Viking clothing – a brief history and an upcoming opportunity

We frequently receive questions about Viking-era clothing. So we took this opportunity to ask guest blogger and Nordic Roots educator Kari Tauring to clarify what the Vikings really wore (hint: The folks at the History Channel have really taken some liberties in their conception of the era’s clothing) and to share an opportunity for a unique workshop on historical clothing.

Cultural identity for a Norwegian-American generally relies on a few easily identifiable things. We eat potato lefse, wear Norwegian sweaters, and say UffDa in the appropriate places.  These were things I took for granted, until I was preparing to go on my adventure to Gudvangen, Norway to become part of the Viking Market last Summer. As part of the village, I needed food, clothing, and accessories that would have been able to exist between 750 and 950 ACE. Well, immediately that leaves out potato lefse!

I began to go…