At one time they had quite a thing for bunny ears…
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But you know, the same paint clowns wear to make themselves look funny is terrifying to people who start imagining them as murderers. Think of these helmets on someone while they slice up your friends with a sword, and the comic aspect may seem very different.
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Clown paint is terrifying right from the start.
Puts a whole new meaning on being cock-eyed
Somehow, I don’t think Sandor Clegane would have been as intimidating with a rooster helmet…
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Walkin’ tall halberd man
They spit on me in my home land
Brunhilda sent me woodcuts of my boy
I actually know a bit RE Medieval arms and armor, and this most definitely parade wear, meant for, well, parades, not for combat. As noted, something much more practical was worn if you were expecting something like a mace to the face or whatnot.
I can only assume that any medieval warrior who could list ‘machinegun man’ as his occupation won by default.
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Well, on the one hand people most definitely did wear stuff this elaborate into battle - are you familiar with the Polish winged hussars? And I can personally assure you (from experience!) that having a guy in a winged hussar getup with a horned and fanged helm leap over a heap of bodies to attack you really puts you off your top fighting form. But, on the other claw, anybody who could afford a custom-fitted work of art like this could almost certainly afford multiple suits, including parade armor. Without knowing the history of this particular piece either of us could be right!
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no cock fight jokes? disappoint
There is also the fact that attractiveness has a lot to do with attainability. These days elaborate attire is easily available in the industrialized world and there is a high risk of it being perceived as ridiculous or tacky. Back then many people were a lot less into understatement and something like this worked much better as a genuine status symbol.
They’ll use this in the inevitable Dark Reboot of Chickenman. The historian will find incarnations of Chickenman throughout history, murmuring to himself, “He’s everywhere, he’s everywhere…”
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Dammit! I was just about to post this!
The bell on top makes me think that this was for a leper. Do you know the history of this helmet?
It’s a brank, or scold’s bridle, used to punish “loose tongued” women. I’ll let Tony Robinson explain (at about 3m8s)
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