Taking a break from the kit guides on Danish items, we are going to travel to Norway to cover one of the most iconic pieces of Viking headwear - the Skjoldehamn hood. But is it even Viking at all? Lots of debate has surrounded the entirety of the Skjoldehamn finds, from what ethnic makeup the wearer was, to whether they were male or even female! Such uncertainties makes nailing down whether this piece of iconic cold weather clothing is even appropriate for Viking living history very difficult to say the least. At the current, it is widely used as an acceptable hood style for Viking Age reenactment, and it will likely remain as such for many years to come with the vacuum of hood finds we have from this period. But how was the hood constructed? Read more to find out!
First off, while many reproductions are available, and many of these are very fancy, it appears from studying the extant hood that it was a rather rudimentary design. The main body consists of a long rectangle that extends down either side of the face and neck. Initially thought to have been two separate pieces which were joined, later analyses determined it was actually one long piece which was slit about 99% of the way up the middle and then folded over, as a small bit of still intact fabric at the top of the head opening indicates. It was closed on top via three rows of uneven running stitches which stiffen the top, creating a bit of a "cock's comb" effect. The back is sewn up using yellow wool thread and is also quite uneven, even to the extent of leaving a knot on the outside of the garment - something which further adds to the notion that the majority of the hood was actually sewn right-side-out, rather than from the inside. The front face opening is hemmed using both yellow and red wool threads, and while initially thought to have been decorative, the sizes of the stitches show that this was in all likelihood a case of just using what was on-hand. The front and back gores are inserted and affixed to the main body via whip-stitches, and the entire lower hem is roughly whip-stitched together, as well. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the hood are the ties on the sides. These are made from round-braided green and red wool yarn and are braided directly into the sides of the hood. Studies have shown these are very functional at tying in the back to pull the hood away from the face and opening up the range of vision when the hood is not blocking high amounts of cold and wind. Now comes the issue of ethnic makeup; many have speculated by this point the hood is likely not Viking Age Norwegian in origin at all, but rather an indigenous group of proto-Saami. While it is somewhat likely the hood's style could have been adopted from Norwegians (or vice versa), as some points have been made that its overall style and function do not match other proto-Saami fashion choices - even many of the others found in the Skjoldehamn outfit itself - it is still up for debate whether it is a truly acceptable piece of Viking Age living history headgear. The gross lack of other hood finds (aside from the heavily speculated and debated Hedeby "hood" fragments) means that the Skjoldehamn style will likely remain in use for many years to come until another style has been put forth. If an exact reproduction, such as the one seen here, is to be used, it is very obviously for a lower or middle class representation, due to the hasty and shoddy construction of the hood, however, fancier and more solidly-constructed models would be used for more upper-class depictions, however, at the current, these should only be relegated to use by those representing late Viking Age Norwegians, and not earlier phases of the period, nor non-Norwegians (other than traders with supposed ties or areas such as Kaupang). Below is the reproduction, as well as details of the original upon which it is based. The final tunic in the Hedeby tunic saga is that of the Type III. Dubbed the Type III, this tunic overall resembles the Type I in many ways, such as cut and function, however, it obtained this nomenclature due to the fact it possesses features of both the I and the II. Though no existing fragments imply this specific tunic existed, it has been heavily theorized that it likely did as a sort of "transitional" design between the Type I and II, making it a bit of a conjectural item within the living history community.
Such transitional features include the use of the unique sleeves, slightly longer length, and most importantly, the use of 2/2 twill rather than plain tabby weave. This latter feature has been commonly used to classify the various tunic styles from Hedeby in the past, being used to determine what features should be combined to make what style of tunic - i.e. plain weave fragments are all classified into building the Type I, while 2/2 twills are used to build the Type II. With this taken into account, however, it has also been theorized that there were tunics present in the settlement which bore iconic features of both styles, and that it was virtually impossible to assume that all Type I's were made from plain weave and not other styles. With these knowledge, the Type III "franken-tunic" was born. For our reconstruction, we opted to go with a richly-dyed madder red 2/2 wool twill. This is intended to represent a finer garment and thus a finer weave was used than in the types I and II reproductions made, which are lower and middle-class representations respectively. The tunic bears the same rounded and in-set armholes as the Type I, however, the sleeves themselves are patterned off the II, with the mismatched "gussets" placed inside the sleeve's seam and a wrist slit added. The body also features the multi-panel design, separated by shoulder and a waist seams, yet it does not have the curved "princess seams" in the back. The head hole is also still wide and open, and the lower skirt is full and wide with the same gore arrangement as the first model of tunic. No trim was used on this particular tunic. Given the mismatched nature of the tunic itself, it can be assumed that a reproduction of this pattern would be correct for most 10th Century lower-to-upper class representations, dependent on the quality of textile and tailoring involved. Plainer, simpler tunics of this style can be adapted for lower-class looks, or may be made from finer weaves with applied decoration for upper class ones, making it a very versatile design for 10th Century Danish living history! Below is the reproduction, as well as a sampling of some of the fragments used in its creation. On the cutting edge of making history...
Fashion in Denmark during the late Viking Age was a transformative time for all those involved. During this time, men were still wearing the old-style trousers of their ancestors, but they were also adopting the separate-leg Hosen which would be come the norm for the rest of the Medieval Period. Tunics were still rather short and fitted, however, finds have shown that the long, flowing ones were also beginning to take hold. These transitions in fashion (and culture) created a truly unique visual that likely wasn't seen again in such stark detail until the fashions arose from post-Plague Europe in the later half of the 14th Century. 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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