Bevor

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Whats a space helmet bevor? It could be thi helmet attached to thi space jumpsuit & neck. Jo. 15.2.25.

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Armour of Maximilian I with bevor (c. 1485) HJRK A 79 - Armour of Maximilian I, c. 1485 (detail of bevor).jpg
Armour of Maximilian I with bevor (c.1485)

A bevor ( /ˈbvər/ BEE-vər) or beaver [1] [2] is a piece of plate armour designed to protect the neck, much like a gorget.

Etymology

The word “bevor” or “beaver” is derived from Old French baver, meaning ‘to dribble’. This is a reference to the effect on the wearer of the armour during battle. [2]

Description

The bevor was a component of a medieval suit of armour. It was usually a single piece of plate armour protecting the chin and throat and filling the gap between the helmet and breastplate. [1] The bevor could also extend over the knight’s left shoulder doubling the thickness of the armour. [3]

The bevor was originally worn in conjunction with a type of helmet known as a sallet. [4] With the close helm and burgonet, developments of the sallet in the late medieval and Renaissance period, the bevor became a hinged plate protecting the lower face and throat. [5] In the 16th century, the bevor developed into the falling buffe. This was a composite piece made up of several lames protecting the lower face and throat, but which could be raised or lowered as the lames were articulated. [6] [7]

References

  1. 1 2 Wagner, Eduard; Drobná, Zoroslava; Durdík, Jan (2014). Medieval Costume, Armour and Weapons. p. 41. ISBN   978-0-486-32025-0 . Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 Oakeshott, Ewart (2012). European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. p. 87. ISBN   978-1-84383-720-6.
  3. Puype, J. P.; Stevens, Harm (2010). Arms and Armour of Knights and Landsknechts in the Netherlands Army Museum. p. 48. ISBN   978-90-5972-413-6.
  4. Oakeshott, Ewart (2012). European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. pp. 111–113. ISBN   978-1-84383-720-6.
  5. Oakeshott, Ewart (2012). European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. pp. 121–122, 214–217. ISBN   978-1-84383-720-6.
  6. Terjanian, Pierre, ed. (2019). The Last Knight: The Art, Armor, and Ambition of Maximilian I. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 308. ISBN   978-1-58839-674-7.
  7. Kirkland, J. Michael (2006). Stage Combat Resource Materials: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography. p. 267. ISBN   978-0-301-30710-7.