#step dance

Meet Morgan Bullock, the Black woman smashing stereotypes of what an Irish dancer is supposed to look like

Gee, I wonder where this movie is set? But in full seriousness, this movie was requested, and went straight to the top of my list. Now, while it’s clear that the movie is set in Scotland, the year is a little less clear. So, let’s dissect this movie.

Fashion

The kilt emerged in the 16th century as a full-body cloak as seen in the film. This was known as a Great Kilt, and was replaced by the modern more skirt-sized kilt in the 18th century.

This is probably the most anachronistic part of the movie, and that’s Merida’s dress, which seems more in the Renaissance style. The White part we can see is the Chemise, effectively a slip or her “underwear”. Women would then tie on pieces of fabric over the Chemise to create a “dress” that was not one solid garment, leaving the chemise to peek through, especially in holes along the arms, at the wrists, and at the neckline.

Merida appears to be wearing a lower part of a wimple. I think this piece is simply called a hood, but medieval clothing with the same name as modern clothing makes it very hard to look into. If this is meant to be part of a wimple, it is mentioned as being worn by Alyson the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales written sometime around the 1380s and 1390s.

Culture

Lord Macintosh is seen wearing bright blue tattoos/war paint, a cultural characteristic associated with the Picts, a “Barbarian” tribe living in Scotland. They frequently clashed with Romans occupying the British Isles. The Hadrian Wall, which inspired the Wall in Game of Thrones, started being built in 122 AD by the Romans to keep the Picts out. The Pict society continued to thrive up to the 10th century, when they were believed to have merged into the other Gaelic tribes. Considering the Macintosh Clan is part of this alliance with the more Gaelic clans seems to imply that this is after the Picts have folded in with the other tribes.

During the Highland Games, we see men competing in Caber Toss, first played in 1547. We also see men doing Weight Over the Bar, Weight Throw, and Tug-of-War. The first two, i had no luck in finding a time frame for, but variations of Tug-of-War date back to Ancient Egypt, and Vikings played by pulling on animal skin over pits lit on fire in case you didn’t think Vikings were metal enough.

During the games, four women are performing a Step dance, most likely an evolution of the Irish Step Dance. This dance has its roots in Pre-Christian Ireland, which arrived in Ireland around the year 431.

Although falcons have been used as hunting animals for much of mankind’s existence, I was able to find a painting of two men practicing Falconry painted in 1240.

The song Elinor sings to Merida is in Scots Gaelic titled Noble Maiden Fair (Maighdean Uasal Bhan). The Scots Gaelic language is believed to have migrated from Ireland to Scotland between the 4th and 5th century BCE.

Technology

The highland bagpipe was first documented in 1547 at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh by a Frenchman.

Queen Elinor is playing a Lute, which can be seen in 13th century paintings, though variations date back to Babylon and other countries of Late Antiquity, although lacking the style and shape seen in this film.

So far, the general vibe has been a Late Middle Ages setting, seemingly in the 16th century. However, when looking at Merida’s castle, it seems rather crude for the late medieval period. The animators wanted the film however to be set in the Early Middle Ages, between 476 - 1000, which covers the “Dark Ages” of Medieval History, since the 12th century saw the Medieval Renaissance of the 1100s. When designing DunBroch Castle, the animators used Eilean Donan and Dunnottar Castle for references. Eilean Donan Castle was built in the 13th Century, and Dunnottar Castle was built sometime between 1400 and 1600, now in ruin.

Biology

Although I could be wrong, these hairy bull-like animals appear to be an Auroch, a member of the bovine family that went extinct in 1627.

Conclusion

The film makers clearly had an early Middle Ages setting in mind, particularly one with a 13th century feel to it, which is a tone genuinely felt in the movie. However, the many elements of Scottish history bring the movie into the 16th century. So, ironically, it is Disney’s attempt to implement aspects of Scottish culture that end up throwing off the setting of this film. If you take the Scottish elements into consideration, the film seems more at home in 1547, while the general look, tone, architecture, and technology really points more to being set in the 1200s. In the end, I had to use comparison to other Disney movies to set a time period. Sleeping Beauty is canonically set in the 14th century, and is at least slightly more advanced than BunBroch. And considering Mary Queen of Scots was fighting with Queen Elizabeth I in the 1500s, this movie really lacks the look of the 16th century. However, I do want to give Brave my Historian Seal of Approval. Not for the kilts and bagpipes and Highland Games, those are all anachronistic. Because in watching this movie, this is probably the most realistic version of the middle ages Disney has ever put to screen. Things are dirty, dark, cramped, wild dogs run around more as pests and hunting beasts than actual affectionate pets. The castle looks more fortified and realistic than most Disney castles tend to. The shots we get of just daily life in this castle are filled with a real sense of historic authenticity, and as someone who has a degree in medieval history, I want to give this movie a well-earned pat on the back. The movie feels less like a fairy tale, and more like a peek into a more authentic slice of medieval history, even if it got some things wrong. It’s clearly in our own world, and as such, feels far more real, which I appreciate.

Pretty leprechaun girls showing their skill at step dance!

Come check my designs anytime here!

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All the dancing Haurchefant gifs you could ever need*

*disclaimer: I don’t have all the dances on Haurchefant so there are probably a few more you need that are not here**