You name it, we’ve ripped it. After all, Hagrid wore a coat made of moleskin, and Cruella they wanted to make a coat out of 101 Dalmatians.
Of course, for the 2021 film about the villain, actress Emma Stone wears 47 costumes, and none of them contain fur – a reflection of how the world moves on, or at least most of it. Coats made from dog and cat fur are still relatively normal in China.
And don’t remind us of Dakota Johnson. For an appearance on US TV show ‘Today’ to promote her film ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ in 2017, the actress wore a Gucci mink coat with a skinned tiger on the back. What was it about?
So popular in Sweden that it became extinct
So really, the headline ‘Danish Vikings with high status wore exotic beaver furs’, which has been circulating for the past day, should not surprise anyone.
Beaver has always been a sought-after fur in Scandinavia. Back when it had a notable army, Swedish soldiers wore broad-brimmed hats made entirely of beaver felt—to the extent that it began importing it from North America when the species was declared extinct in 1871, though it has since made a comeback.
So a conclusion from a University of Copenhagen study that beaver pelts were a symbol of wealth and lucratively traded in the 10th century is straight out of the ‘bleeding obvious’ drawer, given the abundance of fur that went around in the northern neighbor at the time.
Also squirrels
Animal remains, both skins and clothing, from six high-status graves in Denmark contained identifiable proteins that confirmed the presence of beavers, weasels and even a squirrel, revealed the study’s lead author, Luise Ørsted Brandt.
Beavers are not native to Denmark, so the researchers conclude that they were heavily traded and “a luxury item, limited to the elite”. Written records also confirm that beaver pelts were a common commodity in the region.
“This study uses ancient proteins preserved in elite Danish Viking burials to provide direct evidence for trade in and use of beaver skins,” concluded Brandt.
“In the Viking Age, wearing exotic fur was almost certainly an overt visual expression of wealth and social status, similar to high-end fashion in today’s world.”
Source: The Nordic Page