Vikings were feared above all other tribes, conquerors, raiders, threats of plague, starvation, or even death! … but why? Genghis Khan was just as terrible, plagues took far more lives, and starvation was far more torturous a fate than most would ever suffer at the hands of the Vikings. So why is it that the Vikings were seen as such terribly fearful beats? Truly, they are painted in history is if they were either gods or demons, depending on who is telling the story.
Vikings were a terror to behold, with ballads being sung to warn people of the death that is borne upon those terrible striped sails (referring to their longships). The Vikings were reportedly huge men (and women), tall and well-muscled, a head and shoulders higher than your average under-nourished peasant farmer. They had the stature, fair hair, and charisma of kings. This domineering appearance only added to the impact of their actions.
There are stories of the Viking warriors taking direct blows from swords and axes and sluffing it off, as if repelled by magic. They feared no biting cold, or even the flaming tongues of fire. God-like kings, against whom even the elements and weapons of man could inflict no harm… this is why they were feared. Or, it is one of the reasons…
If you’ve read our Yule blog, you already know this, but the Vikings had a unique view of fear and of the role of the gods. In Norse culture, to fear something was just about the worst thing you could do. This isn’t because it wasn’t “manly,” but because fear, sorrow, loneliness, etc. closed the door to the gods. The gods were attracted to merriment, food, drink, singing, and dancing… as well as to victory in battle. Because, of course, that too would warrant merriment and celebration.
If you’ve read our Yule blog, you already know this, but the Vikings had a unique view of fear and of the role of the gods. In Norse culture, to fear something was just about the worst thing you could do. This isn’t because it wasn’t “manly,” but because fear, sorrow, loneliness, etc. closed the door to the gods. The gods were attracted to merriment, food, drink, singing, and dancing… as well as to victory in battle. Because, of course, that too would warrant merriment and celebration.
The Vikings were purported to have been a people who were constantly singing. Maybe this was to bring the gods to their side, but when you read about how they sang, you can probably imagine some additional side effects. The Vikings were said to sing loudly and “like barking dogs” and roaring bears. In one account, their Arabian guest was much less than impressed. This account was from a friendly mercantile engagement though. You can imagine how they may have sounded when singing warriors ballads as they ran in to meet the enemy. Or the impact of the drumming and chanting of their shield maidens and shamans, imbuing them with the power of gods and beasts alike.
Let’s be honest. Up until this point, yeah, all that sounds super cool, but really the Vikings were just a bunch of big, loud dudes who sang off key. This is absolutely nothing that would have stopped an army dead in their tracks, or cause legends of terror to spread like wildfire for another 1,000 years after the last of the Vikings had died out.
But… this is because we haven’t talked about the real reasons these legends were born in the 1st place. We haven’t talked about how a mortal man could withstand the blade, how mortal flesh could not be burned, how a man could turn from a man to a beast and unleash absolute terror on his enemy. We have not talked about their clothing.
Most people familiar with Vikings are probably aware of their near dependance on sheep. Sheep provided food, clothing, and even warmth in the winter (as the house was shared by the family and their flock). But not many people know about one fact the Vikings were NOT known for, that nearly every other culture with sheep were. The Vikings didn’t actually know how to weave.
Yep… They made clothing from spun wool yarn, but didn’t know how to weave, and that is a mystery in and of itself, but they adapted and overcame until they eventually adopted weaving techniques from other cultures, for better or worse.
Not weaving clothes, they had to have some way to join fibers, and they did so the only way they knew how: they tide them together. Every single point at which two fibers intersected, they were knotted and secured. If you know anything about crocheting, it is a similar idea, or even older is the skill of making lace. Lace is incredibly fine, but incredibly stable due to the fact that most of the fanciful details are knotted in place. In fact, it is through the knotting of the fibers that we get such unique patterns. But that is not what the Norse were famous for.
Knotting cloth fibers as thick as woolen yarn obviously made the clothing very thick, and for the Vikings’ immediate purposes, this protected well against the cold, even if only wearing a single layer.
Additionally, wool is naturally a bit hydrophilic, providing moisture-wicking properties to keep the Norse dry, even in damp and snowy conditions. Having a single shirt and a single pair of pants able to provide this much protection from frost was unheard of anywhere else in the world and certainly gave outsiders the impression that it was the Vikings themselves must have been the very children of the frost and snow.
As mentioned before, it was not only the reputation of the Vikings to be immune to frost, but also to fire. Wool has one other property that few people in our generation realize, and that is its natural fire-retardant nature. I said above that wool was hydrophilic.
As mentioned before, it was not only the reputation of the Vikings to be immune to frost, but also to fire. Wool has one other property that few people in our generation realize, and that is its natural fire-retardant nature. I said above that wool was hydrophilic. This means that it doesn’t just “wick” moisture, it drinks it! Wool itself holds at about a 70% humidity saturation which means that it can hold a LOT of water and still be “dry.” And while the fibers of wool work well to displace heat, the native moisture content held naturally within the fibers can (and will) actually extinguish a flame!
This means that it doesn’t just “wick” moisture, it drinks it! Wool itself holds at about a 70% humidity saturation which means that it can hold a LOT of water and still be “dry.” And while the fibers of wool work well to displace heat, the native moisture content held naturally within the fibers can (and will) actually extinguish a flame!
Having pants and shirts of this material covering their entire bodies, and leather boots, gloves, and hats covering the rest meant that the Vikings were for all intents and purposes, walking around in medieval fire-fighting gear 24-7. Where cotton, linen, burlap, and thinner woven garments would easily burn if exposed to intense heat, the thick, knotted, moisture saturated clothing of the Vikings would absorb heat, merely evaporating off excess moisture, leaving the clothing and its wearer unharmed.
So, resistance to fire and ice have been scientifically explained… what about the legends that Vikings could resist direct blows from a sword, as if nothing had happened?
Wellllll…. If you hadn’t guessed it yet, this also has something to do with their unique form of not weaving. This answer is likely the most simple though and may not wow you, but hopefully it answers some questions.
Going back to knotting the fibers together, this makes the clothing incredibly thick, yes, but it also does two other things. If you have ever put multiple knots in a shoestring to keep it tied tight, you may have experienced one of these things already. Primarily, knots upon knots, upon knots provides a great amount of flexibility within the fibers, despite being firmly knotted.
For the combat aspect of a thick flexible cloth, which is easier to tear, a newspaper, or a phonebook? A piece of cardboard, or a plastic tarp?
The blades used during the middle ages were arguably not the sharpest tools in the shed, which made cutting though a thick and flexible woolen cloth a pretty difficult task, especially when the person wearing said cloth was a trained fighter who wanted you dead. The other aspect is that the knotting itself meant that any fiber that was cut couldn’t unravel. There was just no way to tell if a thread, or even several threads were broken, unless the damage was incredibly severe. Every fiber in the cloth was supporting every other fiber, tying them into place, regardless of where they started or ended.
This gave the distinct impression that the Vikings clothing was impervious to blades. Even if you managed to land a blow and break one of the muscly arms of your Viking foe, you likely wouldn’t even know it because even his shirt would seem unharmed.
This gave the distinct impression that the Vikings clothing was impervious to blades. Even if you managed to land a blow and break one of the muscly arms of your Viking foe, you likely wouldn’t even know it because
even his shirt would seem unharmed.
Collecting ourselves for a moment and taking all of this into consideration, can you even imagine being a frail monk, a malnourished peasant, or an untested soldier facing off against such a foe!? Laughing and singing as they charge, wide-eye and excited, while all you can to is shake in fear at the foe that is twice your size?
Rain or snow, they don’t stop fighting. Yelling, charging, painted for war and fearing neither fire nor steel? Even the ones you had seen take a square blow seem to suffer no damage! How can it be!? For them, battle is no gentleman’s sport, it is a way of life ordained by their gods! No fear of death, for life brings delicious victory and death brings sweet Valhalla!
This is the image of the Vikings. This is the scene that could cultivate nothing but fear. The Norse cause the frail English and weak French to question themselves, their tactics, their future, and even their faith in the protection of their God, who had never seen fit to save them. In the medieval era, the Vikings were not a people, but
a force of nature and many saw them as divine punishment for the sins of the aristocracy. And this, of course, only furthered their image as immortal, magical, and unkillable. After all, how could they hope to stop what their own God had let transpire.
Interestingly enough, the Vikings were never killed off, or driven out of the lands they conquered. They merely became satisfied. Rolo’s own decedent eventually ruled on the throne of England, and the Viking raiders were given land in trade for cessation of hostilities, which they agreed to whole-heartedly. There they seeded, there they multiplied, and there they became the nations they sought to conquer. Looking back, it is hard to deny that they really did conquer all of Europe. Maybe not by the sword, but certainly through lineage. And with all the films, all the comics and movies, all the lust they have inspired for honor and valor in our modern day… can we not say that the Vikings truly were immortal?
To all my modern Vikings, live long and stay strong!
Cody Dees, Ph.D.
“Resident Viking”
Norse Tradesman
The guess of the wise is truth. -Grettir Saga, c.31
