In this section, we will attempt to describe the form, function and construction of various elements of Freya's costume. It's likely that this page will change over time to reflect new information provided by Freya fans. Commentary and statements of opinion are welcomed, and anyone who wants to contribute to future versions of this page can contact the administrator here or on the forums.

We'll start off this page with a look at Freya's most distinctive article of clothing - her overcoat, which is a:

Heavy Jacket:
A heavy double-breasted jacket or short coat, made of mohair or thick wool and originally worn by sailors.

Sailors were frequently forced to endure the same sort of nasty weather that plagues Burmecians, and it makes sense that the coat Freya wears would share some similarities with the type of coat worn by voyagers on the rough and stormy seas. Freya's coat does not appear to be double-breasted, however, and her CG portrait shows that the material the coat is made from has a grain that is most likely that of leather. To the right, you can see a detailed image showing the material grain and stitching on the hem of Freya's coat. The image is taken from the area just above Freya's left knee.

The thick rope or cord that runs through grommets set into the sleeves of Freya's coat is probably there to allow the sleeves to be swiftly drawn closed. This would be a useful feature to have if you're going to be outside during a storm. It looks as if the rope is made from several strips of dyed leather that have been braided together. The grommets that the braided rope passes through probably prevent the wearer from having to tie the cords off when closing the sleeves of the coat. A sharp tug on the loops of cord would gather the cuffs of the sleeves tightly around the wearer's wrists, and the friction generated by the thick braid of leather passing through the grommets at a flat angle would hold the sleeves closed until the wearer pulled them back open.

Leather also seems to be the material used in the construction of the harness that Freya wears across the front of her coat. This harness is heavily reinforced with stitching and metal studs, and it is safe to assume that it serves a very important purpose. Since the harness passes beneath Freya's arms and presumably runs around the back of her coat as well, we can assume that the harness is made to carry her weapon, and that it is a sort of baldric, which is defined as a:

Sash for supporting sword:
A sash or belt worn from one shoulder to the opposite hip, used to support a sword.

The second most noticeable element of Freya's costume is the broad, colorful banner of silk that she wears at the front of her coat. This banner can best be refered to as being a sort of heraldic bib. It may be a pared down version of a tabard, which Encarta Dictionary defines as:

1. Sleeveless Overgarment:
A sleeveless tunic with slits at the sides, worn by women and girls.

2. Herald's Coat:
An official coat worn by a herald, bearing the sovereign´s coat of arms.

3. HISTORY Knight's Jacket
A sleeveless or short-sleeved garment worn by a knight over his armor.

This component of Freya's outfit isn't a nightmare necktie that has somehow made its way to Gaia from a late 70's office party on Earth. Freya's bib shows off a coat of arms that may be her personal identification, that of the unnamed Dragon Knight who sponsored her, or even that of Burmecia itself. Let's take a moment to study the functions and elements of a coat of arms as described in the Encarta entry for Heraldry.

"Symbolic and ornamental figures similar to those of heraldry have been used as tribal or national emblems since ancient times; for example, the Romans used the eagle, and the French employed first the lion and later the fleur-de-lis. The practice of carrying personal armorial devices on shields and banners began during feudal times, when it was necessary for a knight, with his face covered by the visor of his helmet, to be recognized at a distance . In the 14th century the practice was introduced of embroidering the family insignia on the surcoat worn over the coat of mail, giving rise to the term coat of arms. In England armorial insignia were freely assumed by knights until early in the 15th century, when King Henry V restrained the practice. In 1483 King Edward IV established the Heralds' College to supervise the granting of armorial bearings. Individuals, families, kingdoms, lordships, towns, episcopal sees, abbeys, and corporations may have coats of arms."

The design appearing in the bottom right corner of the bib is the fleur-de-lis mentioned in the excerpt above. A fleur-de-lis is:

1. heraldry Heraldic device resembling lily or iris: A heraldic symbol or design in the form of three tapering petals tied by a surrounding band, formerly used by the kings of France. Also called lily

2. plants See iris n.2

All parts of Freya's coat of arms have names assigned to them, including the quarters and colors that appear. The bib itself can be considered an escutcheon, which was the central portion of a coat of arms, usually shaped like a kite or shield. Below, you can read a short summary of what these parts of a coat of arms are called. You can also see a close-up of Freya's coat of arms that shows that something barely discernable appears in the chief dexter field (top right, as worn). This charge appears to be a winged beast with two heads.

"The design of a coat of arms consists of several parts, including the following: the escutcheon, or shield; the helm, or helmet; the crest; the motto; the mantle; the supporters; and the torse, or wreath - all discussed below, in the context of English usage. Of these parts, the escutcheon is the most important. The complete design ensemble is called an achievement of arms. The proper description of a coat of arms involves precise use of a special, colorful heraldic vocabulary that has survived, in English, from about the 13th century.

"The term escutcheon is derived from the French écusson, which signified a shield with arms portrayed on it, as distinguished from a plain shield. The escutcheon is usually in the shape of a conventional shield, except for the oval-shaped arms of churchmen and the lozenge-shaped arms of ladies. To facilitate description, heralds divided the shield from top to bottom into three areas - chief, fess, and base - and from right to left (of the wearer) into dexter, middle or pale, and sinister. The shield bears various charges, or figures, represented in different colors, or tinctures.

"The term tincture includes the representation of metals, colors, and furs. The two metals in common use are or (gold) and argent (silver). The former is represented in painting by yellow, the latter by white; in black-and-white drawings or engravings, gold is represented by white stippled with fine black dots, and silver by plain white. The principal colors are gules (red), azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green), and purpure (purple). A charge emblazoned, or depicted, in the natural color of the object represented is said to be proper. The furs are ermine and vair (squirrel). Colors and furs are represented in drawings by conventional hatchings and figures."

Freya appears to be wearing a shirt of linked mail beneath her coat. To the right, you can see a portion of Freya's model skin from FFIX. The area that's shown is the waist of Freya's trousers and the hem of her shirt. Armor is a vital element of any melee fighter's equipment, and Freya is no exception. While Freya's bulky overcoat and colorful bib help to conceal the shape of her body and diminish the accuracy of an attacker's strikes against her, she's also sporting some protection that's tougher than leather. Wilson, a fellow Freya fan, discusses this portion of Freya's equipment in detail:

"Well, whenever you get around to updating again (even if it isn't for some time), you can positively say that Freya wears at least chain mail under that coat of hers. How do I know? Well, you can look for yourself. Get or rip a copy of the ending movie, and look at the (one and only!) shot of Freya in that movie. Look into/under her coat (can't remember which and can't confirm now) and you'll see a bit of chain mail fairly clearly.

"Freya's agile, but she's probably not going to trust her life to some bits of cloth and leather. On a personal note, I myself think the brown clothing is indeed something like worked hide leather, serving a double purpose. First of all, she'd be rather quite naked without something under her armor, and that certainly wouldn't do--the tunic and breeches (as I take them to be--can't see them quite that well) probably are passable underclothes for a knight. In fact, that's pretty much their second purpose: Freya has fur, and even for humans, wearing just chain mail and even some light cloth wouldn't do, since skin and hair would get pinched something fierce.

"Probably, the leather serves as padding for the mail that also keeps her fur from being caught up in the links of her mail, and, perhaps, offers just a bit of extra protection, as well as functioning as simple, light, water-resistant (if the garment is oiled) traveler or pilgrim's clothes."

(A/N: A thigh-length coat of mail, called a hauberk, would weigh close to 11 kilograms or 25 pounds!)

It's possible that the garments Freya wears beneath her coat are made from leather. As we discussed in the section on Freya's coat, such a material could easily be waterproofed and it would also be very durable. Leather wouldn't be comfortable when worn next to the body, however, because of the material's inherent stiffness and lack of breathability. Leather also would fail to offer much protection against blows sustained during combat. A practical solution to this problem would be to wear a quilted vest beneath the leather tunic to provide padding and a margin of safety against melee attacks.

Freya's garments might also be made of a type of leather called suede. Suede is thin, flexible leather that has been turned so that the "flesh" side faces outward. This rough surface is then rubbed over to give the finished material a soft, velvety nap. Such a material would be more comfortable to wear.

Freya's lower legs and portions of her feet are tightly wrapped with either leather stockings, gaiters or puttees. This covering isn't intended to be protection from slashes or blows. Instead, this wrapping probably serves to support the muscles and tendons located between her calves and the balls of her feet. Freya 's jumps would put a lot of stress these areas of her legs, and wearing tight bindings would help to prevent a serious injury from occurring should she happen to land wrong at the conclusion of a jump. It would also be important for Freya to guard her legs against scrapes and injuries that might occur while she is walking cross-country. Freya's history, as given in dialogue and cutscenes during the first quarter of Final Fantasy IX, tells us that she spent five years trotting around Gaia in search of her lost love Fratley. That search must've involved many miles of foot travel over rough and desolate terrain where any injury affecting her ability to walk could lead to her becoming stranded in an inhospitable wilderness.

For reference, a gaiter is defined as a:

1. Leg covering:
A strip of fabric, leather, or lightweight waterproof material covering the leg from the instep to either the ankle or the knee. Modern gaiters are usually made of waterproof fabric and worn by climbers, walkers, or skiers.

While a puttee is defined as being a:

1. Cloth strip wound around lower leg:
A strip of cloth wrapped around the lower leg from the ankle to the knee, especially one worn as part of a military uniform.

2. leather covering for lower leg:
A leather legging or gaiter that covers the lower leg.

This covers the most obvious elements of Freya's clothing. More details (and fewer errors) may show up in future versions of this page, so check back from time to time!

All definitions used on this page are taken from Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003. All indented quoted text within the horizaonal rules is taken from Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 and is copyright 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. Originally written by BlazeTecumseh. All rights reserved.