Hair Braiding Styles for Giorno (in my post-canon fic) - Part 1: Celtic Braiding Styles
Hair Braiding as an Emblem of Giorno's Image
As has been implied by the series, Giorno consciously fashions his public image as a sign of his identity and self-concept. This public image, to Giorno, takes the form of the way he dresses and styles himself—his expression of how he views his present and future self, conjoined. Since he has attained his dream, working as the top leader of a powerful organization (albeit undercover and illegal), he will have to keep modifying his image, as a signifier of both the evolution of his leadership and his exploration of possibilities—of what else he can do. For someone who leads an underground organization that should stay concealed from the public, he—paradoxically—invests in his creation of an image, which not only has to speak true to himself—as a private matter, but also serves to speak to the outside world. Certainly, his image is addressed, first of all, to his subordinates, as his crucial communication tool that asserts his authority and effortless expertise. Then, to the public, wherein he hides in plain sight—as an alluring mystique—both visible and eye-catching, yet endlessly unknown. This paradox is one of the many aspects that make Giorno such an interestingly complex character.
So as he reinvents his clothing as his continuous creation of his image, he naturally varies and explores, too, his hairstyles. Hair, a person's crowning glory, shouldn't be neglected in creating a complete image. As hair braiding is his signature hairstyle, it will make sense that he will preserve this, albeit with alterations or variations. Hair braiding is an ancient practice, has deep roots in history, dating back to as early as c. 3500 BCE in African and Egyptian traditions, and 28,000 to 25,000 BCE with the Venus of Willendorf in Austria as its earliest known depiction. Evidence of hair braiding as an early tradition was found across many indigenous cultures. Varying styles were extant in India and China since the Bronze Age, then it was also worn by bog bodies in Northern Europe in the Iron Age. The Hindu Upanishads convey that hair braiding was considered a seduction charm or art by women, whereas in Mongolia, wherein hair was believed to house the human soul, unbraided hair meant imminent death. In Africa, where cornrows, box braids, twists, and dreads originated, Yoruba, Wolof, and Himba tribes—among others, practiced elaborate styles and shapes of hair braiding, while Ancient Egyptian people varied hair braiding not only in style but also placement. Celts, Iberians, Germanics, Slavs, and Vikings wore particular symbolic hair braiding styles, while North American indigenous peoples practiced hair braiding in differing styles; for example, the Kiowa tribe wrapped their hair braids with bison fur, called a hair drop. Across all these ancient and indigenous cultures, hair braiding was consistently an indicator of a person's identity, namely tribe, age, marital status—courtship or marriage, social position, wealth, power, or religion. As hair braiding was not easy to do, in many cases, it required several people and several days to complete. In this way, hair braiding served not only as a creative marker of identity, but also as an important cause for communal bonding. Proving its greater and more intricate communicative potency, hair braiding was also used as a secret code for enslaved Africans to relay escape routes.
It's easy to imagine Giorno utilizing the power of hair braiding to convey a message as a leader. Being a bookworm, he'll recognize and respect, most of all, the significant role braiding has played throughout history—its deep-rootedness in history and currency; its ancientness and modernity. Being an aesthete—or an enthusiast of beautiful clothes and adornments, he'll appreciate hair braiding as an art form, with diverse patterns, shapes and techniques, and respective meanings. And being a leader, he'll utilize its power, as a creative emblem, to convey status, attitude, and vision. So he'll likely research on various hair braiding styles and techniques and their meanings, borrow these, and even improvise his own styles. Intentional in his choices, Giorno will also more likely prefer hair braiding styles with a historical significance or a personal meaning to styles limited at aesthetic appeal.
Hair Braiding Styles from the Celtic Tradition
Giorno will especially appreciate the significance of hair braiding for the Celts. According to Celtic tradition, hair braiding not only conveyed a person's identity, status, or vanity, but also life force. Celtic braids and knots, therefore, served to hold, order, and protect a person's life energy.
The following photo presents a hair braid for Celtic male warriors. As a warrior himself fighting a war to protect children and his city, Giorno will likely feel an affinity for this hair braiding style.
The next photo shows a general hair braiding style for Celtic males. Giorno will likely also feel an affinity for this style, especially for its similarity with the braiding for warriors.
The following two hair braids are the Celtic Knot braid and the Celtic Flat braid, respectively. These braiding patterns more evidently present the trinity knot or triquetra, which means eternity (beginninglessness and endlessness)—or the eternal cycles of life, death and rebirth, the triple goddess of maiden, mother and crone, the interconnectedness of earth, sea and sky, and the power of three. I suspect that Giorno will most connect to this significance of the Celtic braid, as it speaks of life energy, a fact closest to Giorno's psyche and Stand ability. The triple knot virtually symbolizes his ability to create and destroy life, and his nearness to life force's eternity.
The next Celtic hair braid was specifically worn during the matrimonial ceremony. As a style for a ceremony that joins two people, it features the knot of eternity, which signifies for both endlessness and interwovenness, the binding of the physical and spiritual, and the binding of souls. What can be a more apt symbol for marriage than the eternal knot? Giorno will most likely appreciate the beauty and meaning of the trinity knot; for always committed, he himself is 'married' to his dream and his chosen beloved.
The next photo is that of the Celtic French hair braid, which has bigger strands and weaves, and smaller ones. As the French braid (as opposed to the Dutch braid), it features the crossing of strands over the middle, so the weaves are hidden or inverted. And while the French is a mixture of the Celtic, Germanic, and Latin roots, the Celtic French braid can still be considered an homage to the Celtic braiding tradition. Giorno will appreciate the more pronounced, longer, and bigger interweaves of this braiding.
The next hair braiding style, the long Dutch braid, may also be considered a descendant of the Celtic braiding tradition. While the Dutch is a mixture of the Celts and Germanics, even Scandinavians (North Germanic), the long Dutch braid can be regarded as a homage to the ancient Celtic braiding tradition. Giorno will not only appreciate its historical rootedness but also the cleaner look it provides, especially for work occasions when hair must be kept out of the face.
Giorno possesses a probing intellect that appreciates the deeper significance of things, whether historical, structural, or spiritual. This is especially reinforced by his deep connection to nature and life forces. For these reasons, Giorno will likely be intimate to the true meaning of hair braiding, as originated by its ancient practitioners. He will understand, as its long-time, non-casual wearer, that hair braiding is an act of connecting, bonding, and communing, and is a sign of care and love.
In the next part of this blog on hair braiding styles for Giorno, I'll survey more styles—Viking, Egyptian, and African. It will be a superficial survey, only a general one in which I merely select and name known hair braiding styles. More specific styles will require a deeper, more extensive study. I can imagine Giorno assigning someone who'll do an extensive research and create a hair braiding catalogue for him.
Hair Studies: Braids & Dreads
A Brief History of Hair Braiding
40 + Trendy Long Hairstyles for Men
17 Celtic Braid Hairstyles
Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America (2014)
Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History (2006)
Hair Braiding: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Styles, Techniques, and the Cultural Art of Braiding for All Hair Types (2024)
Indian Blankets and Their Makers (1974)
Disclaimer: All photos are used for educational and entertainment purposes. Their sources are cited in the web article references.
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