modern Society. The class focuses on the phenomenon of myth as a story/belief that helps us explain our worldview - defined as "a traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society."

This got me thinking - we as Rennies definitely have our own culture - do we have our own myth related to Fest? I don't mean myth as in "misconception" (for example, "all Rennies are hippies" or "Ren Fests are all about orgies and drinking"). I mean what stories/beliefs do we have that define our worldview as Rennies?
Masquerading as a normal person day after day is exhausting.

Master James

Well I'm not sure if this one qualifies or not but the color purple being reserved for royalty only and nobody else at faire should wear it is a well known myth.  This may hold true for cast but certainly NOT playtrons.  Yet every year I hear tales of somebody being accosted for wearing purple as "that is only for royalty and you shouldn't be wearing it!"
Why can't reality be more like faire?
Clan M'Crack
RenVet
Royal Order of Landsharks #59
FoMDRF
RFC #51

Joyce "Delfinia DuSwallow" Howard

Well i seen one time on ebay in someones store that makes renn clothes that purple was a color of witches and ones who cast spells but, i also have heard that purple was for royalty. Go figure! I don't know????
MDRF Dandy  "Delfinia DuSwallow"
Sun'n Penny - Clan O'Morda
LandShark #71
Maker of Buttery Nipples

Charlotte Rowan

The color purple thing is another example of what I would call a "misconception." Yes, it is a myth in the sense that it is something that people think but that actually isn't true. I'm looking for more along the lines of shared history... for example, the myth surrounding the Bear at MNRF.
Masquerading as a normal person day after day is exhausting.

maelstrom0370

Not exactly sure if this what you're looking for but I shared this story on the old board in a similar thread....

A woman was on her way to a Faire (I heard it was in New York) and was taking a short cut through (Central) park.  She was wearing a cloak which covered her neck to feet and a man attempted to mug her at knife point (must be an old story).  ANYway, as the story goes, she drops the cloak revealing that she's wearing a full suit of chain mail and draws her sword, says something along the lines of "I see your 6 inches and raise you 36".  The man runs off and she continues her way to Faire.

More of an Urban Legend (of which I'm a HUGE fan) than a myth I suppose.
Hope it helps.

RumbaRue


The color purple bit has come from the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire (that started in Aguora north of Los Angeles).

The color purple was reserved for the Nobles for the simple reason it would let the 'guests' know who was royalty and not. Yes they know that purple in the real Renaissance was used by all who fancied it.
It's clear that other faires have picked up on this and use it as a way to let the public know who is who.

Yes it is a stupid thing as I believe anyone should have the right to wear the colors they want so long as it's not neon, checkered, or some other material that is unsuitable.

Being Blond means I have the right to walk into any wall.

Monsignor de Beaumanoir

The dye was very hard to make in ancient times,so only the wealthy could afford it:

"History, Shellfish, Royalty, and the Color Purple
Jul 1, 2002 12:00 PM, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor



Understanding color is one of the keys to success in the printing industry. It also can be very interesting history.

A dictionary defines purple as "any of a group of colors with a hue between that of violet and red" and as a "symbol of royalty or high office." Historically, the color purple has been associated with royalty and power, but the secret of its power lies in the glands of tiny shellfish creatures.

The earliest archaeological evidence for the origins of purple dyes points to the Minoan civilization in Crete, about 1900 B.C. The ancient land of Canaan (its corresponding Greek name was Phoenicia, which means "land of the purple") was the center of the ancient purple dye industry.

"Tyrian Purple," the purple dye of the ancients mentioned in texts dating back to about 1600 B.C., was produced from the mucus of the hypobranchial gland of various species of marine mollusks, notably Murex. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye. Legend credits its discovery to Herakles, or rather to his dog, whose mouth was stained purple from chewing on snails along the Levantine coast. King Phoenix received a purple-dyed robe from Herakles and decreed the rulers of Phoenicia should wear this color as a royal symbol.

Although originating in Tyre (hence the name), man's first dye chemical industry spread throughout the world.

Rome, Egypt, and Persia all used purple as the imperial standard. Purple dyes were rare and expensive; only the rich had access to them. The purple colorants used came from different sources, most from the dye extraction from fish or insects.

The imperial purple of Rome was based on mollusk from which purpura comes. Emperor Aurelian refused to let his wife buy a purpura-dyed silk garment, as it cost its weight in gold!

Insect and snail animal-based colors were mentioned in the Bible for use in textile furnishings of the Tabernacle and for the sacred vestments for the High Priest Aaron, and they also were used in King Solomon's and King Herod's temples in Jerusalem.

With the decline of the Roman Empire, the use of "Tyrian Purple" also declined, and large-scale production ceased with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D. It was replaced by cheaper dyes such as lichen purple and madder.

Pope Paul II in 1464 introduced the so-called "Cardinal's Purple," which was really scarlet extracted from the Kermes insect. This became the first luxury dye of the Middle Ages.

Dyes were exported extensively from Central and South America during Spain's exploration of North and South America. Among these were Cochineal from Mexico and Peru.

The chemical birth of the synthetic dye industry can be traced to the discovery of an aniline-based purple dye, mauveine, by William H. Perkin in 1856, who accomplished this while searching for a cure for malaria. Perkin was an English chemist who changed the world of his time by making this purple color available to the masses. It became quite fashionable to wear clothing dyed with "mauve," and Mr. Perkin became a very wealthy man.

Today, genuine "Tyrian Purple" remains the domain of the rich and famous. However, synthetic dyes and pigments that meet various purple color requirements have removed the mystique of the color purple."

SirBlackFox

Quote from: Charlotte Rowan on July 14, 2008, 10:02:51 AM
"Ren Fests are all about orgies and drinking"

Can we get back to this idea and can I get a list of where this is happening?  ::)
Publisher, Faire Magazine, The Concordium, & The Pyrates Way
Founder, FriendsofMDRF

Black'n McCrack

Just Randall

color purple, historical fact, do your research, not just take word of mouth as gospel.
Mediocrity is the refuge of the unimaginative...

Valiss

Quote from: SirBlackFox on July 14, 2008, 01:58:08 PM
Quote from: Charlotte Rowan on July 14, 2008, 10:02:51 AM
"Ren Fests are all about orgies and drinking"

Can we get back to this idea and can I get a list of where this is happening?  ::)

Yes, I too, will have to be involved in conducting first hand research on this topic.

PurpleDragon

Quote from: captfletcher on July 14, 2008, 02:22:22 PM
color purple, historical fact, do your research, not just take word of mouth as gospel.

Leave it to Cap'n to start something like this.

From what I have been told and schooled on, the true color of royalty is Black and was changed to Purple by King Louis of France (the really flamboyant one).  (That's my story and I'm sticking to it... besides, all my garb is or contains purple so there, and I am no where near being a King.. I have been accused of being a QUEEN, but that's another thread entirely.
Karl "Dragon" Wolff
The Pirates Cove

Bin Ich SCHLECHT? Ja BIN Ich.

Blue66669

Why are we still going on about purple???

I actually heard a very interesting myth about my own home faire this weekend. One of the participants of KYHRF stated that there was an Inn at TRF *in grounds* that patrons could stay at during the faire. Of course, it's not true. Not saying that it isn't a pretty good freakin idea...
Blaidd Drwg

Valiss

Quote from: blue66669 on July 14, 2008, 02:39:46 PM
Why are we still going on about purple???

I actually heard a very interesting myth about my own home faire this weekend. One of the participants of KYHRF stated that there was an Inn at TRF *in grounds* that patrons could stay at during the faire. Of course, it's not true. Not saying that it isn't a pretty good freakin idea...

Oh we have that at most of our faires, but we call it "camping".  :D

PurpleDragon

Oh, and since you brought up TRF.. Why not the one that has been going on for YEARS.. It goes a little something like this; 

"Disney has bought the faire and is going to close it to rebuild another theme park in Texas"
Karl "Dragon" Wolff
The Pirates Cove

Bin Ich SCHLECHT? Ja BIN Ich.

Valiss

A disney theme park in Texas would be hilarious.  "Free rifle with ticket!"  hehehe

Most of the faire myths I hear are the generic ones that most have stated like "drugs and origies" and "hippies and freaks".