Hairstyles give a lot of information to others — sometimes even more than clothing, because they are both changeable but also part of the body. For Medieval men, having long hair meant high social status in many cultures. The English before the Norman Conquest of 1066 are a case in point — as you can see here. This manuscript from the tenth century, a.k.a. the MS Junius 11, has several charming ink drawings that get at fashion in this era. The first picture is of Noah’s ark, and the guy with the halo is the high-status figure: check out the long hair.
In contrast, men of more humble birth sometimes (not always!) had shorter hair. In Early Medieval Ireland short hair was the sign of a servant, giving rise to the surname “mael”, meaning “cropped one” or “servant.” In the middle of the 1200s where modern Bavaria lies, the dress-code regulations (sumptuary laws) declared that “peasants and their sons shall cut their hair to their ears.” Following along with that, check out the picture of Adam in the second slide, also from the Junius Manuscript. Adam’s hair is short — unlike the patriarch featured in Noah’s Ark, Adam is of course bereft of good sensibilities, and it makes sense that the Christian illustrator would have equated that lower spiritual level with lesser social status.
Source(s): For MS Junius 11, see the “Digital Bodleian”, and wikipedia. See _Transactions if the Royal Historical Society_, vol 4, 1994, pp 43-60, by Robert Bartlett.
