Czupryna

The czupryna (Polish: wysokie polskie cięcie, podgolony łeb, łaszczówka), also known as the Polish halfshaven head, is a traditional Polish noble haircut, associated mainly with Sarmatism, but worn by Poles in the Middle Ages too. It is marked by shaving hair above the ears and on the neck at the same height, with longer hair on the top of the head. For hundreds of years it was typical of Poles.

History

The origins of the halfshaven head are not clear. It was probably worn before the 12th century until its slow disappearance in the 18th century. Some of the earliest mentions of the "Polish halfshaven head" from the Middle Ages were written by an anonymous Franciscan in 1308,^[1] Wincenty from Kielcza^[2] (half of 13th century), and Austrian poet Zygfryd Helbling (end of 13th century),^[3]^[4] who was swearing on Polish and Czech influences.^{[clarification needed]} In the chronicles of Mierzwa (beginning of 14th century) from Kraków, we can also read that Prince Leszek the Black (died in 1288) grew his hair to ingratiate himself with Germans, so it was a scandal both in his times and in the times of the chronicle. Graphic sources include the paten (half of 13th century) from Płock Cathedral commissioned by Konrad Mazowiecki, and the paten commissioned by Mieszko the Old (year 1195)^[5] for the Cistercian monastery in Ląd, and the floor from Wiślica (years 1175-1180).^[6]

The halfshaven head and other Slavs

It is possible that not only Poles, but also other Slavs wore a halfshaven head. In the year 1235, the British Franciscan Bartholomeus Anglicus wrote in his encyclopedia that for the most part all the Slavs, except Ruthenians and those Slavs who were mixed with Germans and Latins, shave their heads.^[7] Bartholomeus, who lived in Magdeburg for several years, knew the Slavic lands well.^[8] By "Slavic lands" he meant the area from Saxony to Ruthenia and from Dalmatia, Carinthia and Serbia to the Baltic Sea. Saxo Grammaticus also wrote about shaven heads and the dislike of beards when writing about the Slavic temple of Arkona (Jaromarsburg).^[9] He wrote that according to the common custom, only priests could grow long hair and beards.^[10]

In a Saxon manifesto against Slavic pagans from the year 1108 it is mentioned that Slavs simulated Saxons during an attack by wearing their scalps^[11] - Saxons grew long hair,^[12] so the Polabian haircut had to be very different: very short. This suggests that the custom of shaving the hair, recognised as Polish in the 13th century, had to be more widespread.

The existence of the czupryna amongst the Polabian Slav territories is clearly attested by many archaeological discoveries. By way of example, one may adduce the following: a small bronze statue from Schwedt/Oder (X-11th century),^[13]^[14] Altfriesack Götze, a wooden statue from Altfriesack (6th-7th century),^[15] a sitting statue from Gatschow near Demmin (XI-12th century),^[16] and a small sculpture from Merserburg near Leipzig (10th century).^[17] All the figures have short hair and halfshaven heads. There are also a metal fitting from the museum in Oldburg and a wooden statue from Wolin (10th century). Because of corrosion, it is difficult to say if the heads are shaven, but the hair is surely short.^[18]^[19] The clearest proof are the Sachsenspiegel illustrations - all Wends in the illustrations (in contrast with the long-haired Saxons) have a short haircut, shaved at ear-height.

A halfshaven haircut, similar in appearance to a modern Mohican haircut, was also worn by the Cossacks of Ukraine from the 1500s until the 20th century. This was known as the Oseledets and was seen as the mark of identification as a true Cossack.

Types of halfshaven head

Through the centuries in Polish literature we can see a specialised nomenclature surrounding the czupryna. It is possible to distinguish various types:

czupryna (staro)polska – the (old-)Polish halfshaven head. This is the oldest type of halfshaven head; we can see it in medieval sources, and similarly we know that Jan III Sobieski wore this type of czupryna too.
czupryna łaszczowa – Łaszcz's halfshaven head. This is the type of czupryna connected with Samuel Łaszcz, who, according to sources, popularised this type. In the czupryna łaszczowa type, the shaving was higher.
czupryna czerkieska – the Cherkess halfshaven head. From the name, we can deduce that this type was probably similar to traditional Circassian male haircuts.
czupryna szwedzka – the Swedish halfshaven head. According to the sources the shaving was lower, more similar to the Order of Saint Benedict tonsure, and sprinkled with powder.
głowa cybulana – the onion-like head. A playful name for a trend of reducing the czupryna to some hair at the top of the head.^[20]^[21]

Another illustration of Wends from *Sachsenspiegel*.

References

^ Anonymi descriptio Europeae Orientalis, wyd. O. Górka, Kraków 1916, s. 57–58: olim omnes Poloni ibant tonsi, sicut conversi cistercienses, sed nunc aliqui incipiunt dimittere crines.
^ Vita minor, cap. 24, MPH IV, s. 272: Ob cuius dispesacionis beneficium ac recordacionis memorabile signum indictum est Polonis, ut in tonsura rotunda conformarent se moribus religiosorum; to samo powtarza Vita maior, cap. 12, MPH IV, s382. Kontrowersje wokół datowania żywotów nie mają, według Jurka, znaczenia, gdyż dotyczą kilku lat, czyli około roku 1248 lub około 1254, zob. M. Plezia, Dookoła sprawy świętego Stanisława. Studium źródłoznawcze, wyd. 2, Bydgoszcz 1999, s. 138.
^ Seifrief Helbling, Der Kleine Lucidarius, III 225 n. Wyd. J. Seemüller, Halle 1886 (reprint 1987), s. 123: Waz will du Pôlân hôchbeschorn?/der Ungern waere daz vil zorn/ der ir langem hâr erkür/die hôhen pôlânischen schüer. Pieśń trzecia powstała, według ustaleń wydawcy (s. XX), w latach 1292-1294.
^ Ibidem, VIII 793n., s. 210 n.: und swer in disem lande snit/gewant nâch der Pôlân sit,/ daz dem sin hâr waer geschorn / hôch úf für die ôrn/ daz sold im nimer washen. Pieśń iVIII pochodzi z 1299 r.
^ Sztuka polska przedromańska, il. 1058; P Skubiszewski, Patena kaliska, Rocz. Hist. Szt. 3 (1962), s. 158-213; do datacji por. T. Jurek, Dokumenty fundacyjne opactwa w Lądzie, Rocz. Hist. 66 (2000), s. 34; barwna reprodukcja w: Cystersi w średniowiecznej Polsce. Kultura i sztuka. Katalog wystawy, Warszawa-Poznań 1991, s. 142–143, 146–147.
^ Sztuka polska przedromańska, il. 696, 703; L. Kalinowski, Romańska posadzka z rytami figuralnymi w krypcie kolegiaty wiślickiej, w: Odkrycia w Wiślicy. Rozprawy Zespołu Badań nad Polskim Średniowieczem Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego i Politechniki Warszawskiej, t. I, Warszawa 1963, s. 86–110; J. Leśny, w: SSS, t. VI, Wrocław 1980, s. 497-499 (z bibliografią); J. Dobosz, Polityka fundacyjna Kazimierza Sprawiedliwego, Poznań 1995, s. 54-57 (gdzie uściślenie ramowych dat powstania oraz zestawienie literatury).
^ A. E. Schönbach, Des Bartolomeus Anglicus Beschreibung Deutschlands gegen 1240, Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichsche Geschichstforschung 27 (1906), s. 54-90, tu s. 71: qui omnes se intelligunt et in multis sunt similes, quo ad linguam et quo ad mores, dispares tamen quo ad ritum, – omnes etiam isti pro maiori parte in coma sunt attonsi, exeptis Ruthenis et ilis, qui mixti sunt cum Teutonicis et Latinis. Fragment tekstu z późnośredniowiecznego wyciągu wydał W. Kętrzyński w MPH VI, s. 587-588, zamiast attonsi dając jednak accensi (zapalczywi?).
^ Lexikon des Mittelalters, t. I kol. 1492-1493; por. Też A. F. Grabski, Polska w opiniach obcych X-XIII w., Warszawa 1964, s. 95 i n.
^ Saxo Grammaticus, Gesta Danorum, lib. XIV, cap. 39,3, wyd. J. Orlik, H. Raeder, t. I, Hauniae 1931, s. 645: Corrasae barbae, crines attonsi figurabatur, ut artificis industriam Rugianorum ritum in cultu capitum aemulatam putares.
^ Ibidem, cap. 39,4: sacerdos praeter communem patriae ritum barbae comaeque prolixitate spectandus.
^ Urkundenbuch des Erzstifts Magdeburg, wyd. F. Israel, Magdeburg 1937, nr. 193: Quamplures vivos excoriant et cute capitis abstracta hoc modo larvati in christianorum fines erumpunt et se christianos mentientes predas impune abigunt; przedruk: G. Labuda, Fragmenty dziejów Słowiańszczyzny Zachodniej, t. III, Poznań 1975, s. 233-236 (cytat s. 234); tamże obszerna dyskusja na temat tego zabytku. Na ustęp ten zwrócił uwagę S. Trawkowski, w: Kultura Polski średniowiecznej X-XIII w., s. 64.
^ Por. choćby u Widukinda lib. I cap. 9:mirati sunt Franci – diffusos scapulas caesarie [Saxones].
^ http://www.lda-lsa.de/landesmuseum_fuer_vorgeschichte/fund_des_monats/2009/dezember/ ilustracja Abb.3
^ "Bałwany".
^ http://www.lucivo.pl/2012/09/bawany.html Zdjęcia głowy: http://swinow.livejournal.com/58500.html
^ http://lucivo1.rssing.com/browser.php?indx=7563107&item=11^{[permanent dead link]} Link do szkicu(Abb.6): http://www.lda-lsa.de/landesmuseum_fuer_vorgeschichte/fund_des_monats/2012/januar/
^ "Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie".
^ http://lucivo1.rssing.com/browser.php?indx=7563107&item=11^{[permanent dead link]}
^ http://www.lda-lsa.de/landesmuseum_fuer_vorgeschichte/fund_des_monats/2012/januar/ Fotografia Abb.4
^ "Encyklopedia staropolska/Czupryna - Wikiźródła, wolna biblioteka".
^ "O strojach czyli sukniach - Wikiźródła, wolna biblioteka".