Origin of the name

[Sergey]

From where the origin of the name "Garter snake"?

[Selkielass]

Before the days of elastic, both mens and womens socks and stockings were often held up by ribbonlike little belts called garters. These narrow bands of fabric were often woven in patterns of stripes, checkers and diamonds that much resemble the scale patterns on snakes.

Google card weaving, card woven bands or finger weaving to see examples of the type. Of weaving that early american settlers and biologists thought these snakes resembled.

[ProXimuS]

Hey cool, thanks Selkielass! I was wondering right along with Sergey, when I saw this post, and never even thought about it like that!

[Didymus20X6]

I always thought it was because the dorsal and lateral stripes were thought to resemble garters.

[Sergey]

Selkielass, thanks!

[Stefan-A]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for a source.

[Selkielass]

Hmmm... There I'm going to have to say I'm drawing a blank. I've 'always' known that garters are the straps that hold up socks and that the snakes were named after them just as I've 'always' known that Mary's little lamb has fleece as white as snow. I can't recall not associating the two.

The actual resemblance between the card and finger woven bands used to hold up socks in medieval times and yes, as part of early american costume (Fur trade era in Michigan, French and Indian Wars etc.) has been pointed out to me by textile professors, weaving teachers, and people involved in historic re-enactment who make and wear the things as part of their historic costumes.

So yeah, as a scholar 'oral tradition' is pretty flimsy documentation, but its one I'd never thought to question before.
I'd love to see some info regarding early uses of the term in biology and common use, but that is a study for a better biologist or linguist than I.

I'll try to check my weaving and textile history books to see if there is anything there, but most of them are in the mode of dictionaries and instruction manuals than scholarly referenced works.