Subject: hersir sea raider
Culture: Scandinavian / Norse
Setting: Viking Age, northern Europe 8th-10thc
Object: costume
Hat
* Konstam 2018 p41
"Hats varied from the fur-trimmed woolen cap like the fragmentary one found during the excavation of Birka, to the broad-brimmed felt hat worn, according to the sagas, by Odin. Woollen and felt hats of various shapes would have been commonplace, although no examples of them have survived. Even warriors would probably have worn a cap when appropriate, as the iron helmet was unable to match any hat for comfort and warmth. Detached hoods or cowls provided a variant in winter, especially if they extended to cover the shoulders, while in warmer weather tight-fitting small woollen caps might have offered some protection from the sun. A fur trim was probably an indication of wealth."
Hair
* Harrison/Embleton 1993 p
Viking men were vain about their appearance and bathed and changed their clothes regularly. They were almost invariably bearded (the beard being looked upon as proof of masculinity), some Vikings wearing their beards forked, or plaited. Hair might likewise be plaited, and was generally worn long enough at least to cover the neck, though it could be considerably longer -- that of Brodir of Man is supposed to have been so long that he tucked it into his belt in battle."
* Hubbard 2017 p61
"The idea that Viking men were interested in the way they looked is strengthened by the carvings on the wooden wagon from the Oseberg Ship burial. These show well-groomed warriors with combed hair and neatly plaited moustaches and beards. Fashionable Viking men seemed to have worn their hair long, with a fringe at the front and short, or shaved, at the back. Beards were worn long or short, but were kept neatly clipped and the hair shaved at the lower neck."
Tunic
* Sanmark/Sundman 2008 p92
"Rika män bar byxor av olika snit, allt från vida puffbyxor till mer kroppsnära modeler. På Overkroppen bar de tunikor av linne eller ylle. Tunikorna kunde ha dekorerade kantband och bars med bälten med stiliga spännen. Som ytterplagg användes en tjock mantel som fästes med ett spänne."
* Konstam 2018 p38-39
"The Viking warrior's main item of clothing would be a woollen tunic, a garment whose appearance was largely unchanged throughout the Viking period. In fact, similar garments were also worn in Scandinavia for at least two centuries preceding the end of the 8th century. This was almost always knee length, with full skirts, gathered round the waist by a leather belt. It was fitted with sleeves that were normally long, and close-fitting, at least below the elbow, and reached as far as the wrist. These though, were probably not so tight as to prevent the sleeves being pushed back up the arm, as a few sagas mention Vikings doing just that before dipping their hands in water, or in the bloody chest of a fallen enemy.
"The neckline could be either circular or square-cut, sometimes with a slit at the front to make it easier to take on and off. If a placket or frontal seamed slit were present, it could by closed [SIC] by means of a garment hook, or a single bead, which was used as a button. Simpler tunics could be fitted with a hem and a drawstring at the neck, and secured that way. Beads, hooks and eyelets and drawstring toggles from tunics have been among the archaeological finds that have survived from the Viking age. Some shirts were decorated with strips of woven braid, sewn onto the seam of the placket, but also possibly around the neck line. In more elaborate tunics, another braided strip would be sewn at the bottom of the tunic, around the hem, or around the wrists. Sometimes the tunic would be embroidered.
"In some examples, what appears to be strips or wedges of material of different colour to the main tunic have been sewn into the skirt of the tunic, adding to its width, and increasing the visual contrast of the garment. Such examples are unusual, however: although they were encountered elsewhere in Europe or the Mediterranean during this period. A survey of contemporary depictions of Viking warriors suggests that patterns, stripes or other mulit-coloured forms of tunic were rare, and so a Viking raiding party or army would have presented a relatively sombre appearance, at least in terms of the colour of their clothing."
* Nurmann/Schulze/Verhülsdonk 1997 p64
"The basic garment for both men and women in the early Middle Ages was the tunic, a simple shirt-shape cut straight and with added sleeves. To give more width at the lower edge gussets might be incorporated, sometimes of a contrasting colour. ...
"The man's tunic reached the knee, and was worn over trousers. Trousers seem to have been cut in various shapes: full-length, straight and loose; tighter-fitting in the manner of later medieval hose; knee-length, with separate, cross-gartered leggings below; and -- for the relatively wealthy, given the amount of material needed -- in the baggy Rus style. These garments, made from woolen cloth and normally loose enough for easy movement, were often the only clothing a Viking owned apart from a simple woolen cloak, and a belt to which small possessions might be slung."
* Harrison/Embleton 1993 p45
"Representations of tunics from the first two centuries of the Viking Age show knee-length garments with full skirts gathered at the waist, usually by a belt. There is little change until the later part of the period. The neck of the tunic could be square or round, and was fastened by a drawstring, garment hook, or sometimes by a single bead used as a button. The sleeves were usually long, to the wrist or longer. From the elbow to the cuff the sleeve was close-fitting but not tight enough to prevent wrinkles appearing when pushed back up the fore-arm. A placket might be fitted around the neckhole or a length of tablet-woven braid. Similar decoration might be found applied to the hem and cuffs. Embroidery was an alternative to braid. Sections of materal of a contrasting colour could be inset to add width to the skirt of the tunic."
* Heath/McBride 1985 p50
"Tunics often had hems and panels of tablet-woven cloth, patterned in coloured silk and metal thread."
Footwear
* Konstam 2018 p40
"The most commonly encountered form of Viking shoe was a slip-on type, made from leather or hide. Goat, reindeer or seal hide may have been particularly popular due to their strength and suppleness. These hide shoes, known as hriflingr, were normally of ankle length, and were fastened to the feet using rawhide laces wound around the ankle and secured in a knot or bow. The higher the status of the warrior, the better quality the shoe. Examples of hriflingr recovered from Viking-age York were well made, and so might have been worn by veteran warriors such as men of the hird. Sometimes longer boots were worn, and were usually made from leather."
* Harrison/Embleton 1993 p32
"Shoes and boots were constructed of leather or hide usually obtained from cattle but sometimes from seals or reindeer. The ancient name for a hide shoe was Hriflingr. The hersir might be expected to wear more elegant footwear of dressed skin like those found in Hungate and Coppergate in York. Boots and shoes were made in a variety of styles. They could be cut from a single piece of leather or made up from two sections stitched along a vamp -- a seam running along the upper towards the toe of the shoe. Soles were usually made from separate pieces of leather."
