Location: Haithabu, Current-Day Germany Date: Approx. 10th Century Culture: Late Viking Age Danish Estimated Social Class: Varies on fragment Garment Type: Wool Leg Wrap We know from both literary, as well as artistic, sources from the Roman age well into the Medieval period that leg wraps seem to have been used in some form or another, particularly with men’s fashion, to protect the legs and trousers. These wraps appear to have originated as single, wide pieces that took up the entirety of the lower leg in early Germanic fashion, however, as time progressed, most contemporary sources show long, narrow, winding wraps that start at the knee and terminate somewhere around the ankle or foot. The exact use of these wraps seems to have been multi-faceted, from a simple fashion statement, to a very practical use to keep one’s lower legs warm during winter months, or protect the legs and trousers from brush or general wear when undertaking manual labor tasks, or even preventing wear to one’s trouser legs when on horseback, as some sources have suggested as the most likely origin of these wraps in particular. Despite the wide array of uses, these wraps appear to have stayed rather consistent in design for the better part of their lifespan, usually appearing to be somewhere in the range of 7.5cm to 10cm wide, and judging from the locations on the legs in most artwork, long enough to cover the entirety of the lower leg, from knee to ankle, depending on the wearer’s height and measurements. In this article, we will focus specifically on the fragments of these wraps, known as Wickelbander, Puttees, or Winingas, the latter believed to have been the original Old Norse and/or Anglo-Saxon terminology for said accessories, from Haithabu. We will look at the original extant remains from the harbor, our own reproductions, and how the two compare and add up, as well as the practical and archaeological significance of the pieces. The Original Fragments To date, five main fragments have been recovered from the Viking Age settlement of Haithabu (also known as Hedeby) that are believed to be those of leg wrappings. As Inga Hägg notes in “Textilfunde aus dem Hafen von Haithabu”, these five fragments are surprisingly consistent in their makeup, further corroborating our theory as to the consistency of this style, as well as its prevalence in Viking Age and Early Medieval society. These fragments, labeled as 28 Ab, 29, 43, 49 B, and 55C, will be examined here. Starting with the oddest of these fragments, 28 Ab, Hägg notes that this band was composed of two pieces of different weave and color, which appear to have been sewn together to make a single band, as well as bearing hems on the sides. Both of these features go against most other evidence of leg wraps of this type, as most appear to have been woven to size (as opposed to hemmed), and they also usually appear as a single piece, rather that multiple sewn together. This feature leads most experts to believe this particular example was likely on its last leg of use, and had been mended and repaired using cloth from another garment. The fact that most of these examples are of a woven herringbone weave, yet piece B of the fragment is made from a dark, 2/2 woven twill, seems to lend credence that this is likely a potential end piece that has been added toward the end of the wrap’s life in order to preserve it after the end had become worn and/or damaged. The second fragment, 29, also appears to have been cut and hemmed to size, rather than woven to the actual size the wrap was intended to be. It is made from a middle-fine plain weave wool and the fragment measures approximately 23cm long and 7.5cm wide. Fragment 43 is by far the largest of the pieces, measuring in at around 102cm long and 7.5cm wide, it is made from a middle-fine 2/2 twill wool, and has also been woven to size, rather than cut and hemmed like the latter two examples. Fragment 49 b has been woven from a very fine herringbone twill wool and has also been woven to proper size, however there are also very fine reinforcements along the edge of the fragment, as well. Whether these were purely practical, or meant to be somewhat ornamental in some way is unknown to us, as the fragment and the reinforcement all appears to be near the same color, and Hägg never mentions in her work whether there was originally any shade differences noted between the two textile colors. The final fragment, 55 c, is also woven from herringbone twill wool, however, this fragment’s quality appears to be slightly coarser than that of the latter, fragment 49 b, meaning this particular wrap was likely from a slightly less-wealthy (or at least less-determined or crafty) individual. The band, like the previous three, has also been woven to size, and does not bear any signs of having been cut and sewn into shape. Hägg notes in “Textilfunde aus Haithabu” that it appears there are two distinct styles at work here: narrow bands measuring about 7.5cm in width that are woven from either plain or 2/2 twill weave, and wider, approximately 8.5cm bands from herringbone twill. At this time, no analysis has been done to these pieces to determine what was used to dye them, if anything, so we are unsure as to the exact color any of these fragments would have been originally. The Reconstruction For our reconstruction, we opted to go with the finer wide herringbone wraps. The wraps are produced from a finely-woven herringbone wool, and were like the original fragments they were based on, woven to shape, rather than cut and hemmed from separate fabric. Since no analysis has been done on these Winingas fragments to define the dyestuffs used in their coloring, we opted to have these dyed using onion skins – something that would have likely been quite common in the better part of Europe and Scandinavia at the time – and one that produces a rather nice hue of yellow with relative ease. They yellow provides a nice color to the wraps, and the overall outfit, yet is not produced using a dyestuff that would have been out of the reach of even the most common of the population of Haithabu during the latter years of the 10th Century. The wraps measure about 8.5cm wide, and are about ten feet long, which is made to accommodate them being wrapped from the knee to the foot. Since none of the fragments are complete, we have no information on how long they exactly were. Most artwork from other parts of Europe during the time denote the wraps as starting just below the knee and extending down toward the ankle, usually disappearing inside the shoes, as opposed to being wrapped around the tops of the shoes, as was done in later centuries. This leaves us with two methods of wearing the wraps: with hooks, or wrapped in a descending manner without the use of hooks. The first method, akin to 20th Century military puttees, sees the wraps starting down around the ankle and being wrapped upward to just below the knee. These are then theorized as having been fastened to themselves using metal hooks, such as those recovered in regions of Sweden, Britain, and others, which is a likely method, however, the low numbers of these hooks recovered in some regions, as well as a complete lack in Haithabu itself, conflicts with the evident widespread use of these wraps, meaning an alternative method was also likely used. The second theorized method is using no hooks, ties, or fasteners, and simply using the tightness and coarseness of the wool itself to hold the wraps up. Rather than starting at the ankles, and winding upwards, one starts just below the knee and winds down, reaching as far along the foot as possible, to the toes if the length of the wrap allows. This means the tightness of the wraps, paired with the coarseness of the wool itself, and the fact that it is wrapped and terminates underneath the foot, will hold the bands in place with little to no give, even with very strenuous activities, such as long-range trekking, manual labor, or even combat, are taking place. It should, however, be noted that modern medicine practices argue against the wearing of wraps in a downward-facing manner, as this can potentially lead to health problems later in life. While this may be a candidate for authentically wearing one's wraps, prolonged wear should be relegated to the above fashion using hooks, and this method really should only be used for certain short-term historical contexts! In Conclusion
In conclusion, it appears these wraps hit their climax during the Norman conquests of the 11th Century, and are featured heavily on works such as the Bayeux Tapestry, however, they seem to have had a sharp decline in use almost immediately afterward. While there are occasional artistic sources that may show a garment that resembles these wraps, it appears that they were almost entirely eliminated from men’s wardrobes by the beginning of the 12th Century and were rarely paired with the separate-leg hose that would become commonplace for the next several centuries. Photo & Information Sources
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