History Main / HairMemento

* ''{{Film/VegasVacation}}'': Wayne Newton gives a lock of hair to Ellen Griswold.

* In ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'', Marilla owns an amethyst brooch with a lock of her mother's hair in it; it's her most prized possession.

* ''Literature/TheSunneInSplendour'': While she is in sanctuary, Richard gifts her with a locket and she requests a lock of his hair to keep inside it. He obliges right before riding off to deal with a Scottish rebellion for his brother.

* In ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' Marilla owns an amethyst brooch with a lock of her mother's hair in it; it's her most prized possession.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}: Kingmaker''. A lock of hair was used to create a ring of bestial friendship. [[spoiler:It is cursed, will cause the animal to run in a rampant rage.]] Eirikk received it from his potential lover, and used the ring to enchant an owlbear as a means to impress the lover and to further gain control.

In a second variant, a character (again, usually a woman) cuts a lock of her hair to give as a gift. This is more likely to be prepared, as in braided or made into something else, like a bracelet. In this case this gift celebrates the friendship or love between the two characters. This and the former example are both the complete opposite of CreepySouvenir, despite hair being a part of the body.

* ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'': Cochrane and Byakuren are a pair of brother-and-sister ChildSoldiers serving under Crown, a demon fighting to create a nation for their kind. When Byakuren is [[spoiler:killed in battle]] another demon, Kewpie, makes a bracelet out of Byakuren's hair and gives it to Cochrane. As the arc progresses, the [[spoiler:loss of his sister]] sends Cochrane headfirst over the DespairEventHorizon and, [[spoiler:after he fights and is subdued by Zeke]], he decides all he wants to do at this point is be with Byakuren. He [[spoiler:jumps off a damaged building]] only for the bracelet to [[spoiler:snag on a piece of rebar, which is initially depicted as Byakuren grabbing his arm to catch him]]. The bracelet holds on and prevents Cochrane's fall long enough that, by the time it breaks, Kewpie is able to dive in and save him from certain death. Afterward, the boy can only [[spoiler:cry and ask why Byakuren won't let him go to her]].

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': When Galadriel could think of no gift for Gimli, she asks him to name his desire. He asks for one strand of her hair as a token of her legendary beauty and of renewed friendship between elves and dwarves, as she had spoken respectfully of his fallen homeland. She gives him three, and warns her fellow elves to never again call dwarves grasping or greedy.

** Edward owns a ring that has a lock of his secret fiancee Lucy's inside it. Upon discovering it, Mrs. Dashwood asks about it. Since she doesn't know about Lucy she suspects that it's from Edward's sister (and Mrs. Dashwood's daughter-in-law) Fanny. Edward goes along with this, albeit guiltily.

* In the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS3E21TheFirstChangDynasty The First Chang Dynasty]]", Troy agrees to join the Air Conditioning Repair Annex in exchange for their help in rescuing his friends from Chang. As [[SuddenDownerEnding he says goodbye to his friends at the end of the episode]], Britta (with whom there has been some mutual attraction with Troy hinted at in the prior few episodes) gives Troy a lock of her hair as a keepsake. The rest of group grumbles and scowls, lampshading how the gesture is more creepy than anything else to modern audiences.

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate2'': An old enemy of Jaheira carries a lock of her hair, though in this case it's because it's a part of the SympatheticMagic he uses to curse her during her personal quest and the spell would fail without it. The lock is lootable as an item after killing him, meaning the trope can be invoked by the PlayerCharacter if you choose to hang on to it for the rest of the game (doubly so if you also choose to court Jaheira).
* ''VideoGame/PandorasTower'': Elena lets Mavda cut a piece of her hair so the latter can attach it to the Oraclos chain used by Aeron. This not only strengthens the bond between Aeron and Elena even when they're a long distance apart, but also lets Aeron know about Elena's well-being while he's in the Towers.

* ''Literature/TheChrysalids'' is set in a post-apocalyptic society where any congenital anomaly is seen as the devil's mark and the affected person is cast out. When Sophie, a young girl with an extra toe on each foot, is forced to flee with her parents after her secret is discovered, she gives a lock of her hair to her friend David (the story's narrator) to remember her by. However, this becomes a TragicKeepsake, as David's father forces him to betray her, and she and her parents are subsequently captured, though David is assured that this happened by chance.

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': When Galadriel could think of no gift for Gimli, she asks what he would want. At first he declined, but she insists. He asks for one strand of her hair. She gives him three, and warns her fellow elves to never again call dwarves grasping or greedy.

[[folder:Tabeltop Games]]

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia: Realizing that his LoyalAnimalCompanion Giet may one day turn wild, Moses Sandor decides to leave him in the Quiet Lands. Before bidding his partner farewell, he cuts a bit of his own hair and Giet's fur to make each into an accessory to remind them of each other.

-> ''I took something else to remember her by instead. A lock of that red hair.''
--> '''-- Dunk''', ''Literature/TalesOfDunkAndEgg''

-->''She keeps a lock of hair in her pocket''
-->''She wears a cross around her neck''
-->''They say that the hair was from a little boy''

-->''Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair''
-->''She said that you gave it to her''
-->''The night that you planned to go clear''

--> '''- Dunk''', ''Literature/TalesOfDunkAndEgg''

A character gifting an other one a lock of their hair usually signifies love: everybody loves their hair, so cutting even a tiny part of it for someone else is like a small sacrifice, signifying that you would perhaps do greater things for the ones you love.

Our hair is also considered a living part of our body, so having a lock of hair from a loved one can help you remember them. This can soon become a TragicKeepsake if said loved one has passed away, for example.

There are different variatons to this trope's happening. In the first one, two characters are saying goodbye. They don't want to forget each other though, and there are no cameras around to make a PreciousPhoto. In this case, a character (usually a woman) will cut a piece of her hair, so the other one can remember them even miles away. This is rather spontaneous. This is a [[ItWasAGift farewell gift]], and sometimes TheLadysFavour.

In a second variant, a character (again, usually a woman) cuts a lock of her hair to give as a gift. This is more likely to be prepared, as in braided or be made into something else, like a bracelet. In this case this gift celebrates the friendship or love between the two characters. This and the former example are both the complete opposite of CreepySouvenir, despite hair being a part of our body.

In a third variant, a character will cut a piece of the other one's hair (with or without their knowing or consent), to again, help them remember. This variant may overlap with StalkerWithACrush, and by extension CreepySouvenir.

Since most men in fiction sport short hair, this trope is almost always done by [[AlwaysFemale women]].

TruthInTelevision, as it was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_jewellery popular]], especially in the [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain Victorian Era]] to keep a jewellery containing a piece of a loved one's hair, especially after said person has passed away. Hair was considered to be a living, remnant part of that person, making it more sentimental than a portrait for example.

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]
* In 6th episode of ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja'' [[StalkerWithACrush L.A.]] cuts some of Ellis' hair in her sleep and makes a small doll out of it. Several times he's seen brooding over it.
* ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'': Cochrane and Byakuren are a pair of brother-and-sister ChildSoldiers serving under Crown, a demon fighting to create a nation for their kind. When Byakuren is [[spoiler:killed in battle]] another demon, Kewpie, makes a bracelet out of Byakuren's hair and gives it to Cochrane. As the arc progresses, the [[spoiler:loss of his sister]] sends Cochrane headfirst through the DespairEventHorizon and, [[spoiler:after he fights and is subdued by Zeke]], decides all he wants to do at this point is be with Byakuren. He [[spoiler:jumps off a damaged building]] only for the bracelet to [[spoiler:snag on a piece of rebar, which is initially depicted as Byakuren grabbing his arm to catch him]]. The bracelet holds on and prevents Cochrane's fall long enough that, by the time it breaks, Kewpie is able to dive in and save him from certain death. Afterward, the boy can only [[spoiler:cry and ask why Byakuren won't let him go to her]].
* ''Manga/SnowWhiteWithTheRedHair'': When prince Raji orders Shirayuki brought to him as a concubine after he hears of her striking rare red hair she takes the night she was given to prepare to cut off her ponytail and leave it with a letter saying that if he wants her hair he's welcome to keep it before fleeing the country.
* ''Manga/WastefulDaysOfHighSchoolGirls'': Hisui 'Majo' Kujou makes bracelets of her own hair for her friends to show appreciation for their kindness and friendship.

[[folder: Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'': "The Prisoner of White Agony Creek" shows that Scrooge's most prized possession is not any of his money or treasures, but a lock of hair from Goldie O'Gilt. Though unlike most examples she didn't give it to him, but he cut it off while saving her from a bear.

[[folder: Film - Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'': When Kubo's village gets attacked by his two aunts, his mother uses her magic to send him away. As he flies off, he grabs a strand of her hair. [[spoiler:During his battle with his grandfather, Kubo uses the hair and the string from his father's bow as replacement guitar strings. He then strums them to cast a powerful spell that renders the Moon King mortal and amnesiac.]]

[[folder: Film - Live-Action]]

[[folder: Literature]]
* In ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' Marilla owns an amethyst brooch with a lock of her mother's hair in it, it's her most prized possession.

* ''Literature/TheGooseGirl'' revolves around a princess betrothed to a distant land, and carrying with her a charm from her mother the queen as a safety amulet, only to lose it halfway in her journey and have her servant taking advantage of her. Depending on the version, the amulet is either a talisman, a napkin with drops of the queen's blood, or a lock of the queen's hair.
* ''Literature/LancelotTheKnightOfTheCart'': Lancelot is on a quest to find Guinevere. As he's tracking her, he comes upon a place where she combed out her hair and left the comb, but with a strand of hair still caught in the tines. He is so overcome with emotion he nearly faints.
* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' novel ''[[Literature/StarWarsBloodline Bloodline]]'', a box of Princess Leia's treasured possessions is described as containing a lock of hair. The prequel novel ''Literature/LeiaPrincessOfAlderaan'' later reveals this to belong to Kier Domadi, Leia's FirstLove who [[spoiler: tragically died when they were teenagers. She kept a lock of his hair as a keepsake before he was buried.]]

* In ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' Edward owns a ring that has a lock of his secret fiancee Lucy inside it. Upon discovering it Mrs. Dashwood asks about it. Since she doesn't know about Lucy she suspects that it's from Edward's sister (and Mrs. Dashwood's daughter-in-law) Fanny. Edward goes along with this, albeit guiltily.

* ''Literature/TalesOfDunkAndEgg'': In ''Sworn Sword'', after Dunk defeats [[spoiler: Longinch]], he and [[spoiler: Rohanne]] warm up to each other, with their interaction containing plenty of romance, and ending in Dunk cutting a piece of [[spoiler: Rohanne's]] hair to "remember her by".

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]
* ''{{Series/Borgia}}'': In an episode, Lucrezia's new friend Pietro, sent to cheer her spirits up after her [[spoiler: pregnancy]], has to go to Venice to visit a sick family member. As a parting gift, Lucrezia offers him a lock of her hair.
* In the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS3E21TheFirstChangDynasty The First Chang Dynasty]]", Troy agrees to join the Air Conditioning Repair Annex in order for their help in rescuing his friends from Chang. As [[SuddenDownerEnding he says goodbye to his friends at the end of the episode]], Britta (with whom there has been some mutual attraction with Troy hinted at in the prior few episodes) gives Troy a lock of her hair as a keepsake. The rest of group grumbles and scowls, lampshading how the gesture is more creepy than anything else to modern audiences.
* In ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode ''[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E8YearOfHell Year of Hell]]'', Annorax had, using time incursions, accidentally made his wife vanish from existence. All he had left of her was a lock of her hair.
* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'' has an odd example. [[BookDumb London]] falls in love with the heir to a rival hotel (ala ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''). At one point they start exchanging gifts, and Maddie suggests that a lock of London's hair would be romantic. London then proceeds to rip out her hair extensions to give as the gift.

[[folder: Music]]
* ''Music/TheBlackCrowes'': "She Talks to Angels" makes allusion to this with the following verse:
--> ''She keeps a lock of hair in her pocket''
--> ''She wears a cross around her neck''
--> ''They say that the hair was from a little boy''
* In the song ''Famous Blue Raincoat'' by ''Music/LeonardCohen'', there are these three lines sung by the lyrical subject:
--> ''Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair''
--> ''She said that you gave it to her''
--> ''The night that you planned to go clear''

[[folder: Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/PandorasTower'': Elena lets Mavda cut a part of her hair so the latter can attach it to the Oraclos chain used by Aeron. This not only strengthens the bond between Aeron and Elena even after they're a long distance apart, but also lets Aeron know about Elena's well-being while he's in the Towers.

[[folder: Webcomics]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E18AStarIsBurns A Star is Burns]]'', Homer feels inadequate compared to their houseguest [[WesternAnimation/TheCritic Jay Sherman]], so he tells Marge to leave him for Jay and cuts off a piece of her hair to remember her by.

* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'' shows that Scrooge's most prized possession is not any of his money or treasures, but a lock of hair from Goldie O'Gilt. Though unlike most examples she didn't give it to him, but he cut it off while saving her from a bear.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In ''A Star is Burns'', Homer feels inadequate compared to their houseguest [[WesternAnimation/TheCritic Jay Sherman]], so he tells Marge to leave him for Jay and cuts off a piece of her hair to remember her by.

'''Indices''': CharacterizationByItem, GiftTropes, NarrativeDevices, TruthInTelevision, AlwaysFemale, LoveTropes