Furs

Les 9 Mondes

History and Fantasy Crafts
Legal terms | Privacy

TANNING

We generally get the skins frozen. After thawing them, we carefully flesh them to get rid of the inner membrane and remaining fat, and tan them in an alum and salt bath.

When the tanning is complete, we wash the furs thoroughly and let them dry, a process during which a very frequent attention is required to stretch and scrape the skins to soften them as they dry.

FURS AND PELTS

First off, we do not endorse fur farming.
With this tanning activity, we are aiming for a zero-waste objective.

The rabbit and lamb skins we tan come from Swiss animals, raised in a small familial farm and we can vouch for their respectuous breeding. They are raised for their meat and we collect the skins so they do not go to waste, thus giving these animals even more value.

WHAT ABOUT BACK THEN ?

Furs and pelts were a part of the Northmen's everyday life, but we really have to let go of this "fur-clad barbarian" image.
Even though archaeology provides us with little material (fur and leather items are often heavily damaged by the passing of time), there is no denying that furs and hides were tanned and preserved. Sheep was a likely candidate, being a very common farming animal , but it is more probable that wool was the main sheep product, fur being probably only gathered and tanned when slaughtering.

Reindeer is surely part of the traded furs, whether they come from hunting or breeding, as well as luxury furs (fox, wolf, squirrel, ...) that were assuredly used as decoration and trimmings rather than full clothing, except for some luxury coats.

From our shop

‹ ›

In association with the chalet

Graines d'aventures