Edward Darkened Greaves

Fit for a Knight of Either Darkness or Light: The Edward Greaves

Both medieval history and fantasy are rife with heroes and villains. For the LARPers and Cosplayers among us, there’s a unique opportunity to channel this in our choice of clothing, armor, weapons, and accessories.

For example, let’s look at these greaves. They are made with steel plate and have buckled straps to secure them to your legs. They have a wide diameter, which means that they’re suitable for wearing over extra padding.

The design is aesthetically pleasing, as the greaves curved to match the shape of your leg. The edging of each greave is slightly raised up and decorated with ridges. With the darkened variety, the main body of the greave has been darkened, while the edging is left a lighter colour which provides a nice contrast. You can also get the ordinary steel variety, which is more neutral.

The Many Colours of Plate Armor

When we think of medieval plate armor, we often picture what’s known as “white” plate, which is where the armor is the natural silvery white of steel, and polished to a sheen. That’s even where the whole idea of the “knight in shining armor” comes from.

However, it would do us well to remember that the men who wore full plate armor would have been nobility. Now, medieval noblemen weren’t known for being subtle in their fashions. So, it stands to reason that their armor wouldn’t have been “boring” either.

Indeed, medieval art often depicts plate armor in a variety of colours, from our typical silvery white, to darkened blacks and blues and everything in between. Armor might also be gilded and have different patterns engraved into it.

Surviving examples of blackened or otherwise coloured plate are much less common than white armor, but there are a few out there.

Tech Specs

The technical specifications for these greaves are as follows:

•         Material: 18 gauge steel.
•         Colour: Available in either darkened or polished steel.
•         Length: 14 inches.