Preparing for the trip back home to Haithabu before more bad weather sets in.
Near Current-Day Damp, Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Thinking of untold riches across the narrow sea...
Near Current-Day Damp, Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Location: Andøya, Norway Date: Approx. Late 10th Century or early 11th Century Culture: Late Viking Age Norwegian Estimated Social Class: Middle-to-lower Class Garment Type: Hood In 1936, a body was recovered on the Norwegian island of Andøya. Initially thought to have been a member of the Sami People, the body was given a "proper burial" before then being exhumed yet again and sent for study. In the 50+ years that followed, the body was debated as having been anywhere from only a little over 100 years old, to that of nearly 1000, and the gender and culture was still up in the air. In the 1980's carbon dating of the textiles in the body seem to determine it was at least Medieval, with further, more recent, dating putting it in the latter part of the Viking Age, or late 11th Century to be more specific. Where gender and culture are concerned, we still do not know, however, DNA tests done on the bones indicate the body lacks typical Sami genetic markers, though it has been stated the advanced deterioration of the DNA may have affected this result. A similar argument can be said for using DNA to determine whether the body was male or female. The size does not help, either, as the skeleton's remaining pieces seem to put the body directly in between male and female measurements for the time, however, it has been noted that, whatever the gender, the person did not seem to suffer the ills of hard labor (a rarity for the time), and had shoulder-length hair. In this article, we will discuss the hood recovered from this unique and interesting find. According to Dan Halvard Løvlid's master thesis, titled "Nye tanker om Skjoldehamnfunnet", or "New Thoughts On the Skjoldehamn Find", the hood is made from a 2/2 wool twill, with a slight "diagonal stripe" pattern, caused by the warp and weft being different shades of brown. The hood's quality is seen as somewhat substandard by today's sewing methods - something we will discuss later, and was likely made with some degree of leftover and scrap material. Initially thought to have been made with four pieces (two rectangular pieces for the body, two square gussets for the front and back), Løvlid was able to assess it was actually made only from three, with the body being a singular piece that had been cut up the middle, with an approximately 2.5cm piece left at the top still connected, as well as an approximately 1cm piece left untouched between the top of the front gusset and the head-hole. The hood was then sewn up the back and top and the gussets added for fullness. . Starting at the top, the hood was sewn using four separate ways of attaching, which may at seem a bit excessive, even by today's standards. The first method of affixing the hood's seam was a simple whipstitch on the inside. This was likely done with the hood inside-out where the two raw edges were pulled and whip-stitched together. The hood was then turned right side-out and the remaining three rows were added. These run from near the top of the head-hole to the back seam, with the bottom and final row curving ever to slightly to somewhat match the curvature of the wearer's head. These all coupled together would add a degree of stiffness to the top of the hood's seam and create a distinctive "cock's comb" appearance. The head hole of the hood appears to have been roll-hemmed under (turning the edge under itself twice so the raw edge is encapsulated inside and thus not visible) and whip-stitched. Initially observed to be a sort of rudimentary decorative embroidery stitch, the hem appears to have been sewn using both red and yellow wool yarn. This is, however, been somewhat refuted in Løvlid's assessment, as he noted the stitches visible on the outside are irregular, and little effort was made to make the highly-visible on the outside, with only some showing through and others being nearly invisible. The red yarn hems the opening up the entire right side before terminating about halfway down the left where it is then replaced with yellow. It is here that Løvlid believes this was done out of necessity and the use of remaining materials, rather than any sort of conscious decision for decoration. He also notes that the knots terminating both the red and yellow yarns are visible upon inspection, as seen below. At the back of the hood, the top whip-stitched seam seems to have extended over the edge a few centimeters before terminating and meeting with the rear seam. This rear seam, also believed to have been a possible form of primitive decorative embroidery, was sewn using the same yellow yarn as part of the face opening. It meets with the top whip-stitch seam and runs for the better part of the back seam before ending about 3.7cm above the back gusset and being replaced with brown thread. One feature of this seam that is both unique, and an example of what we would see as "substandard" is the fact that this yellow seam begins on the outside of the hood, rather than the inside, with the knot being clearly visible on the outside left. The stitches themselves were noted by Løvlid as being a "small oblique basting stitch" where they enter and exit at offset angles, making them appear they are angled downward and out as the seam goes on. The front and back of the hood are affixed with two square gussets. These open up the respective areas and create not only coverage of the upper torso and shoulders, but also a fullness so the hood can be donned and worn comfortably. These are both square in nature, and extend nearly to the waist. It was noted by Løvlid that the rear gusset appears to extend further down in the back than the one in the front, however we are unsure if this was intentional or simply a warp to the garment itself over time, as when made with the correct measurements and worn, the two pieces seem to sit nearly parallel to one another on a person. These two gussets are affixed to the main body via whip-stitches. Yet another example of material conservation, these stitches seem to not only bind the seams themselves together, but also the seam allowances, which are turned under and the entirety of the seams held together with the same line of thread, as opposed to most modern seams (and even other seams from other garments at the time), where the seam itself is sewn, then the allowances are sewn separately. The bottom of the hood is then whip-stitched to prevent fraying and unraveling, however, Løvlid notes that no effort appears to have been made to turn under these edges, and rather, they were simply whip-stitched in their raw form. Lastly, and perhaps one of the most notable features of this hood, are the ties. Since the original hood was rather damaged, only one tie remains in its entirety for study. These ties, affixed to the outside just behind where the ear would sit inside the hood, and are comprised of an olive and red round braid with an olive fringe at the end. The use of such ties has been debated, with the initial theory being that they were to tie around the opening and close the hood around the face to prevent wind and snow from entering, however, test with reproductions have shown the opposite may have been the case. Due to the hood's nature of construction, it is prone to close up around the face anyway, so something was needed to open it up and expand one's peripheral vision. These ties, when tied around the back of the head, seem to do just that, and not only help with vision, but the overall comfort of the hood in general. Below is the reproduced hood in its entirety when not worn around the head. Photo & Information Sources
Using the heavy wool cloak to block out the cold Winter chill.
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Taking advantage of the coming spring weather to make a trip out to the coast. This would be beneficial to gather fish and shellfish to replenish stocks of food.
Near Current-Day Damp, Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Viking Age clothing had to be made to counter any type of weather, be it a warm summer day or the dead of winter. Items like cloaks would have been an invaluable asset during the colder months, especially, since they were quite effective at blocking even some of the harshest winds.
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet." - General James "Mad Dog" Mattis
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Taking advantage of a decently nice day, this Dane is using this time to work outside and get some fresh air while making the final adjustments to his new spear. Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Winters during the Viking Age were long and harsh. People rarely ventured far from their homes unless they were searching for wood for the fire, or in a last resort, food. This is yet another fact of life for historic people that we in today’s world overlook. In an age of fleece and extreme cold weather gear we can go about our daily tasks in even the coldest weather as if it were the dead of Summer, however, the reality for people for thousands of years before was far different. Even those growing up in rural areas during the early 1900’s will tell of hard winter living, and the Viking Age was no exception. Winters in Northern Europe and Scandinavia are harsh to begin with, then when one takes into account the clothing and equipment available to the average person at the time, one can easily see just how hard life would have been during these winter months.
As a result of this, a good percentage of the time in one’s daily life was spent doing little more than staying around the fire in an attempt to stay warm. It has been assumed from various archaeological finds that houses built during the Viking Age in Scandinavia were quite well-insulated, allowing for more freedom of movement throughout the home during cold months, however, this still did not alleviate the lack of outdoor travel in harsh weather. Because of this we have come to the conclusion that many household goods would have been repaired, new clothing and equipment produced for the following spring, and in our Dane’s case, new weaponry. Since there was little else that could be done, indoor maintenance would have been essential to not only have enough necessities for the following year, but to also curb the boredom associated with months of being cooped up indoors (I.E. “cabin fever,” as we call it today). During this time, our Dane has been inside for a couple of months now with only brief excursions outside to gather additional firewood and other items that might be deemed useful. Aside from leaving to replenish stocks of firewood, he has been staying occupied with repairing things inside his home such as shoring up walls, replacing wooden pins holding household goods together, and fixing the roof, among other things. One task in particular is adding a new weapon to the household's arsenal: A spear. Using some left over funds from this autumn’s crop harvest he has purchased himself a spearhead from the local blacksmith and has set to producing a shaft for it. Taking advantage of a decently nice day, he is using this time to work outside and get some fresh air while making the final adjustments to his new weapon. While most modern conceptions of Viking Age warriors show them carrying axes and swords, the spear was quite possibly the most commonly used “purpose-built” weapon of the period. While axes were most certainly extremely common, if for no other reason than the fact that they were an everyday utility item, spears served only two purposes: hunting and combat. This particular spear has a medium-sized forged iron head, ideal for both hunting food as well as fighting enemies. The shaft is made from oak and was cut, shaved down, and allowed to “season” for a considerable amount of time, with the head then being affixed. The shaft was trimmed down to fit the head, which was riveted in place onto the shaft with a small iron rivet. It was also sealed with pine pitch for extra stability and lastly reinforced with a grass rope wrapping. These measures will keep the spear sturdy and keep the head from flying off in combat or while hunting. The shaft is left undecorated as we have little to no archaeological proof that they were decorated at this time. Resting out of the cold wind next to one of the few trees with leaves left on it. Unlike today where we have modern garments made from synthetic materials that can almost completely withstand the cold for hours on end, Viking Age peoples most likely lacked these, with only wool and linen as primary clothing textiles. This means that, while warm to an extent, frequent breaks would have to be taken to warm up out of the cold and wind when working for any length of time outside.
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. |
AboutThis part of the site will look at the various aspects of life on Viking Age Danish people. From what they ate, to how they may have fought. Archives
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