How did early Franks wear their hair

Clovis, second king of France (481-511).

The hair is one part of the human body that has received the most attention throughout history.
Even today, grooming our hair is a daily routine, taking anywhere from one minute to over an hour, depending on how much emphasis one puts on it.

From ancient Egyptians, who used wigs and fake beards, to 18th-century nobilities, who created skyscraping powdered wigs, the decoration of the head was beyond anyone’s imagination.

In this post, I will tell you about the hairstyle of early Franks.

Let’s start with a short description of the Frank men by  Sidoine Apollinaire (a gallo-roman writer who lived between 430 and 486 A.D.):

“They tied up their flexen or light-brown hair above their foreheads, into a kind of tuft, and then made it fall behind the head like a horse’s tail. The face was clean shaved, with the exception of two long mustaches” (Medieval Life, Paul Lacroix, Arcturus Publishing Ltd, 2011, p. 514). 

So, they used to make what we now call a ponytail on top of their heads and pair it with mustaches. However, they did not cut their hair; the longer the hair, the wealthier the person. Accordingly, the length of the hair was an indicator of one’s social status.

The kings and other nobles of the Franks wore their hair parted in the middle and falling over the shoulders, sometimes sprinkled with gold dust. The hair was plaited with bands sewn with precious metals and stones.

Franks loved and treasured their hair so much that they swear on it or offer it as a symbol of trust, politeness, and appreciation.

On the other side, touching someone’s hair with a razor was an insult and cutting it was a punishment.