User:Jimeee/Fiction/Facial Hair in Tamriel:Bretons
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The styles of facial hair that the Breton people have adopted have been influenced by foreign elements more so than any other race.
The earliest Bretons served under the Direnni elves during the First Era, and as such much of their traditions and customs were inherited by them. This included the practice of keeping long braided hair and a clean shave as was commanded by their slavemasters. Beardless humans who lived among the Direnni was a clear sign that they were a slave. In contrast, the scant few Bretons who were granted their freedom were known to proudly wear full beards (often dyed bright blonde or red) as a symbol of their emancipated status.
The sight of beardless men somewhat bemused their Nordic neighbors, who regarded facial hair as a sign of virility and therefore perceived their man-mer cousins as oddly feminine. When the Nordic Empire under King Vrage eventually expanded to control much of High Rock, the Bretons were exposed to the variety of exotic Nordic styles, many of which quickly became commonplace among young Breton men. Young Breton men sporting thick, shaggy beards and long dreadlocked hair was not an uncommon sight in High Rock during the early First Era.
Centuries later when High Rock came under the rule of Empress Hestra in 1E 1029, Alessian culture and law took root. The popularity of beards waned, as most Bretons became clean-shaven following the practice of their Imperial cousins. Some historians claim that Empress Hestra was extremely pogonophobic, and outright banned the keeping of facial hair throughout her empire. Conversely, rebels and dissidents of the First Empire (such as the numerous Reachman clans) were known to proudly wear large, untamed beards in defiance of the Alessians.
It was only once High Rock seceded from the Alessian Empire in 1E 2305 did the nation attain its own identity and a distinct Breton feudal culture flourished. Knightly orders and great houses all maintained their own traditions including styles of facial hair that were deemed acceptable - including the Montclair Moustache, the Halcyon Handlebar and the infamous Daenia Chinstrap. High Rock's newfound and curious passion for feudal hierarchy was such that some accounts speak of it being offensive for a knight to so much as touch another knight's beard it - and doing so would be grounds for a duel.
During the Interregnum, it was mandatory for the highest-ranking members of King Emeric's illustrious protectors, the Lion Guard, to wear full beards. According to contemporary precepts, "a full mane is only befitting for the brave and valorous lions who pledge their lives to protect our exalted monarch."
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