Tevenna

General Introduction

The tevenna (pl.: tevenné) is the most widespread piece of clothing among the Tarrabaenians. It is worn by men and women alike, although in different form and fastened with different tools and techniques. Tevenna are generally made of linen, although woolen tevenna or lined tebenna with wool linings exist and are especially popular in the north or along the foothills of the Central Erana Mountain Range or around Remia, where winters are harsh.

Description

While Tarrabaenian underwear comes in different shapes and kinds, the tevenna, the upper garment of a regular Tarrabaenian citizen is quite unform in appearance, although different shapes and colourations exist, indicating rank and status of the wearer. Especially representative tevenna are worn in a two part set, with one lower or inner tevenna (tevenna sútera) and an upper tevenna (tevenna tegetéa).

A regular one-part tevenna is about twice as long as the wearer is tall, while its width is slightly shorter than the wearers height. Especially hefty people have a slightly longer tevenna, called tevenna sagína, to accomodate their girth. It is of a uniform colour with either a trimming of the same colour or an elaborate trimming. Some colours and trimmings are reserved for people of a certain status, for honoraries or for special occasions.

While there are pieces of clothing similar to the tevenna, everything that is shorter than 1.5 times the height of the wearer or half his or her size in width falls into a different category, like the considerably smaller cléna, which is worn over the shoulders and clasped with a fibula on the chest, the firra, which reaches down to the knees but has a hood attached to it or the one of the many kinds of scarfs or shawls, which are all far smaller than the tevenna.

Kinds of tevenna and meaning

Tevenna lucia

The tevenna lucia is made of thoroughly bleached fabric, mostly linen, and is worn by babies, infants and on special occasions by children up to the age of 14 or 15. It symbolises cleanlyness, health and purity and thus is believed to safeguard children. When children are old enough to move about by themselves, they mostly wear a regular tevenna for practical reasons, as kids tend to sully their clothing while playing. For special rites and festivals, they still wear a tevenna lucia though. The tevenna lucia has a simple, white trimming.

Tevenna eleburnica

The tevenna worn by high ranking civil servants and politicians is called tevenna eleburnica. As the name indicates, it is ivory coloured, a special dye made from a rare and pure form of yellow ochre called flósil, fissina extract and fixatives, that make this colourant the most durable of all. This represents the untiring efforts made by the wearers for the Confederation of Tarrabaenia and its people.

Tevenna solós

For rough weather conditions, a thick tevenna made of rough spun wool which is oiled to keep it water repelling is worn. This tevenna is especially popular with soldiers or farmers in the countryside. It is not regularly seen in the cities and some of the more noble people consider wearing this tevenna a sign of lower status, although, being often worn in the military, it is also connected to the honourable work of a soldier.

Tevenna filórea

The tevenna filórea is exclusively worn by the trévirí assortítí, who govern the Confederation of Tarrabaenia. The tevenna filórea is made from fine, blue-dyed linen with gold thread worked into it. The dye used is called cianeó. It looks like the sun reflecting in the waters of the Gray Sea or the Evoris river. The exquisit tevenna filórea was introduced during the short lived Tarrabaenian Empire by the then-emperor Baius Válés Aemiliánus. Although many of his reforms and institutions were abolished after the disposal of the Empire, the tevenna filórea stayed in use, not as tevenna of the emperor but rather as tevenna of the heads of state after the transition back to the Confederation.

Tevenna famata

The most widespread tevenna is the famata which is made either from linen or a mix of linen and wool. It is coloured with all kinds of natural dyes extracted mostly from plants. Wearing a plain and simple coloured tevenna is seen as a sign of modesty and favoured by most. In fact, although dyed fabric is more expensive than natural fabric, mostly it is social climbers who wear more extravagant styles, designs or colours to show off their newly acquired wealth. This is mostly frowned upon, at least in everyday life. For special occasions, though, everyone who can afford it wears more striking styles, especially for theatre visits, festivals and celebrations.
The tevenna famata is also characterised by having a distinguished border, which can be plain or show a more or less intricate pattern.

How a tevenna is worn

The tevenna is the standard upper garment of any Tarrabaenian and is worn during all times of the year and in all weather conditions, unless it is very hot in the summer. Thus there are different ways to wear it, depending on the necessity to provide warmth and protection. When it is very cold, a tevenna is wrapped around the body in three turns, starting from the front side of the dominant hands shoulder and going down from there over the chest. When the length of the tevenna runs short, it is lead up across the back and then over the dominant hands shoulder, where it is connected to the corner that has been placed there in the beginning with a brooch or fibula. Thus the dominant hand is left free, while the other hand is hidden under the tevenna. Head and shoulders are protected by a so called témen, which is either a plain scarf with a slit to insert the head or a likewise slittedscarf that even has a hood to it.

In milder weather conditions, as the undergarment already covers the parts of the body required by common decency, the tevenna is worn more as a decorative and representative article of clothing. It can be worn as the wearer wishes, like a luxurious shawl around neck and shoulders, like a cape or coat, over and around the head. Some of the wearing styles demand fixing the tevenna with brooches or fibulas made from more or less precious metals or wood. For a period of time it was also fashionable to wear the tevenna like a skirt. Generally speaking, though, a tevenna always runs across the upper body at least once. Some of the wearing styles repurpose the tevenna to be in part some kind of bag or pocket, taking advantage of the length of the fabric. Then again it is not seen as aesthetically pleasing to have huge objects bulging out the cloth, so these methods are only sparingly used.

Item type

Clothing / Accessory