A Review of What the Vikings Wore in the Past
Normally, we associate Vikings with dirt and a group of people who do not want to see bathing water anywhere close to them. The mode of dressing of the Vikings has been contributed to by various factors. However, you may wonder what the Vikings wear today, learn more. The dressing code of the Vikings has been explained in this article.
The mode of dressing of the Vikings is dictated by their classes. The community was made up of the Thralls, Karls and Jarls. The Thralls made up the lower class and it was mainly made up of slaves. The middle class consisted of the Karls, view here. Farmers and people who owned cattle are found in this group. Even though they had their own land, it was not enough to make them wealthy. The Jarl was made up of people who had large pieces of land and has jewellery.
The weather also controlled the mode of dressing of the Vikings. Today, it is said that Scandinavia can get very cold, and it is also recorded that it was colder before than today. Initially, the temperature was one percent lower than it is today. Since their land was very cold, they had to find the kind of clothes that would help them keep warm. This is the reason as to why wearing of layers was essential to them as it prevented them from falling sick.
Viking tunic was part of the clothes that the men wore. The Viking tunic was mainly used to cover the under tunic. The material that was used to make them was linen. However, since not all the classes could afford linen, the lower and the middle classes wore clothes that were made from wool. A pair of trousers was used to cover the underwear worn by men. For those who did not want to wear the trousers, their covered the underwear with leggings. Goat leather was the material that was used to make shoes. They used it mainly because it is waterproof, and since the Vikings were fond of sailing, it came in handy.
The women wore similarly to what we see our women wearing today, now. The underdresses that were worn by women were also made of linen. The entire body was covered by their dresses. This was done to ensure that the women are fully protected from the cold weather. Wool was used to make the shorter dress that was worn on top of the long one. A belt was also worn by both genders as shown in this website. Wool hats were worn on the head as shown here.