Viking helmets

VIKING HELMETS

                We have all seen representations, drawings, costumes, movies and television series, in which the Vikings are shown as fierce, bearded and fearsome warriors, who wore helmets with horns, but this is an error that is installed in society. from the 19th century. The truth is that the Vikings never wore horned helmets. There is no evidence of this and archeology has hardly found Viking helmets in general.

                Only one complete helmet from the Viking Age has been found, and that is the helmet of Gjermundbu, which obviously has no horns. It was found by a farmer in a grave located on his land, along with about 40 objects from the same period. The objects were dated in the second half of the 10th century, but without a doubt the most valuable element is the helmet that is kept in the Historical Cultural Museum of Oslo.

                The helmet is much simpler than the Merovingian helmets. It does not present any decoration, and it is worth mentioning a plate with glasses that is supposed to have the mission of defending the face from the blows of the enemy. On the right side you can see a ring that could carry some metallic element to safeguard the neck. It is made up of four pieces of iron joined by metal plates. It is a large helmet and it is supposed that it was fixed to the head by pressure. A noteworthy appreciation is that only one identical or similar helmet has been found. The iron mask that covers the face is possibly inspired by the helmets of the Vendel culture (pre-Vikings). This style of helmet came to be known as an owl helmet.

                In the Viking stories of the golden age (9th century to 11th century) helmets and weapons are very often mentioned. First orally, and from the XII written. In Norway, 10,000 Viking weapons have been found, but only a few archaeological traces of a few helmets. In the excavated tombs, even iron armor has been found, but not helmets from that time. However , if earlier period helmets were found in large numbers

                Historians speculate to explain this kind of mystery: one theory is that the case was reserved for the ruling class. Another, that they were thin and over time rust made them disappear. Another that they were made of leather or linen so that over the centuries they volatilized. And the last explanation is that many warriors did not wear helmets in battle. In some representations , bareheaded warriors appear.

                And it may just be that a good many Viking warriors did not wear helmets in battle, which is why so few have been found in grave excavations. In various Viking period depictions, dating from the 8th to 11th centuries, bareheaded figures of Scandinavian warriors appear. The issue continues to be a forum for discussion among historians.

                In the 19th century: the association of Vikings and horned helmets emerged with great force. The painters Johan August Malmström, Emil Doepler, and the musician by Richard Wagner contribute decisively to this. Since then, and without any scientific or archaeological proof, the common people attributed the horns to the helmets of the Vikings.

                The most studied horned helmets are those found in 1942, in Vikso. They are bronze helmets, with curious crests. The horns are similar to those of an aurochs. Because of the place where they were found, they were immediately associated with the Vikings. However, dating evidence places them at 900 BC, almost 2,000 years after the appearance of the Vikings. Archaeologists believe that they were ceremonial items and had their origin in the Near East.

                Scandinavian helmets from the Viking age are those found in Valsgärde and Vendel. Other helmets used at this time in Central Europe are: The St. Wenceslas Helmet (Vaclav St) from Prague, Olomouc helmet, Czech Republic, Ostrów Lednicki helmet, Poland. All of these were made from one piece of metal. Inside they wore a padded woolen hood.