3 tassles?

[Coinneach]

I'm sure every question has been answered at least once...maybe twice on Xmarks, but I couldn't find the answer to this one. In another thread, McMurdo showed off two very fine sporrans. You can see them here.

I love a nice sporran and will have to get one someday, but as I was looking at McMurdo's sporrans, I wondered why 3 tassles?

I figure the tassles are there for pure decoration; I can't think of any purpose they serve. For fur sporrans, my first thought were they were the feet of the animal supplying the fur, but then we're down one foot. Even sporrans made of synthethic materials have 3 tassles. After all, any number of tassles can give a sporran symmetry, so why three?

[Robertson]

Why Not?

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

I think Robertson hit it on the head.

[DWFII]

I wondered why 3 tassles? ...After all, any number of tassles can give a sporran symmetry, so why three?

Actually, it is a pretty well established aesthetic principle that odd numbered items...three tassles, five stars, seven dwarves, etc., are more pleasing to human sensibilities than even numbered ones.

And since one is the loneliest number, three is maybe enough to attract attention, where five would be too many.

[McMurdo]

Because two on the sporran front would leave a huge gap in the middle, and the three are more aesthetically pleasing, as DWFII says, or to march to the beat of your own drummer.

[Kiltman]

In my opinion many times the tassels are just decoration, but three is a really pleasing number (as are all odd numbers). If you look at the Rob Roy you can see that there is a function with that style. I've seen two, three or four tassels on many of them. I don't find they are of any 'use' on hunting sporrans and so don't put them on.

[Donnie]

Three was a very magic number in ancient celtic beliefs. Now don't ask me where I read that! I have CRS!

[PiobBear]

Then there's the "swinging six" of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders:


Mine, like most civilian hair sporrans, only has two tassels.

[McFarkus]

On my newest sporran from Ferguson Britt the center tassel is actually functional. One uses it to close the sporran. The other two tassels are a continuation of the leather from the cantle. (The tassel comes out again at the top of the sporran and loops over a knot, then you pull on the bottom of the tassel to close and secure the sporran) IMHO the tassels make more sense on the FB sporrans.

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

My WWII Gordon Highlander's piper sporran has two tassles as well.

Then there's the "swinging six" of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders:


Mine, like most civilian hair sporrans, only has two tassels.