Viking Clothes and Jewellery

In my last few blog posts, I’ve written about why the Vikings came to Norfolk, their mythology and housing, but what would Vikings have worn? Is there any truth to the illustrations that have depicted them in the past?

Most Viking clothes were made of wool, leather, animal skins or linen. Silk was an expensive import and used sparingly in embroidery as a sign of social status.

What colours would they have worn, though? Archaeological evidence at an abandoned trading post in Busdorf, Germany revealed walnut shells leftover from brown dye production.

Other natural dyes would have come from lichen, leaves and stinging nettles to create purples, yellows and greens. For a vibrant red, the Vikings would have travelled overseas on trading expeditions for the madder plant and its roots.

The lands of Norway and Denmark were cold, wet and dark, especially during the Polar Nights, so a cloak was a must in any Viking's wardrobe. These could be plain and made using the earlier mentioned materials, with fancier ones including a ring of fur or silk detailing. They would have been thrown over the shoulder, with a brooch pinning it in place.

(Considering the Vikings came to England in search of land with better weather conditions for farming, I don’t think they were best pleased Norfolk was just as damp!)

Shoes were soft leather with lace, toggle or strap fastenings. They were made using the turnshoe method, which meant the shoe’s sole was stitched to animal hide turned inside out and then put right once it was finished. There’s a really cool video on Youtube showing a stop-motion animation of someone making turnshoes at: Scandinavian Turnshoe Animations - YouTube

Women

The first piece of clothing a Viking woman would pull on was her shift, followed by a dress and overdress. The length of the overdress was from the armpits to mid-calf, with shoulder brooches and straps to keep it in place. Coloured beads made of glass were twined around these brooches to hang tools, such as knives or scissors. Married women would have covered their hair with a cap or veil.

🏶🏵 Grimulf removed the necklace. There had been no original plan. He had taken it before burying the rest of the hoard because of its beauty. He had known he would have himself a wife by the end of this year, and this would be his gift to her.

This woman might be his wife, yet she remained a stranger. Nevertheless, he wanted to see her wear this. It was the first thing the emperor had ever gifted him for his service.

He trailed the thin chain of coloured beads around her throat. Rosa started, trying to turn her head to see what this was.

“Be still,” he commanded, but would not let her see what he was doing. He had trusted her with a blade to his throat, it was time for her to trust him.

There were pearls strung upon the chain as well, a tiny knot between each one, and in the centre dangled a key. It slithered along her throat as he pulled the clasp to, dancing between the hollow of her breasts. She glanced down.

“What is this?”

“The key to our house,” he told her. “You are my wife. The queen of my household. In all matters of the home, I shall bow to you. This is proof to all of your standing.”

Her fingers gently caressed the object, understanding the honour he gifted her. Heat burned beneath his collar.

“Is this to be another one of your bedtime stories?” she asked, tone disgruntled.

“Would you rather lie in silence?”

“What I want,” she told him, twisting herself until she faced him, “is my husband to hold me.” 🏵🏶

(Kitty-Lydia Dye. The Bride Who Rode in With the Storm)

Men

Just as women needed to wear a shift to stop sweat from staining their outer clothing, Viking men wore an undershirt. Next was a kirtle, a collarless tunic which reached about mid-thigh alongside a belt to finish off the look.

Trousers at the time would have included the plus-fours style, which would need stockings as they ended at the knees. Straps around the waist or upper legs kept the trousers from sagging. 

In Bride, I pictured Grimulf wearing a pair of plus-fours, with leather wrappings for his lower legs.

Men's cloaks were worn with the right side of their shoulder uncovered to keep the sword arm free.

Armour

The image of a Viking warrior charging about wearing a horned helmet actually comes from the 19^th century, when Scandinavian artists painted what they believed their ancestors looked like. The misconception then became immortalised by the costumes in Wagner’s opera The Ring of the Nibelung. A real Viking hat would have either been a leather cap, embroidered headband or a not so pointy helmet with eyes and nose guard.

Other armour included chainmail shirts, lamellar or shirts and trousers made of tough leather. Vikings used round shields made of wood, with metal shield bosses in the centre and leather around the edges.

Jewellery

Vikings loved their jewellery, preferring arm and neck rings (torcs) most of all. The most common metals were silver and gold, but sometimes even bones were used – although it was animal bone rather than human!

Some pieces that have been unearthed in Norfolk include: tortoise brooches found at Breckland in King’s Lynn, a silver pendent at Great Witchingham, and a large amount of amulets based on Thor’s Hammer with the majority now displayed at Norwich Castle Museum.

Their jewellery was emblazoned with both Pagan and Christian symbols. Thor's hammer was a popular symbol for men and women, as it symbolised protection and promoted fertility. Carvings of animals also appeared in their jewellery, normally to honour a specific God or Goddess, such as wolves and ravens to represent Odin.

Before 995, Vikings preferred to barter gold, silver or any other items of value rather than rely on a currency system. Any coin they stole while raiding was melted or traded depending on the weight of the metal. Jewellery was often exchanged or even cut up, known as hack silver. A noblewoman could easily run off with the household's wealth on her arms and neck.

In mythology, there was one piece of jewellery which was incredibly famous: Freyja's Brísingamen. While several translations have been offered for its name, most refer to it as the ‘gleaming’ or ‘sunny’ torc.

Lured by dreams of gold, the Goddess comes upon a group of dwarves working upon a dazzling necklace. Desperate to posses it, she demands their price and agrees to spend one night with each of them.

However, Odin hears of this and, in a fit of rage, bids Loki to steal the necklace. Freyja is only able to reclaim it once she promises to sow discord amongst human men and it is the reason why the Goddess represents both love and war.

Brísingamen features in several of the Edda poems – as a way for Thor to disguise himself as Freyja in the pretend-marriage to a jötunn in Þrymskviða while in Húsdrápa it is a source of conflict when Loki steals the necklace away and Heimdall must reclaim it in a flipper-fight upon the pair transforming into seals. Brísingamen is also mentioned in Beowulf and Flateyjarbók.

Next time I’ll be focusing on hair, make-up and hygiene, something which features a fair bit in the opening chapters of The Bride Who Rode in With the Storm (Satin Romance).