Fun Fact 2: Viking male clothing would generally consist of; woollen trousers and a shirt made of linen, a tunic would be worn over the shirt. The tunic usually had a band of patterned fabric around the cuffs, hem and neckline, they were tied around the middle with a belt, on which they could secure personal processions. Men usually wore hats made of wool or leather
Fun Fact 3: Viking female clothing would generally consist of; a simple, long, plain dress made of wool or linen. The dress was partly covered by a long tunic which fastened with two brooches. Her head would be covered by a headscarf or hat usually made of linen
Fun Fact 4: Both men and women wore cloaks which were lined with feather or fur in the colder months; they were fastened with a cloak pin or brooch
Fun Fact 5: Vikings liked to wear lots of jewelry, tunic brooches were made of bronze, sometimes the ladies tunic brooches had beads between them or the brooches were attached to chains which held personal items like a comb, keys or scissors
Fun Fact 6: Viking Jewelry was often intricately made and ornately decorated. Rings of copper, gold or silver were worn on the fingers, arms and around the neck by both men and women
Fun Fact 7: Viking footwear was made from soft leather; goat skin shoes were very common. Shoes and boots were flat and tied on with strips of leather or fastened with a buckle made of bone or antler. In the colder months the shoes of the wealthy would be lined with fur, poorer folk wore woollen socks
Fun Fact 8: Clothing and accessories were a symbol of wealth; expensive clothing would include brightly coloured items made from fine quality cloth such as silks from China, sometimes items were embellished with gold and silver threads
Fun Fact 9: Viking clothing was fastened by brooches, buckles and belts. Wealth and status were reflected in the clothes and fastenings, wealthier families wore high quality, ornately detailed items
Fun Fact 10: The Vikings took pride in their appearance, they even ironed their clothes! They used large smooth stones or glass which they heated to flatten the fabric over whalebone
Fun Fact 11: Viking traders saw how others dressed which changed how they dressed themselves; trousers for example became much baggier after traders had seen the Asian styles of clothing
Fun Fact 12: The protective clothing of a Viking warrior depended on status and wealth; richer warriors had tunics made of iron rings or chain-mail, the poorer warriors had padded leather jackets
Fun Fact 13: Warrior helmets were made of leather or metal, some Viking helmets were round, some slightly pointed and some helmets had eye guards and nose pieces
Fun Fact 14: In our Culture we often see Viking helmets depicted with wings, these did not exist in the Viking period. Helmets with horns did exist; only for religious ceremonies and not for warfare as sometimes portrayed
Fun Fact 15: Only one complete Viking age Helmet has ever been found! It was found on a farm in Ringerike, Norway. Experts suggest that helmets were passed on through family generations, then re-used or re-cycled and turned into swords; this is why complete helmets are particularly rare to find |
