Many of the Celtic and Germanic tribal men disliked beards and preferred long moustaches and long hair instead. A young man was not allowed to shave until he had killed his first enemy.
This belief was held by the Germanic tribes in particular. If you presented yourself in society as clean-shaven, it meant you’d successfully become a murderer. How jolly. However, the Lombards preferred very long beards instead of the clean shaven chins favoured by their neighbours, and were commonly referred to as the Longbeards. That didn’t mean they were any less murderous though.
Source: www.funtrivia.com
Image: Mike Klassen by Cara Robbins