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. 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. 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. In what appears to be a complete break from the traditional sense of how Viking Age and earlier Scandinavian tunics were constructed, the Hedeby Type II tunic (identified by Inga Hägg in "Textilfunde Haithabu") is in stark contrast to the short, fitted tunics of previous years. Perhaps the most notable difference is the length, reaching near to the knees or even possibly beyond!
The new tunic style was originally noted by Hägg due to an assortment of fragments which appear to have originally belonged to a longer tunic with splits up middle lower half. This style is in line near perfectly not only with depictions on the Bayeux Tapestry, as well as the original Moselund Tunic. According to the latter two examples, the tunic also seems to have loosened a bit in fit, as well, and did not feature the overly-fitted chest and shoulder area as the Type I appears to have had. In addition to the split lower half, an interesting sleeve arrangement was also found in the old town. This sleeve bore a rounded arm base, as well as a strange sort of gusset inserted into the seam of a different weave and color. Originally thought to have been a repair, Hägg noted that the threads and wear appear consistent with the rest of the sleeve, indicating it was made at the same time and was, therefore, intentional. Another feature noted by Hägg was that of Fragment 93 A and B, which appears to have been fragments of a red wool tunic with yellowish decoration added, likely that of a neckline. Such decoration appears to be very consistent with depictions on the Bayeux Tapestry. Unfortunately, the split lower half area is about the only example of this specific style of tunic we have from Hedeby, so some degree of filling in the blanks is needed to fully reconstruct a reproduction. For the reconstruction, we opted to go primarily with that of the Moselund tunic, which dates to only slightly later than the fragments recovered from Hedeby. Little adaptation was needed on the Moselund tunic to make it appear close to the Hedeby tunic, and with the additions of the sleeve gusset and yellowish trim, the similarities to those tunics found on the Bayeux Tapestry are striking! On this reproduction, the primary body shape is that of the Moselund tunic, with a rectangular back and fitted front with rounded armholes and sloped shoulders. Such a combination of the front and back creates and interesting "caped" appearance in the tunic, and makes it very full and easy to work and move in. Because of the already rounded armholes, adding the rounded arm bases of the gussetted Hedeby sleeve was rather easy, as well. Finally, as with the original fragments, we went with a yellowish wool trim for the collar and lower hems, creating a tunic that nearly identically resembles some from the Bayeux Tapestry. All seams were sewn using running stitches and were treated with overcast stitches. Such a combination also falls in line with the fact that Danes were already influencing Norman fashions by the end of the Viking Age and the beginning of Norman proliferation in Europe and Britain, as many have previously speculated. Due to the "modern" style for the time, and sophisticated cut, as well as the fact it has been theorized this style of tunic originally came along to facilitate easier riding of horses, it is mostly likely this tunic would be most correct for very late Viking Age Danish interpretations, and for those of upper-class depictions. It is quite unlikely at this time that this style of tunic would have been accessible to lower-class members of Danish society. Below are the photos of the reproduction, as well as some of the original examples upon it was based. While many areas of Early Medieval Europe bear perhaps one good example of a style of tunic worn, Hedeby contains several. While all of these are fragmentary at best, each one has consistencies with other fragments (such as several being made from the same textile weave, dyed the same, sewn the same, etc.), which allows us to group them all together into three main tunic styles. Here we will look at the first of the three, the Type I.
This tunic has the most recovered features, and is therefore considered one of the more complete reproductions. It contains features gathered from fragments 9, 18, 40, 55A, 72C, and 73. It is made from plain (tabby) weave wool and has not been fulled, leaving the weave exposed. It has noted that several of the original fragments were "thin and gauzy", so a thinner wool is preferred here, as well. Few of these fragments were tested for dyestuff analysis, so color is debatable, however, remains of woad blue paint have been recovered from pots in Hedeby, so we opted for a woad blue dye here, as well. As far as the tunic's actual features go, it is quite complex for an Early Medieval tunic. First of all, the body is split into quarters, with two torso pieces, joined at the shoulders and under the arms, and two lower pieces, which are opened up via an arrangement of triangular gores (six in total) around the lower half. The upper and lower bodies are joined via a seam that runs across the waist. The neckline is also very wide and open, and the tunic has rounded, in-set armholes and sleeves. A sleeve has been recovered from Hedeby, however, it is from a different weave and didn't belong to this tunic in all likelihood, so we opted for a simple fitted sleeve with the seam running down the back. To add to the tunic's fitted nature, it also bears a pair of "princess seams" running down the back, from the shoulder seam to the waist seam. These aid in the fittedness of the tunic and create a more tailored look. Another unique feature is the presence of an odd slit in the bottom front half, in which it appears to have been opened and hemmed with an additional piece of wool of a different color sewn inside. Many are unsure what this actually means, but many have speculated that this was an early rudimentary pocket. All of the seams were sewn using a double running-stitch and then treated with folding them down twice and affixing them with an overcast stitch. The tunic has also been worn and aged to further add to the representation of it being a middle or lower-class garment. This tunic style would likely be correct for any lower to upper-class representation, depending on the color and quality of fabric used. Below are photos of the reproduction, as well as photos of the original fragments upon which it was based. In this guide, we will look at the basic "reenactor-level" details on various Viking Age items. This particular example will focus on the supposed pillbox hat fragment from Hedeby (Haithabu).
The reconstruction here is made from a brown 2/2 wool twill, and features a very basic design; it has an oval crown on top with a slightly curved band to form the lower body. While the almost complete pillbox hat of Carolingian origins - recovered from Leens, Netherlands - bears a seam down the middle of the crown, as well as decorative reinforcement stitching where the crown and band are sewn together, the Haithabu example seems to lack this, so we opted to omit it for this reproduction, as well. The seams are all sewn via a double running stitch and the allowances and lower hems are roll-hemmed down and whip-stitched into place. Due to the period of time this style of hat was worn (roughly from the Late Imperial Roman period to the Renaissance), this hat is correct for any period within the Viking Age, though should only be limited to Danish or Continental European representations until more evidence for their use in Britain or the rest of Scandinavia arises. Below are photos of the reproduction, as well as the original fragments upon which it is based. (On a personal note, I do take commissions for these, so any living historians [or just historical clothing buffs] who may want one, feel free to contact me via email or Facebook! Every piece is hand-sewn with the most accurate materials available, so you can ensure you are getting tip-top quality!) |
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