Viking Clothing

Our knowledge of Viking clothing is fragmentary, as is the case for many aspects of the culture of this century. The Viking people left few images and few written descriptions of their clothing. Archaeological evidence is limited and scant. Thus, different scholars who examine the evidence come to different conclusions. What is presented in this article represents only a portion.

Vikings tradition : Let’s talk about it !

Did you know that in the Viking era, clothing was not only of utilitarian value. Many were also dressed with the intention of showing their social status and pleasing the other sex.

This is nothing new, people have dressed for thousands of years in the best clothes they could afford. This was of course also true in Viking society, where they wore the finest clothes, of the highest quality for which they could afford to spend a lot of money.

Most of our knowledge about Viking-era clothing and textiles comes from archaeological finds, while some comes from literary sources and written law. Most Viking-era fabric finds come from graves. As one might expect, fabric does not survive very well when buried.

Preservation of large quantities of fabric is quite rare and requires unusual soil conditions. Traces of textiles are sometimes found on the underside of jewelry, as corrosion products from the fabric in contact with the jewelry in the grave etch them. From these spectral images, the weave and thread count can be determined.

Clothing was a sign of hospitality. Any family that could afford a change of clothing certainly kept warm, dry clothes available for travelers. In the cold, wet regions of the north, the arriving traveler needed no more than a set of dry clothes.

The clothing of the Viking era seems to have been utilitarian, comfortable and practical. They were especially warm, but were adaptable to varying temperatures.

How did the Vikings personalize their clothing style?

Wool and linen were the two main materials used to make clothing. Wool was an ideal fabric for the Scandinavian climate because of its durability and warmth even when wet. Sheep were mostly white in the Viking era, so white was the color of most wool.
The Norse generally wore layered clothing, which was another appropriate adaptation to their climate. Linen was certainly the preferred fabric for undergarments. Silk was an expensive, imported luxury that only the rich could afford.

The first step in making wool clothing was the shearing of sheep. This was usually done by the traditional method of pulling the wool from the sheep by hand. The practice of using scissors was not widespread. Then the wool was cleaned, sorted and combed until it took the shape of the long fibers that give the yarn its present appearance.

It was then placed on a distaff – a wooden stick held in the left hand – and spun with a spindle until it became a spool of yarn. Finally, it was woven into garments, usually on a vertical loom with weights that held the fabric straight as it was worked.

Once the garment was woven, it was dyed in whatever colors the available plants could provide. This was all done by hand. The process was somewhat different for other types of fibers, but also required a tremendous amount of time and energy to make, for example, a shirt or a pair of pants.


The media has shown us that the Vikings wore dark clothing. However, archaeologists have discovered that the Vikings preferred to wear bright colors like blue or red. However, not everyone could afford clothes in these colors. Not only was it expensive, but it also took a lot of effort to make it.
The Vikings were lovers of design, jewelry and ornaments, but also of functional design. Most Vikings wore bracelets, brooches and other metal items. Clothes were often decorated with embroidery and braiding, this kind of detail was often added to the edges of clothing and appeared not only in clothing designs but in all aspects of the Viking world.

How Viking style influences our culture

The Viking people liked to have designs on clothing, and we have some pieces with designs from the Viking era. But many of the designs that are made on reconstructed Viking clothing today are inspired by Viking art, such as on weapons, jewelry, carving stones and other sources, which are not necessarily clothing.

Today, some companies that make high quality clothing and costumes are inspired by the Viking era. They are seduced by the embroidery work, the beautiful jewelry and the colors. The effect here is a feeling of strength and power every time these clothes are worn.

People get that powerful feeling of wearing a Viking garment and at the same time they are more into history. It’s all about quality in every aspect. Good linen and wool fabrics, the clothes are durable.

Through this style of clothing, people remember the treasures they made over a thousand years ago. We can see the Vikings as craftsmen and not only as warriors.

Nowadays, we want to live in harmony with nature, and the only way to achieve this is to use natural fabrics with no or very low impact on the environment. That’s why the Viking style is becoming more and more popular.

How to showcase your Viking Style?

When we think of Vikings, most of us think more of weapons than jewelry. Scandinavian burial mounds and Viking hordes from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom and Ireland have revealed many examples of Viking men’s jewelry, as well as the pride and care the Vikings took in their own style of adornment.

Like Celtic jewelry, Viking jewelry was thick and durable to withstand the rigors of battle and the battlefield, as many Vikings were farmers. Worn by both men (Viking jewelry for men) and women, Viking jewelry was designed to reflect the status of the wearer, as well as the history, allegiance and beliefs of their household. Some pieces were also considered to have protective or magical powers.

For Viking warriors, the metal of choice for bracelets and necklaces was silver, but they also wore gold pieces, often adorned with precious stones. The poorest made bracelets and other jewelry from bronze, iron, tin and animal bones. Brooches, bracelets and necklaces were all popular, but rings and earrings were relatively rare, probably because they were much less durable.

Necklaces, bracelets, and amulets usually featured abstract designs and geometric shapes, as well as images of nature. The twisted shape of snakes was particularly common on Scandinavian jewelry, and the Vikings also borrowed ideas and designs from the regions they encountered on their raids, and incorporated them into their unique Scandinavian style.

Another common theme in Viking jewelry was Norse mythology. Many necklaces and bracelets featured images of the wolf, which was a symbol of war in Viking mythology. Thor’s hammer, was also a common theme and represented the power of the god over the natural forces of thunder and lightning.

Modern replica Scandinavian jewelry for men and women has become very popular around the world as symbols of strength, power and connection to ancient ways.