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Document Converted With RYA RUGS Ernst F. Tonsing, Ph.D. Thousand Oaks, California November 28, 2005 In the first place, they are in the wrong places. In the second, we are looking at the wrong sides. Third, we have them in the wrong sizes, and, fourth, we have given them the wrong name! I am referring to the colorful rya rugs located in various rooms of the Scandinavian Center in Thousand Oaks. These furry things have bright colors and designs ranging from abstract swirls and waves to one with three Viking ships. The knotted, pile-woven textiles are decorative and plush, and their history goes back long before the ancient Vikings. The distinctive feature of the ryas are the fringe-like threads, called flossa in the dialects of southern Sweden, either raised as the rug is woven, or made by wrapping the threads around a rod that is pulled out after each row is completed. When the entire ground is covered by pile, it is called helflossa, but, sometimes, areas of the background show through in the halvflossa technique. The loose threads hanging from the fabric are either loops, like terry-cloth towels, or threads cut from the loops when they are woven. Thus, the name “rya,” is akin to the German word, Rühe, meaning “fir,” and the Swedish word, ragg, meaning “goat hair” or “shag,” and the English word, “rug.” The “ground” of the ryas can be made of a number of materials—wool, cotton, linen, cow hair or any mixture of these materials. For the pile, it can be made of the same yarns, or fir—rabbit, goat, horse or even dog. Also, there are rugs made with rags cut into strips for the “yarn.” Sometimes the knots are visible on the bottom side, and sometimes almost invisible, but the pattern of the colors is more visible on that side rather than on the “furry” side. Normally, the pile is on one side only, but there are some with the “fir” on both sides, such as ones made in Uppland and Åland in Sweden. What is puzzling is that the type of knots used for these rugs in Scandinavia employ the peculiar “Smyrna” (also called “Ghiords” or “Turkish”) knots used in the elegant rugs of Turkey and the geometric rugs of the Caucasus regions. The knots and loops also resemble the fabrics of Coptic (Christian) Egypt of the third to the eighth centuries A.D. Perhaps, pre-Viking merchants either learned knotting or brought back examples of the technique from expeditions to the eastern Mediterranean region and, possibly, to Mesopotamia. The designs of the rugs reflect the times in which they were made. Some imitate fabrics from Europe, so that there are Baroque ryas in the seventeenth century and abstract ones in the twentieth century. Convoluted Rococo flowers appear in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and zigzags, stars, crosses, chevrons and checkerboards in the 1950’s. The colors are all of the hues available through natural, later, industrial dyes—reds, browns, yellows, blues and greens. The practical use of ryas from the sixteenth century to recent times was for covers on benches, chairs, tables and floors. Today, recognized for their attractiveness, they are mostly to be seen hung on walls. But, ryas have been known since about 1,500 B.C. in the Danish Bronze Age. Two caps and a cloak from this time in the rya style have the pile sewn rather than woven on the ground. But, there is something to note here: the pile on these articles is on the inside rather than the outside. It is obvious that this was done for the warmth provided by the air trapped by the “hairs” of the cloth. A pile fabric from about A.D. 750 found at Valsgärde, and another at Birka, Sweden, of the same age, show the modern technique of knotting. Medieval inventories often mention ryas. However, they are described not as rugs, table coverings or seat covers, but bedding! It seems as if ryas were excellent coverlets as they were very warm, just what Nordic winters would have required. Furthermore, they were turned so that the pile was on the bottom where it would best capture the warmth. This would allow the elaborate design which is more clearly visible on the “ground” to be displayed and the technical skills of the weavers to be more evident. Thus, we have it all wrong. Ryas were originally meant not for floors or walls. They were intended to replace fur-skin bed covers and imitate the soft sheen of these ancient bedspreads. They were displayed not with the “hair” outside, but with the ground-side up, so that the pattern would show most beautifully. They were also large enough to cover beds, much bigger than the pieces in the Scandinavian Center. Also, they should be called “rya coverlets” rather than rugs. It is all right, I guess, that they are now displayed on the walls of the Scandinavian Center rather than on beds, and with the wrong side showing. Call them what we want— rya rugs or coverlets—they do look pretty, and feel softer than goat’s hair or grandpa’s beard..
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