Yeah, it’s my understanding that people really did stuff things up their sleeves in antiquity, so we see this often in ASOIAF, like Tyrion stuffing one of Pycelle’s vials up his sleeve, or Melisandre producing a handful of powder from her sleeve, or some of these examples:
Arya figured the gods would never miss two [candles]. She stuffed them up her sleeves, and left by a back window.
Maester Luwin tucked the tube up his sleeve. “Bran, your lord brother will not have time to see you now.”
Grand Maester Pycelle rolled up the list, tucked it up his left sleeve, and pulled another parchment from his right. He cleared his throat and resumed.
When it comes to medieval fashion, I will defer to @joannalannister.
The deal with sleeves, as I understand it, is the same deal with the medieval love of belt-pouches: namely, that they hadn’t really figured out pockets in the medieval era, so you need something to carry stuff in.
The alchemist was walking away. Pate had to follow or lose Rosey and the dragon both, forever. He followed. As they walked, he slipped his hand up into his sleeve. He could feel the key, safe inside the hidden pocket he had sewn there. Maester’s robes were full of pockets. He had known that since he was a boy.
That was a real thing that people did. That’s where the phrase “have up your sleeve” came from. Some people like Pate might have had special pockets sewn into the insides of their sleeves, but I think for someone like Tyrion or AGOT Arya, it’s more makeshift, functioning as a place to store things just because that’s the way the sleeve is made.
Excellent work!
RFTIT Tumblr Backup 