The reality of how Viking Age men looked - especially those found within the lower-class end of society - is far more mundane than the brightly-colored, seemingly fantastical, approach many living historians strive for today - nor was it the feces-covered, dread-headed "biker warrior" so often seen in popular media, neither.
The reality is that it was somewhere in between the two, in the grey area of history so often overlooked by modern minds looking to assign a name, a box, a modern equivalent to a culture and time so far removed from our own it might as well have been a culture from another planet. Near Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. To date, several wrap-style garment fragments have been recovered from the Viking Age settlement of Hedeby. These range from very thick, seemingly lined, garments attributed to being part of the famed Klappenrock, to simpler, and more utilitarian designs, often believed to be part of a sort of sleeveless jerkin or vest.
The purpose behind these garments is still unknown, though the two most common theories are as extra winter padding against the elements or as a sort of rudimentary arming garment to go underneath maille armor - or perhaps both. The fragments found that are part of the 'Lodenwams' (or "felted doublet" in rough English terms) were of a semi-fine fulled 2/2 wool twill, or 'Loden' as it is still used today. This type of fabric offers extremely good insulation from cold weather and is in use for winter clothing in Europe to this very day, though now in a more refined form. Of particular interest is the manner in which these pieces are cut, with what appears to be a seam going across the width of the chest from armpit to the outer hem, essentially splitting the front panel into two pieces. It also appears that, even though no sleeve is present now, there never were any sleeves, as the hemmed armhole is very wide and open, allowing another, sleeved, garment to be worn underneath without any binding or too much tightness. No fastenings have been recovered from these fragments, so it is likely, like their fancier Klappenrock cousin, these garments were simply pulled across itself at the chest - like a modern robe - and then belted into place. The reconstruction here is made from a 2/2 wool twill, though unfortunately not nearly as fulled as I would have liked. It is sewn using the same running stitches with overcast hems and treatments as the originals, and features the large armholes and horizontal chest seams, as well. The slits at the bottom, though not present on the Lodenwams fragments, are present on those from the Klappenrock, and though they do not seem like much, assist greatly in the wrapping method of wear on the garment and keep it from pulling in the arm and chest areas when worn. This garment would be correct for nearly any lower or middle-class 10th Century Danish representation. Whether upper-class examples are correct is still a matter of debate as it is likely an upper-class male would have simply worn a Klappenrock instead, and it has been speculated that these were a lower-class attempt to emulate the warrior elite's Klappenrock fashion in some form. Given all of the fragments, which have been attributed to separate garments of the same fashion, are undyed and left plain, it is very likely these were also seen as a utility garment and therefore would not have been seen to any large degree on upper-class, non-worker men. Below is the reproduction, as well as the fragments upon which it is based. Another day on the cold Danish Fall coastline.
Near Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Digging the hat out after removing the hood.
As with today, bags would have provided a beneficial piece of kit to anyone out of the house - especially in an age without built-in pockets on garments. Wooden bars recovered from settlements such as Hedeby have yielded a specific style of bag that was likely used, however, we have little evidence for what the bodies themselves of these bags looked like. Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. I've struggled for a while on how to make a basic kit guide on this highly speculative item, especially given the large amounts of disclosures and information detailing how conjectural the item is, however, for the sake of expediency, I will try to keep everything basic and brief!
To start, it should be noted that this hood is, for the most part, a conjectural item. True, it is based off an original fragment recovered from Hedeby, which was initially identified as being the rear portion of a hood, complete with the base of a liripipe "tail", the rear seam, and part of the gores to fit over the shoulders, however, recent years have seen this analysis questioned and the hood be debated as everything from part of a child's tunic to trousers. The reality is, we likely will never truly know what this fragment really belonged, to, and given the extreme lack of hood finds from the Viking Age, especially in Denmark, many have latched onto the fact that it may be a hood of sorts. This basic kit guide will analyze the fragment as if it were that of a hood, and what said reconstruction would look like. To start, the original fragment is a rather vague assortment of panels and seams, which as noted above, appear to contain the base of a "tailed" hood's liripipe, rear seam, and part of a gore and its seam. The fragments are made out of a semi-shaggy "Wadmal" wool in which extra fibers are woven in during the weaving process to create a sort of "hairy" appearance to the wool. This is another feature of the fragments which have led archaeologists to identify the fragments as belonging to a hood, as Wadmal appears to have been particularly favored as a winter garment textile and to date, no hood or trouser fragments made from it have been found, meaning it was likely a hood constructed from it for warmth. With this basic construction idea in mind, it is likely the hood's main body, consisted of one long rectangular panel which was folded in half so that it stood vertical and the fold created the top of the head. The liripipe, of which length is unknown to us, would then be affixed to the top rear. The liripipe is a particularly interesting feature as these are relatively unknown on hoods until the High Medieval Period, meaning if this hood did in fact bear one, it would be the first of its kind until the 14th Century! There are some stone works which do appear to depict men wearing hoods bearing tails, but this has also been read as men with long hair in braids, as well, so again, the presence of the liripipe, as well as its overall length, remains highly speculative. In addition to the tail being affixed to the back, an arrangement of gores looks to have also been added. Given the odd placement on the original fragment, it is likely a set of gores, rather than on large one or two, were used, the most expedient set-up being what is seen on the reproduction below. The front of the hood's construction is unknown to us, though it is likely it simply had a plain face opening and a smaller, less-elaborate gore in the front. These served the purpose of opening the lower hem of the hood up to make it fit around the shoulders, back and chest easier. The seams are sewn using a running stitch and then folded over and treated with overcast stitches. Given the relatively basic design of the hood, and possible ease in obtaining the proper textiles at the time, this style of hood was likely worn by all classes of Danish society (unless there were some social connotations with specific classes wearing hoods we are unaware of), however, this particular style would likely be a middle-to-lower-class hood, and appropriate for those portraying 10th Century Danish traders, farmers, lower-ranked Vikings, and citizens. Below is the reproduction, as well as the original fragment upon which it is based. The reality of the Early Medieval Period was, just as with modern military forces today, that every free man should know how to operate his weapon - in this case, a spear - in all climates. From burning hot summer weather, to bitterly cold winter.
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. The popular image of the shaggy, dirt-covered "Viking" seems to spark everyone's imagination, but is it accurate? In all likelihood, no, as evidence from the period, such as art and writing, seems to paint a picture of men who took great pride in their appearance and grooming procedures. Such standards usually included things such as a neat, trimmed goatee or beard, as well as clean, combed and washed hair.
While the grooming standards and techniques for Viking Age Scandinavians are still primitive by our modern standards, they were state-of-the-art for the period, and were marked as unique among the Northmen everywhere in Europe they went. Sometimes these were even seen as such an extreme it was mentioned in one Anglo-Saxon account that the men were jealous of the Northmen due to them stealing all the British women with their stunningly good looks when compared to the British men! Physical evidence of these standard has also been recovered, with an astonishing number of combs, tweezers, ear spoons, and other hygiene implements being recovered from Viking Age settlements and graves, both in male and female contexts, telling us that men put just as much emphasis on their own cleanliness and appearance as the women in the same society did. A more detailed article is in the works on this subject, however, hopefully this very basic run-down can shed a small degree of light on what an actual Viking Age male would have likely looked like! No evidence for dreads, mops on one's head, or long, unkempt, shaggy beards, but rather a neat and trimmed appearance with strong emphasis on clean, straight hair and a well-kept amount of facial hair! |
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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