Hairstyle for a druidess!! Ideas?

[SwordWomanRiona]

Warning: This is going to be long, but certainly interesting if you like Celtic culture :D

Some of you may remember that I posted a thread last March about a possible hairstyle for a Celtic woman-warrior, for the show that we students of Irish were preparing for Saint Patrick's Day.

Well, this is similar, we're preparing a show for next Wednesday and it's about the Celtic calendar, the four main celebrations that Celts had (Imbolc, Beltine, Lughnasadh, Samhain), and we're going as druids :). They've actually "left me" the role of the high druidess for the two Goddess-invocations we're going to make, so I must really impersonate a high druidess well :D, and I've been researching about "druid hairstyles" for a long time. I'm still not sure, though, and would appreciate all your ideas.


So:

These are some of the pics I've been working with:

-My favourite depiction of a druidess, with a beautiful mistletoe headdress and loose hair: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T94RfSNmbms/TMDkXp51CyI/AAAAAAAAAGc/xqRGZTJT2Jw/s1600/druids16.jpeg
-Druidess, leafy headdress with loose hair: http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/p/LRG/15/1502/L1DBD00Z/posters/laroche-armand-the-druidess.jpg
-Druidess, loose hair: http://www.french-engravings.com/images/artworks/ART-5994/HQ.jpg
-Druidess (or a goddess, possibly), leafy headdess and braided beribboned hair: http://www.goddessaday.com/images/druantia.jpg
-Druidess, leafy headdess and veil (male druids used to wear veils sometimes too, but I don't want veils myself), hair loose:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Alexandre_Cabanel_004.jpg/220px-Alexandre_Cabanel_004.jpg
-Druidess, some sort of high ponytail: http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/325335/a-young-druidess/
-Druidess, leafy headdress: http://a34.idata.over-blog.com/300x591/3/04/26/38/druidesse.jpg
-Priestess with a garland of leaves and flowers:http://getasword.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Celtic-Priestess.jpg
-Male and female druids, leafy headdresses:http://our-ireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/the-celtic-druid-power.jpg
-Female and male druids:
http://www.specialx.net/specialxdotnet/burntbones_images/bb-insert9.jpg
http://www.fncv.com/biblio/grandes-batailles/vercingetorix/index.html
-Male druids, one of them with oak leaves in his hair:http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2009/08/23/twodruids_1.png
-Male druids with circlets and leafy headdresses:http://www.bilderberg.org/druids.jpg
-Male druid with a gold circlet: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/images/mlw_0001_0002_0_img0064.jpg
-Neodruids: http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/druid-circle.jpg
http://stonehengenews.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/druids_stonehenge_spring-equiniox1.jpg
http://leo-on.redimidas.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/Druidess_1.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Druidess.png
-Female neodruids: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGDGD9QRcbU/TpHzBYg34oI/AAAAAAAAFjY/CkxlQiQBJ-c/s400/Three_female_druids.jpg
-This is very interesting, a golden headdress ressembling leaves: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53015941@N05/5456987878/

All of them seem to involve loose flowing hair (with maybe some accent braids) with a leafy headdress. Some of them also wear ceremonial gold circlets, but I don't have those.
Leaves are, of course, very important in Druid depictions, so I should really think about getting some leaves in my hair. But I'm not sure about how to do it...Hold some leaves in my hair with bobby pins? Try to twist a branch into a sort of headdress? I've never done that before and it may fall - I have to dance afterwards, so I'd really like something that'd hold! We also have the problem of most leaves having fallen from the trees at this time of the year, but well... A friend of mine at university said that the perfect thing for my length :) would be to weave some willow-branches into accent braids in my hair!! I have to say, I rather like that idea, and there's a willow tree in the street where I leave *Goes out cloaked at night with a pair of shears* :p
Then you always have the multi-braided Avalon styles from The Mists of Avalon, but I already used those to impersonate a female warrior and would like my hair loose this time.

This is the option I've been thinking about: Loose hair with two accent braids framing the face, and some leaves. Something like this http://media.photobucket.com/image/druidess/TequillaMoon/Celtic_Moon/druidess.jpg?o=5, only with the braids more visible and starting from the roots at each side of the face. I've been drawing some portraits to show this style. I've got no more time now, but I'll scan them and post them here tomorrow.

ETA:These are three drawings/sketches I did when thinking about the hairstyle:



http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=7096&pictureid=120878



http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=7096&pictureid=120879



The first one shows what I would, more or less, want to do. The two accent braids framing the face. I gave her a couple more accent braids, but I don't know if I'll make them myself yet...The second one shows the accent braids + the leafy headdress.

the third one was a very quick sketch, also with the acccent braids and the leaves.



Would this look OK with my hair?


So! Ideas? Suggestions?

[Soltimus]

If you buy some leather string, maybe some nice ribbons and/or metallic string of sort you could braid it into a headband or something like that. Maybe attach some flowers or leaves to it as well (might be a good idea to go with the fake stuff at the moment :D).

I recently saw a historical documentary where they discussed the perhaps only archaeological evidence of the remains of a druid. It was a man and he wore a leather headband decorated with symbols, trees, animals etc.

[moon2dove]

I think something like this one , with accent braids to frame your face and some sort of leaf garland/headdress.

Druidess, some sort of high ponytail: http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/325...oung-druidess

[Soltimus]

I think something like this one , with accent braids to frame your face and some sort of leaf garland/headdress.

Druidess, some sort of high ponytail: http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/325...oung-druidess

It looks like the link is broken :( I get a 404 when clicking it.

[battles]

Hmm.. Maybe you could find some of that brown floral wire to make some sort of headdress with leaves? I think this is it.

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/PROD/craft-wire-12-gauge/XTD4-50Brown

Just a thought. :)

[xoxophelia]

I have some ideas...

You could braid part of your hair around your head like a crown braid similar to: http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lumfrgHd2Q1qljft7o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId =AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1323636854&Signature=HJDVZ6u83B%2FATbD6V8SvTmpyGhA%3D
And then pin flowers into it...

More images:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljbgojDVo21qcqxy5o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId =AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1323636915&Signature=%2FZAOlCL%2Bm813KHgoB%2Fm10cDCQuM%3D
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsxgb8UeNs1qfxqmeo2_500.png
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lt9fu5itQW1qfsxafo1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId =AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1323636937&Signature=xBQsN6TKJwEf%2F5sMhAu61Vj3LQs%3D

[MasCat]

I'd go for loose hair with a wreath of leaves - you can do a base with willow thin branches - braiding them into a circlet and add some oak leaves or mistletoe.
You could try holly or ivy - ivy is good to work with, but it would be great to add some gold accents - autumn oak leaves or gold oak leaves (fabric spray painted gold maybe? Fake oak branches sprayed with gold paint?)

Wear the circlet over loose hair, maybe with a couple of little accent braids - you could attach some of those fake oak leaves along the braid or at the end - they would make a beautiful accent on your hair...

With your hair colour I'd go for bright :)

[skyblue]

Yes what MasCat said along with the twin accent braids, like in that last picture that you liked, I think that would be perfect

[mneh]

This is from one of the books I used to love reading when I was younger and researching my heritage:

The Hair.—Both men and women wore the hair long, and commonly flowing down on the back and shoulders—a custom noticed by Cambrensis. The hair was combed daily after a bath. The heroes of the Fena of Erin, before sitting down to their dinner after a hard day's hunting, always took a bath and carefully combed their long hair.
Among the higher classes in very early times great care was bestowed on the hair; its regulation constituted quite an art; and it was dressed up in several ways. Very often the long hair of men, as well as of women, was elaborately curled. Conall Cernach's hair, as described in the story of Da Derga, flowed down his back, and was done up in "hooks and plaits and swordlets." The accuracy of this and other similar descriptions is fully borne out by the most unquestionable authority of all, namely, the figures in the early illuminated manuscripts and on the shrines and high crosses of later ages. In nearly all the figures of the Book of Kells, for example (seventh or eighth century), the hair is combed and dressed with the utmost care, so beautifully adjusted indeed that it could have been done only by skilled professional hairdressers, and must have occupied much time. Whether in case of men or women, it hangs down both behind and at the sides, and is commonly divided the whole way, as well as all over the head, into slender fillets or locks, which sometimes hang down to the eyes in front......

.......For women, very long hair has been in Ireland always considered a mark of beauty. This admiration has come down to the present; for you constantly find mentioned in the Irish popular songs of our own day, a maiden "with golden hair that swept the dew off the grass"—or some such expression.

The art of Jim Fitzpatrick always has gorgeous hair, some of it might be suitable as inspiration.

Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat!

[LadyKate]

The braid in this (http://www.goddessaday.com/images/druantia.) picture looks like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT54Ac7lHu0&feature=g-u kind of braid.

[SwordWomanRiona]

Thank you for all your replies :)


If you buy some leather string, maybe some nice ribbons and/or metallic string of sort you could braid it into a headband or something like that. Maybe attach some flowers or leaves to it as well (might be a good idea to go with the fake stuff at the moment :D).
I recently saw a historical documentary where they discussed the perhaps only archaeological evidence of the remains of a druid. It was a man and he wore a leather headband decorated with symbols, trees, animals etc.
Leather string sounds good! I could perhaps twist some willow branches and tie them with a leather string to make it secure...
That's cool about the documentary!

I think something like this one , with accent braids to frame your face and some sort of leaf garland/headdress.

Druidess, some sort of high ponytail: http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/325...oung-druidess (http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/325...oung-druidess)
I love that hairstyle too, but I think I'd rather wear my hair loose this time. My hair, even if ii+ thickness, is very very fine, and it doesn't have enough thickness and volume to make that voluminous ponytail work, I'm afraid...:(


It looks like the link is broken :( I get a 404 when clicking it.
You have the link on my first post too.


Hmm.. Maybe you could find some of that brown floral wire to make some sort of headdress with leaves? I think this is it.

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/PROD/craft-wire-12-gauge/XTD4-50Brown

Just a thought. :)
That's looks interesting, I must think about something to make the headdress secure because of the dancing!


I have some ideas...

You could braid part of your hair around your head like a crown braid similar to: http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lumfrgHd2Q1qljft7o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId =AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1323636854&Signature=HJDVZ6u83B%2FATbD6V8SvTmpyGhA%3D
And then pin flowers into it...

More images:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljbgojDVo21qcqxy5o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId =AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1323636915&Signature=%2FZAOlCL%2Bm813KHgoB%2Fm10cDCQuM%3D
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsxgb8UeNs1qfxqmeo2_500.png
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lt9fu5itQW1qfsxafo1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId =AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1323636937&Signature=xBQsN6TKJwEf%2F5sMhAu61Vj3LQs%3D

That's a good idea, the crown braid! I'll try that option too. I've got an exam Tuesday morning, so I'll spend the day after that practising all this :).


I'd go for loose hair with a wreath of leaves - you can do a base with willow thin branches - braiding them into a circlet and add some oak leaves or mistletoe.
You could try holly or ivy - ivy is good to work with, but it would be great to add some gold accents - autumn oak leaves or gold oak leaves (fabric spray painted gold maybe? Fake oak branches sprayed with gold paint?)

Wear the circlet over loose hair, maybe with a couple of little accent braids - you could attach some of those fake oak leaves along the braid or at the end - they would make a beautiful accent on your hair...

With your hair colour I'd go for bright :)

Ivy! I've got ivy in the garden, that's a really good idea. I'll try to get a couple willow branches too :D, and maybe a couple of oak leaves, if they're not too dry. I'd love to have mistletoe, but I'm unable to find any fake mistletoe :(



This is from one of the books I used to love reading when I was younger and researching my heritage:

The Hair.—Both men and women wore the hair long, and commonly flowing down on the back and shoulders—a custom noticed by Cambrensis. The hair was combed daily after a bath. The heroes of the Fena of Erin, before sitting down to their dinner after a hard day's hunting, always took a bath and carefully combed their long hair.
Among the higher classes in very early times great care was bestowed on the hair; its regulation constituted quite an art; and it was dressed up in several ways. Very often the long hair of men, as well as of women, was elaborately curled. Conall Cernach's hair, as described in the story of Da Derga, flowed down his back, and was done up in "hooks and plaits and swordlets." The accuracy of this and other similar descriptions is fully borne out by the most unquestionable authority of all, namely, the figures in the early illuminated manuscripts and on the shrines and high crosses of later ages. In nearly all the figures of the Book of Kells, for example (seventh or eighth century), the hair is combed and dressed with the utmost care, so beautifully adjusted indeed that it could have been done only by skilled professional hairdressers, and must have occupied much time. Whether in case of men or women, it hangs down both behind and at the sides, and is commonly divided the whole way, as well as all over the head, into slender fillets or locks, which sometimes hang down to the eyes in front......

.......For women, very long hair has been in Ireland always considered a mark of beauty. This admiration has come down to the present; for you constantly find mentioned in the Irish popular songs of our own day, a maiden "with golden hair that swept the dew off the grass"—or some such expression.

The art of Jim Fitzpatrick always has gorgeous hair, some of it might be suitable as inspiration.

Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat!

Go raibh maith agat, a mneh! :) Those quotes are great, cad é an leabhar?


The braid in this (http://www.goddessaday.com/images/druantia.) picture looks like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT54Ac7lHu0&feature=g-u kind of braid.

That's a gorgeous braid!

[SwordWomanRiona]

These are three drawings/sketches I did when thinking about the hairstyle:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=7096&pictureid=120878

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=7096&pictureid=120879

The first one shows what I would, more or less, want to do. The two accent braids framing the face. I gave her a couple more accent braids, but I don't know if I'll make them myself yet...The second one shows the accent braids + the leafy headdress.
the third one was a very quick sketch, also with the acccent braids and the leaves.

Would this look OK with my hair?

[mneh]

mneh[/B]! :)
Those quotes are great, cad é an leabhar?

Is maith sin! Tá sé ar an Idirlíon, anseo:

http://www.libraryireland.com/SocialHistoryAncientIreland/Contents.php

Is Éireannach mé, ach tá beagan Gaelige agam :( An bhfuil duine ar bith muinteartha duit atá ina Éireannach?

[SwordWomanRiona]

Go raibh maith agat arís! :)

Ní, níl aon duine as Éirinn i mo chlann, tá mé ag déanamh staidéir ar an Ghaeilge toisc gur aoibhinn liom an teanga. Is breá liom gach rud faoi na Ceiltigh: na teangacha, an miotaseolaíocht, an ceol,...Gach aon rud! :). Ceapaim gur theanga álainn milis í an Ghaeilge!

I say, it's wonderful to be writing in Irish in the LHC :D.

[mneh]

Go raibh maith agat arís! :)

Ní, níl aon duine as Éirinn i mo chlann, tá mé ag déanamh staidéir ar an Ghaeilge toisc gur aoibhinn liom an teanga. Is breá liom gach rud faoi na Ceiltigh: na teangacha, an miotaseolaíocht, an ceol,...Gach aon rud! :). Ceapaim gur theanga álainn milis í an Ghaeilge!

I say, it's wonderful to be writing in Irish in the LHC :D.

Wow, your Irish is very good :) Apart from the fact that I'm Irish and I'd love to be able to speak the native language of my own country, I too find the mythology, music, language of the Celtic races interesting. I love being able to see similarities between Irish, Scots, Welsh, and other Celtic languages. I agree with you that Irish has a lovely way of expressing concepts :)

My mother was educated in the Irish language but she didn't teach me the language when I was growing up - I think she wanted her children to get on in the modern world, so that meant speaking English only :( When I was a teenager, I had lessons for a few years in Secondary school but I gave it up in favour of studying subjects that would help me find a job.

Over the years, I've picked up a smattering of Irish (I can understand/read more than I can write/speak) and I've tried to learn Irish formally again but I have dialectal issues lol: my mother (and one of my teachers at school) used Connacht Irish and teachers here (and one of my other teachers at school) use Ulster Irish. As you can imagine, my pronunciation and grammar is a bit confused from trying to amalgamate the two dialects :confused:

As for your druidess hairstyle, I hope you find something you like - do post pictures of the finished style :)

[MasCat]

Oh, oh, I'm teaching myself with a book, but so far it's just "Seinm an Cláiresach" :)

Riona the sketches look good :) but the photo will be even better :>

[Soltimus]

Riona the sketches look good :) but the photo will be even better :>

Yup, ha ha! :D It's gonna be great, I can tell!

[GeoJ]

These are three drawings/sketches I did when thinking about the hairstyle:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=7096&pictureid=120878

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=7096&pictureid=120879

The first one shows what I would, more or less, want to do. The two accent braids framing the face. I gave her a couple more accent braids, but I don't know if I'll make them myself yet...The second one shows the accent braids + the leafy headdress.
the third one was a very quick sketch, also with the acccent braids and the leaves.

Would this look OK with my hair?

I think that would look good with your hair.

[SwordWomanRiona]

Thanks all :)
I'll rehearse the braids and the headdress tomorrow, I'll try to get a couple willow-branches, twist them into a 'circlet' and add some ivy and oak leaves, or whatever I can find in the garden :).

[SwordWomanRiona]

Oh, oh, I'm teaching myself with a book, but so far it's just "Seinm an Cláiresach" :)

Riona the sketches look good :) but the photo will be even better :>

Sorry, maybe I should have translated! The summary of what I said is that I love everything Celtic, mythology, music, languages, everything; and that I think Irish is a beautiful sweet-sounding language :)

[SwordWomanRiona]

I already have the willow branches, and a little bag full of gold poplar leaves :)

I've been thinking...what about fixing the leaf-circlet to my hair with a ribbon, following something like the Elisabethan hair-taping method? I wonder, wouldn't that look good with a green ribbon? :)

[SwordWomanRiona]

Well, the show was yesterday, I finally chose to do two accent braids at the front, similar to the ones in the drawings, and a crown made out of a twisted willow-branch with a lot of leaves, tied with green ribbons. I think the effect was a nice one, and I had enough willow branches to make a crown for each of my druid fellows :)
We had a lot of fun dressing up as druids, and I'll be posting some pics of the results here and in my blog asap. My new profile pic shows my first try at the druidess hairstyle after fashioning the headdress. It's braid-and-druidic-raiment-free as yet, though, although I do have my sickle with me :)

[xoxophelia]

Looking forward to the pictures :)

[SwordWomanRiona]

Rehearsing how the headdress looked, before the show:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=96012

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=96014

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6544592085_65349745dc.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6544594197_13417b7cba.jpg