The "Witches Hat"
Happy Halloween my fellow style historians! I thought this would be the perfect time to share the story of the witches hat. Have you wondered where the witches hat originated from?
I think the most intriuging fact is that this hat was born from folklore. There are stories about witches keeping organs inside of their hats and using for magical spells. Old Stories claim witches were only meant for evil and the hat was used to intensify their scary appearance. Good thing it's all fiction.
Classical pointed hats are worn by the dwarfs, witches and wizards of European myth. I am sure you have recognized these hats on Garden gnomes, Smurfs, Gandalf, Merlin, and Link. All of these characters? Fiction!
Did you know that there are many terms for the witches hat?
The witches hat, otherwise known as a conical hat has numerous names. Pilo, spitzhut, hennin, golden hat, kazaori, Papal tiara, pointed hoods are a few examples of this hat.
Did you also know this lovely, bright colored cone that stops traffic is also known as a witches hat?
Traditionally, distinct pointed hats with a wide brim were worn by various cultures throughout history and originally had religious symbolisms.
The earliest existence of the conical hat is during the Bronze Age occured in the Middle East and throughout Central Europe. The golden hat was worn by members of the priesthood as a ceremonial accessory.
In Ancient Greece, the pilos was a common conical traveling hat.
Conical hats were also popular in late medieval Vijayanagar, India.
Originating from the Japanese Heian period, the kazaori was worn by aristocrats to indicate rank. Still worn today for ceremonial purposes, a black linen hat was used during a samurai's ceremony in attaining manhood.
The Papal tiara in the Middle Ages is shown as more pointed than in more recent centuries, though also shown with no point. Mitra papalis is a type of conch named after the papal mitre for its form.
Medieval Jewish men wore distinctive headgear as part of their religious observance, which included the pointed Jewish hat called Juden.
The witches hat is normally accompanied with a flying broom and black dress. To be honest, I was hoping to find a magical history behind the witch discovering her hat while casting a spell. The real discovery of this hat seems so much more interesting, yet unbelievable. How did I miss that? I guess the answer is story telling at its finest. Halloween is all about folklore and trick or treating. Hope your Halloween ends as a great story!
