Through a description of a nun’s belongings and equipment from the end of the 15th century we know that a rya, a long-pile knotted rug, was included in the bedclothes. Thus from the beginning it had a purely practical character and was used as a bedcover with the pile side downwards. Even when the rya obtained some degree of decorative importance, the smooth side was considered to be the right side. Originally the rug showed only the initials and year, with perhaps a simple pattern.