Attaching armour, fastening clothing, decorative braid. If you’re a Viking, Medieval or Renaissance reenactor, LARPer or SCAdian, chances are you need braid. A lucet is a two-pronged tool used for cord making. Unlike with fingerloop braiding, a lucet doesn’t require per-cut lengths of cord of a defined length. You can simply start making the cord and stop once the desired length is reached. It’s easy to make longer cords than with figerloop braiding and is more transportable. Lucets were common between the 17th and 19th century. From the 9th to the 12th century there have been various archaeological finds of two pronged tools which could be used as lucets. During this period, as well as up to the end of the renaissance, there have been finds of square braids which resemble lucet cord. These braids also resemble a five loop fingerloop braid and often it is difficult to determine if a braid is lucet or a square five loop fingerloop braid without destroying the braid. This bone lucet is decorated with carving on one side. The carving was inspired by an original find held at the NTNU Museum of Natural History and Archaeology (pictured below.) The use of the original artefact is unknown, but it has been suggested that it might be a line winder for fishing, a tool used in rope making or a lucet. Our version at 8cm long, is less than half the size of the original. The size and longer handle is more in keeping with other Viking finds which are thought to be lucets. While opinions on the authenticity of lucets in the medieval and viking period are varied, most Viking, Medieval and Renaissance groups we are aware of in Australia allow lucets to be used, and we are not aware of a Living History or Reenactment group in Australia who does not allow the resulting braid to be used. If you plan on using a lucet as part of your medieval or renaissance living history demonstration, we recommend you check with your re-enactment group’s authenticity officer/committee. Each lucet measures approximately 8cm in length and 2.8cm in width. Please note that there is some variation in the carving and small variations in the exact size and shapes of the lucet.
