Caesar invents Northern Barbarians (omt)

[ricardienne]

Atque in eam se consuetudinem adduxerunt ut locis frigidissimis neque vestitus praeter pelles haberent quidquam, quarum propter exiguitatem magna est corporis pars aperta...

"Furthermore, they have made themselves accustomed -- in the coldest parts of the world! -- to have no clothing apart from animal pelts, on account of whose scantiness the greater part of their body lies bare..."
--Caesar, BG IV.1

Cf. Diana Wynne Jones, The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, s.v. "Costume":

It is a curious fact that, in Fantasyland, the usual Rules, for Clothing are reversed. Here, the colder the climate, the fewer the garments worn. In the Snowbound North, the Barbarian Hordes wear little more than a fur loincloth and copper wristguards...

Comments

[achyvi.livejournal.com]

Also applies to the Rules in River of the Dancing Gods! (Which I don't have, or I'd find the quote, because it is very silly.)