Literary notes about Trappings (AI summary)
The term "trappings" has been wielded by writers to evoke both vivid physical imagery and deeper symbolic meaning. Often it describes ornamental, material accoutrements—as seen in descriptions of richly adorned horses and regal processions ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5])—thereby imbuing a sense of majesty and ceremony. Yet, in other contexts, authors employ the word metaphorically to critique superficiality or to reveal an underlying vulnerability; for instance, when dismissing the empty pomp of idolatry or excessive societal ornamentation ([6], [7], [8]). Whether marking the tangible adornments of heroes or serving as a metaphor for the veneer of social status, "trappings" in literature contributes a nuanced layer that links physical appearance with moral or philosophical critique ([9], [10], [11]).
- Their fringed and tasseled hunting shirts were girded by bead-worked belts, and the trappings of their horses were stained red and yellow.
— from Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney - It was drawn by twelve snow-white horses, harnessed four abreast; their trappings were flame-colored velvet, embroidered with diamonds.
— from The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang - The King rode on a huge Elephant adorned with the most gorgeous trappings.
— from The Aesop for Children by Aesop - He expects his Hero to advance in royal stage-trappings, with measured step, trains borne behind him, trumpets sounding before him.
— from On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle - But though he was so plainly dressed himself, the horse he rode was a noble barb, and its trappings were rich with silk and silver bells.
— from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle - Hence a severe persecution began, and many worthy persons were martyred for serving God with purity, and scorning the trappings of idolatry.
— from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - From the pope, he would turn to the pomp, the luxury and trappings of the bishops, and compared them with the simplicity of primitive bishops.
— from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - An artistic renaissance in the fifteenth century and a historical one in the nineteenth have only affected the trappings of society.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana - "Confusion to her goblin trappings!" cried he, irreverently: "but at least she had handsome eyes—bright and soft."
— from Villette by Charlotte Brontë - Let Harlequin be taken with a fit of the colic and his trappings will have to serve that mood too.
— from Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau - Stripped of his trappings, with a sullen pace He walks, and the big tears run rolling down his face.”
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne
