Nemean Skinning: Difference between revisions

 

 

 

Never mind the equipment or time it takes to skin the animal, tan the leather (for the curious, [[wikipedia:Tanning|converting a fresh animal skin into usable leather]], especially in medieval and classical times, was an extremely long and labor-intensive process—we're talking months of work here, involving noxious and smelly chemicals like quicklime, animal brains, urine, etc.), cut it, and then sew it back into a wearable suit. If it's in a tundra or very cold environment, expect this to be used to justify his comfy survival in this environment. If portrayed realistically, it serves as an example of good survival skills (trained hunters know how to skin and butcher a downed large animal in a few hours' span with only their knives) and (if the hunter is stranded in the wild) his adaptation to his new environment.

 

== Films -- Animation ==

* In the recent ''[[Beowulf (film)|Beowulf]]'' adaptation, there's a barbarian with a wolf skin. Likely meant to be a pun on the name, "Beowulf". A lame pun, as Beowulf's name comes from "Bee Wolf," that is a bear, which he was described as being able to grapple like one.

 

* John Jakes' ''[[Conan]]'' [[Expy]], Brak, wore a lion skin and not much else most of the time.

* ''[[The Dark Tower]]'' series actually shows all of the steps that are needed to tan hides, and how long it takes to do it.

* ''[[My Side of the Mountain]]'' has the protagonist kill a deer through use of traps, and the process of tanning its hide is long, complicated, and detailed. Kid has a good memory.

* Michael Havel, a.k.a. Lord Bear of the Bearkillers, from [[S.M. Stirling]]'s ''[[Emberverse]]'' trilogy, wears the head of the bear that earned him and the outfit their names on his helmet. Subvertes the trope by making Havel nearly get killed by the bear, and tanning is done by specialists off-page.

* Mack of Louis L'Amour's ''Last of the Breed'' pulls the realistic version with a number of animals that he kills down to a few of the early tanning jobs going bad because he didn't have time to properly treat the skin.

* As part of disguising themselves as tribesmen late in the ''[[Belgariad]]'', Belgarath, Silk and Garion take out a few rabbits and sew the skins to their clothing. They later tear them off when the smell gets too strong, after they've served their purpose.

* In ''Emperor: The Death of Kings'', Corvix has a head dress made from a lion's head that he killed many years ago.

* In ''Through Wolf's Eye'', Firekeeper's original outfit was made out of the hide of a deer she had killed herself. It is explicitly mentioned that the leather of her outfit is of low quality, as she was literally [[Raised by Wolves]] and knew nothing of practical tanning.

* Canim Ritualists in the ''[[Codex Alera]]'' are believers in this trope and dress themselves in cloaks made from the skins of their enemies (non-Canim ones, that is). Of course, since the most 'worthy' enemies are sentient ones, most ritualists from the tribes who commonly raid Alera dress in human skin cloaks.

== Tabletop Games ==

* A very common foe in ''[[Scion]]''. "Nemean" is a term that refers to any animal that is supernaturally huge, powerful, and evil, usually somehow related to the titans. A nemean lion can be the size of an elephant. A nemean elephant can be the size of a house. All of them generally look like gigantic versions of the common animals, but sometimes they have some monstrous features. The skin of a nemean animal is nigh impenetrable, and many heroes have made coats, cloaks, or jackets from nemean best skin that are the best non-Relic armor available in the setting (and often enough, they become Relics). On a sidenote, once you become so powerful that a lion the size of an elephant is your version of a common mook, don't worry: there are also ''Typhonian'' animals, that are big enough to provide a serious challenge to ''gods''. A typhonian lion can be the size of a tall building, it's hide is even tougher, and if you skin it, is even better a prize...

 

 

[[Category:Improvised Clothing Tropes]]

[[Category:Costume Tropes]]