Lets face it, when you hear about the Vikings, the first thing that comes to mind is a group of people who do not like to bath and whose cloths are dirty. Even though this is not entirely true, there is some truth in their mode of dressing. You will be surprised to learn that whatever the Vikings wear today is exactly what they were wearing in the past. This document gives a history of the dressing code of the Vikings, this site.
The mode of dressing of the Vikings is dictated by their classes. Thralls, Karls and Jarls are the three classes that existed in their community. The Thralls made up the lower class and it was mainly made up of slaves. The karls was made up of the middle class. 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 Jarls was made up by the nobles.
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. It is the cold weather that also forced the Vikings to find the mode of dressing that will keep them completely warm. With the introduction of layers, the Vikings are completely shielded from the cold weather.
Viking tunic was part of the clothes that the men wore. The Viking tunic was normally worn over an 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. Men also used linen underwear, and the trousers were later covered with a pair of trousers, learn. For those who did not have trousers, they used leggings instead. Their shoes were made of goat leather. They used it mainly because it is waterproof, and since the Vikings were fond of sailing, it came in handy.
The women dressed similarly to what we see our women wearing today. Linen was the material that the tailors used to make underdresses for women. The clothes made for women were used to cover their entire body. This was done to protect the women from the cold weather. On top of the dress was a shorter dress that was made from wool. A belt was also worn by both genders as shown in this website. Their hats were made of wool, see here!.
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