Roderick and Ellen Robertson wrote:
>
>
> The beard of LM indicates (to me, anyway) that the person is "wise" more
> than "manly". (Sure, LM's a wacky off-beat cult, but he *is* the only canon
> example we have of beard rules and roles). I agree that individual clans
> might have proscriptions on what you can do with your facial hair, or even
> just fashions that they prefer. The Saxons and Gauls had their own shaving
> styles (mustaches only), and they are as much the inspiration for Orlanthi
> as the Vikings and Irish...
>
> RR
Shaving with a bronze blade is _very_ unpleasant, as I found. I know that Gloranthan bronze holds an edge a bit better but until iron & steel were made more readily availble, even the Romans wore beards.
The barber with his precious steel blades was a local fixture in many ancient towns, especially the larger ones. In Republican Rome, only folks who were well off could afford to have one as a part of their retinue but, if they could afford it, such a person was considered essential for maintaining dignity. But, interestingly, in the _early_ Republican period, long face fur was considered okay.
Jeff
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