The Vikings did wear helmets, but they were not the helmets that many people imagine they wore. The Vikings' helmets were fairly simple, a bowl with a nose guard. There is no evidence that the Viking helmets had horns. Before and after the time of the Vikings, the helmets were made from steel and hammered into shape. During the Viking era, however, helmets were usually made from several pieces of iron riveted together. This way of making a helmet required less labor. It is said by Dr. Wester that the oral tradition of the Viking culture is to blame for why we now believe the Vikings wore helmets with horns attached. The entire history of the Vikings was passed through stories because paper did not arrive in Scandinavia until after the Viking Age. To sum it up, the Vikings did wear helmets, but they did not have horns as we think of them today.
"Viking Age Arms and Armor Viking Helmets." Web. 16 Mar. 2010. <http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_helmets.htm>.
Web. 16 Mar. 2010. <http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/viking.html>.
Picture Source:
Flickr. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/anytime_armour/3971015415/>.
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