No, vikings did indeed wear armor, even chainmail. It wasnt just some dude in a tunic 😛
Comprehensive-Fail41 on
Eh, the problem with this image is that, it’s both. It’s just that one, the left, is of a higher social class than the guy on the right (though it’s still a bit embellished).
IE norsemen were known to bleach (the process killed lice) and braid their hair and beards (and use perfume), and were quite stringent when it came to grooming.
And vikings came from almost all social classes. From Halfdan the 2nd son of a farmer who can’t find any other job and goes to battle with a basic spear, knife, shield, and a leather cap; to Runar the Jarls Huscarl, who goes into battle clad in heavy mail hauberk and steel helmet, wielding a sword and a mighty two-handed axe alongside his shield.
Even the wolf pelt is not entirely unhistorical. There are attestations to Ulfhednar, who were a variant of Berserkers clad in wolf pelts, but known for fighting in groups rather than specializing in lone champion combat
Zardozin on
What surprise fantasy movies greatly overestimate the amount of personal wealth the average person had.
On_Targ3t on
Right guy: Olaf Olafson, farmer from Vestfold, poor as shit, died from Tuberculosis at 37
Left guy: King Harald Ironside, ruler of southern Norway, rich from raiding Northumbria for 20 years, has a wife and 10 concubines, ancestor of half of Europe’s royal families
Both is accurate
San_Diego_Wildcat_67 on
Some people are rich, some people are poor.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I do not want a 2nd civil war in the US.
In the event of a 2nd civil war, not everyone is going to look the same. You’re going to have guys in jeans and a t-shirt with a Glock 9mm fighting alongside dudes decked out in plate carriers, Kevlar, NVGs, and with AR-15s with hundreds of dollars worth of attachments.
rifr9543 on
Viking axes were of different sizes, some were huge, even two-handed, but not all. The wealthiest vikings wielded one-handed swords.
Most vikings wore helmets, but most of them were weak and maybe just from leather with iron braces over the nose. Only the wealthiest had well-covering all-iron helmets
Most vikings wore some kind of leather armour, and the wealthiest even had chain mail
So while the left one may be exaggerated, the right one looks more like a norse farmer with a shield than a seafaring and raiding viking
Vexonte on
Its not the best comparison, but still leagues better than one that uselly gets passed around of the jolly Nordic trader.
GhostOfPastCokes on
AcTuAlLy vIKinGs wEre vEry RaCiaLly dIVerSe
SackclothSandy on
Well, they were certainly no strangers to love.
RaptorCelll on
As with most societies of the time, if you had the money, you bought armour. The average peasant certainly doesn’t have the money for chainmail armour with a wolf pelt but your local noble and certainly Kings would have that kind of money. It’s like comparing a Roman Emperor’s Regalia to the armour of a Legionnaire.
Also, something that bugs me. Vikings are seen either naked or looking like King Harald on the left. They very rarely are seen wearing chain like their European brethren, because why would a society built around war bother with protecting themselves.
Same thing goes with the Greeks.
CheGuevarasRolex on
where meme
FrostWyrm98 on
Dude on the right looks like your bro Sven who was having a smoke and heard you talking about raiding and shit and said “man that sounds fun can I come?”
Roadhouse699 on
I just believe whatever Mount and Blade: Viking Conquest tells me.
Sven Bull-Neck? Real historical figure. Morrigan? Also real. My player character, Gay Actor Christopher Walken? Helped Aelfred Aethelwulfing defeat the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok in 868 AD at the battle of Aescesdun. History would not have been the same without him.
13 Comments
No, vikings did indeed wear armor, even chainmail. It wasnt just some dude in a tunic 😛
Eh, the problem with this image is that, it’s both. It’s just that one, the left, is of a higher social class than the guy on the right (though it’s still a bit embellished).
IE norsemen were known to bleach (the process killed lice) and braid their hair and beards (and use perfume), and were quite stringent when it came to grooming.
And vikings came from almost all social classes. From Halfdan the 2nd son of a farmer who can’t find any other job and goes to battle with a basic spear, knife, shield, and a leather cap; to Runar the Jarls Huscarl, who goes into battle clad in heavy mail hauberk and steel helmet, wielding a sword and a mighty two-handed axe alongside his shield.
Even the wolf pelt is not entirely unhistorical. There are attestations to Ulfhednar, who were a variant of Berserkers clad in wolf pelts, but known for fighting in groups rather than specializing in lone champion combat
What surprise fantasy movies greatly overestimate the amount of personal wealth the average person had.
Right guy: Olaf Olafson, farmer from Vestfold, poor as shit, died from Tuberculosis at 37
Left guy: King Harald Ironside, ruler of southern Norway, rich from raiding Northumbria for 20 years, has a wife and 10 concubines, ancestor of half of Europe’s royal families
Both is accurate
Some people are rich, some people are poor.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I do not want a 2nd civil war in the US.
In the event of a 2nd civil war, not everyone is going to look the same. You’re going to have guys in jeans and a t-shirt with a Glock 9mm fighting alongside dudes decked out in plate carriers, Kevlar, NVGs, and with AR-15s with hundreds of dollars worth of attachments.
Viking axes were of different sizes, some were huge, even two-handed, but not all. The wealthiest vikings wielded one-handed swords.
Most vikings wore helmets, but most of them were weak and maybe just from leather with iron braces over the nose. Only the wealthiest had well-covering all-iron helmets
Most vikings wore some kind of leather armour, and the wealthiest even had chain mail
So while the left one may be exaggerated, the right one looks more like a norse farmer with a shield than a seafaring and raiding viking
Its not the best comparison, but still leagues better than one that uselly gets passed around of the jolly Nordic trader.
AcTuAlLy vIKinGs wEre vEry RaCiaLly dIVerSe
Well, they were certainly no strangers to love.
As with most societies of the time, if you had the money, you bought armour. The average peasant certainly doesn’t have the money for chainmail armour with a wolf pelt but your local noble and certainly Kings would have that kind of money. It’s like comparing a Roman Emperor’s Regalia to the armour of a Legionnaire.
Also, something that bugs me. Vikings are seen either naked or looking like King Harald on the left. They very rarely are seen wearing chain like their European brethren, because why would a society built around war bother with protecting themselves.
Same thing goes with the Greeks.
where meme
Dude on the right looks like your bro Sven who was having a smoke and heard you talking about raiding and shit and said “man that sounds fun can I come?”
I just believe whatever Mount and Blade: Viking Conquest tells me.
Sven Bull-Neck? Real historical figure. Morrigan? Also real. My player character, Gay Actor Christopher Walken? Helped Aelfred Aethelwulfing defeat the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok in 868 AD at the battle of Aescesdun. History would not have been the same without him.