Where you in the SCA ? With their temporal time rip that gave them magical rubber soul shoes.. lol Just poking you . If you know the SCA , you will get a giggle. Always a bit of teasing between live metal wepo s clubs and the guys with rubber souls hitting eachother with sticks.. he he he .
Back at the 2000 AD re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings in the UK, as a fundraiser people could get their hair cut Norman style. It looked pretty awesome with all these guys looking like that. Nobody offered to cut in the Anglo-Saxon style, so I did it myself. Looks a lot like a mullet.
"is that a weird hairdo or a slightly-less-weird hat" is an oft-repeated argument from the jojo's bizarre adventure fandom that i did not expect to also be relevant to viking archaeology. Also, I love how a solid third of 10-14th century sources for how fashions developed, are just clergy complaining about said fashion. I've been reading up on medieval clothes and love seeing a paragraph boil down to 'we know that the clothing/hair was worn this way because priests were telling people to stop doing that'.
My mother took courses in historical english when they wanted to know how the common person talked the did all the things the textbooks told them not to. No one would bother putting it in if people weren’t doing it.
Robin The Parttime Sewer lol yeah most likely though if we look at warnings and instruction now they tell people off from doing plenty of things most people wouldn't.
Am I the only one dying of laughter at a preacher a thousand years ago writing an "kids these days" letter to another seemingly like-minded crotchety old man .. I just.. it's beautiful. People have always been... Well, people. 💚 Thank you so much for sharing this!
Am I theo only one who says: Come on! Those letters are mostly by absolute elite guys. Compare yourselves to Socrates and the players in his league. It's completely understandable that they must have shaken their heads over the spoilt brats they often dealt with: spoon-fed truths that genius minds developed. Look at todays old people: Those who performed very well are those with the least understanding for the lazy or untalented majority. Those with the highest moral standards are those who find the majority spineless and foul. Everyone today shames the critique of superior people as being just grumpy instead of listening to it. Is it not suitable for an old man who had deal with devastation of war and extreme poverty to critizise the level of entitlement of someone who protests about not owning the latest Iphone and shiny car that? Surely many people are grumpy. But you have to discriminate between grudge of losers and criticism of most commendable people. Different times make different men. Different men endure different hardships.
I love it when we're trying to deciper what people did/wore/looked like back in the day based on art. Imagine archaeologists from the future look at, let's say, tentacle p*rn and think we actually did that
One thing that I constantly questioned when I got stuck watching Vikings with my boyfriend was "doesn't Ragnar's head get cold?". Surely for a Viking who lived in a cold climate, in a time without electric clippers, etc., it would be completely impractical to have a hair style like that. Hair keeps your head warm and a hair cut like that would surely be extremely annoying to maintain with limited hair cutting/shaving implements.
Some modern people walks around in the winter with no jacket, shaved heads and shorts so no its not impractical in the sense people who lived in scandinavia a 1000 years ago would been used to the climate and had their own tradition of hairstyles and shaven or bald heads would have been around back then as it is around today.
@@gustaf3811You are ignoring that the world got more Hot with climate change, you are also ignoring the material we use on our clothes, plus its more easy to get fat on our age and we have Quick acess to warm places so we can afford to go out with less clothes withou the risk of dying. Winter in our age is not the same winter of medieval age. Even today you can stil die in the cold with all of the variables above.
Yes, very very good points! And I thought the very same thing. I thought, “Wouldn’t their heads get really cold with the hair shaved all around like that? Then later towards the end of season 3, after the death of Athelstan, Ragnar shaves off all his hair, to be completely bald. Which I know is a total modern day fashion/ look, not a Viking one.
“Give me a Viking with HAIR- Long Beautiful Hair!!! Totally naked otherwise.” Okay, so now I’m imagining Botticelli’s Birth of Venus- but now it’s just a Viking with his glorious hair covering his bits 😂😂
Glad to see the trend of thinking anyone who uses the word "brother" is talking to their actual sibling is actually a universal problem (I'm not but it's fairly amusing)
i have the "ragnar haircut" but i've started wearing a "jorvik cap" when i'm in kit. i don't "show off" my ragnar cut nor do i say that it's a viking haircut. i live in texas and it's hot as balls here most of the year, so it's a practical haircut for me since i have thick and long hair. great video!
Fellow Texan. I can second that it is indeed hot most of the year. There may even be a bill in the TX Legislature to officially change the month of August to Hot As Balls...it would be presently and historically accurate lol.
I keep my hair in a sort of shaggier version of military cut, where I leave the top somewhat shaggy but cut the sides close, for a pretty similar reason. I live in North Carolina where it's humid and hot as fuck and I blacksmith, I get very warm especially because my hair is thick and dark brown. And also because I'm self-conscious about my head shape. Keeps my head from looking too large (because my head is big) while also hiding my forehead.
I made a tiktok about how we have no evidence of viking dreads, even citing a study of iron age scandanavian hair from sweden...and people lost their minds that I dare imply that.
Simple reason is. You literally can't do it. As rasta myself. Getting plaits and later dreads takes time, work and dna. Why you want to claim you can, I have no idea
The vikings were around for several hundred years, fashions change. Even 20 years makes a difference, the hair cuts of men in the 1940s versus the Beatle cuts of the 60s show that very clearly. So maybe the Ragnar cut had a small following in 750 and disappeared by 790... or not. It is too bad they weren't into mummies.
I have a long mohawk that I braid to keep it outta the way. Had my mohawk before I became involved viking age reenactment and that's one thing I always say it's not period accurate. It just allows me to have long hair and stay cool in a hot environment.
The Ragnar 'do is the Mullet of our time and I'm totally okay with both of these things. Also, the Vikings interpretation of the Norman haircut doesn't look anywhere near as daft as it does on the Bayeux Tapestry.
It is plausible. We do know that middle eastern and Indian cultures were using henna as nail stain, so reasonably it could've been acquired through trade.
8:16 beardy man on oseberg cart. look at the representation of mail on his neck, and jowls. The hat is either a helm, or padded arming cap, over a mail coif. Or else a helm , with maille aventail.
“the Bayeux tapestry (in aside) it’s an embroidery, but still, whatever” (13:09) As an avid embroiderer and seamstress, I love it that you made that distinction. :)
Speaking of the Ragnar hairstyle, the undercut with the ponytail/man bun has more kinship in style to North American native tribes like the Mohawk and other Eastern Woodlands tribes. The styles were done very well (in my opinion at least) in Last Of The Mohicans for a visual aide. Which is where the Ragnar Hair gets a bit problematic for me because taking a tribal hairstyle and plunking it on a "viking" is at the least a bit ignorant but when I see it on reenactors who, frankly, just should know better it gets more than a bit iffy.
Thank you for saying it! So much this! Taking what ever non Christian things they can find and slapping it to what they want to be viking. Uuuggghhh. I could rant forever about this.
TV dresses all non xtians or “barbarians” as punk rockers. Linen tunics are dull, Vivienne Westwood makes interesting fashion. So they just do that. Maybe mix in some more fashion along the way.
@@thegreenmage6956 it’s not racist to say that viking reenactors shouldn’t claim cultural heritage that they have zero evidence for when black people have been discriminated for it for centuries
@@idasvenning3892 And problematic situations aside, its just lazy! Its like giving one of these "vikings" a bowie knife instead of a saex. If you've put the time and care into reenacting and something can be proven and documented that its the wrong time and place then fix it. I thought we were all here because we loved history, not to LARP!
To be fair, the fictionalized history of Vikings is probably the closest thing to history that can be found on the history channel these days (ancient aliens, pawn shops, custom cars, and junk-pickers)
I haven't had access to cable in about a decade and it was pretty much just as bad back then if Im remembering right. My stepfather watched like 3 channels and History was one. The only real history it showed beyond the junk was almost entirely war focused... which is why he liked it.
Ugh... Knight Fight... History is basically just bro-sciences. Like stores that specialize in antiques or vintage items I can kind of get because a lot of neat historical items can make their way into those things but they focus on a single pawnshop located in Vegas...
@@khaxjc1 My dad used to watch the History Channel a lot when I was really young in the early 2000s. It was mostly war stuff. Then I guess the channel suffered "network decay" and turned into dude-bro reality TV shows. He liked Ancient Aliens though.
@@starspeculation Ancient Aliens. A show where a bunch of white stoners look at ancient architecture and go "No way they could've made that. Totally must've been aliens."
I totally agree that it was probably hard to tell what the fashion was. My husband is Mohawk but not every native wore a Mohawk. They did it as a warrior to look fierce in a battle. Also centuries ago who shaved their heads constantly...hygiene wasn't always convenient 🙄.
I'm from Oneida. WWII Aviators wore Mohawks when bombing the enemy. My son wore a Mohawk which they renamed a Warhawk while fighting in Afghanistan. It's a proud heritage that lives on
Still giving some of my elves Suebian knots, even though their setting's more 11th century based. They're elves, if anyone's going to be walking around with hairdos a few centuries out of date, it's probably them...
Your insistence upon historical rigor delights me. I can't prove that nobody ever did something, I can only cite the rare examples where they did do a thing at least once. This simple concept is so difficult for some to grasp. My real concern is the widespread inability to grasp it. :)
I can picture how many years from now people might laugh at us for taking a hairdo depicted in a telly show as historical fact pretty much exactly how we ended up putting horns on viking helmets based on a victorian opera
It's always a pleasure to see how well you do your research! I've been in uni for a while so I'm sometimes hesitant to go for a master's degree but whenever I see someone so well-researched and who knows their stuff it's making me want to pursue it ahah
i use a mohawk and beard since 2014 AND all the time i get people trying to make me watch Vikings and i haven't ...so my family told me a year ago "why don't you grow more hair...your mohawk is kinda thin, it would look better with more hair" and i did and NOW i see why! gotta say i do look cool but everytime someone ask about my style i'd say "IT'S CALLED HANDSOME ORC AND I AM SLAYIN IT! WITH AN AXE" greetings from Chile. Aguante lxs que luchan.
You got me with the tunic building, but kept me with this kind of content. I already got what I needed sewing wise, but I can never get enough of your historical commentary vids!
The pandemic has rendered the use of the word "sick" to mean "good" utterly passe. It was a weird affectation to begin with, and only gained passing currency among the callow who had never experienced real illness.
All of this is fantastic. My only thought (experimental archeology style-y) would be that if you have long enough hair for it to get in your eyes or mouth, at some point you will try to pull it out of there. So if Vikings had long hair, they probably pulled it back. Y'know, in some way, some how. Making no claims about anything else, like how they did it.... Jimmy is the expert on that!!
That's why I'm always so angry with female superheros with long flowing locks... Try to fight with that! It's not practical! Long haired people will tie the hair somehow when they are doing something that requires a lot of movement!
@@giualonso female superheroes drawn by men. The worst I've seen is Wonderwoman fighting in the swimsuit with stilleto heels... in three foot deep snow.
Giu Alonso same with stories where there is some kind of disaster or action happening. No way are any of the long haired woman I know ignoring finding something to hold their hair out of the way the first chance they get if their is stuff going on let alone serious fighting, survival work, or what have you. If they cant find something they would try using then hair itself to tie up the bulk of it. or hacking it off. I would like to see a stories where while looking for supplies or evidence or a secret key or what have you, instead of just brushing her hair behind her ear when it falls in her face the woman grabs a pencil off the desk and makes do with stabling a twist or bun to hold it back or grabbing a bit of string to make due or something where they actually fix the problem. In comparison Ive noticed the long haired guys portrayed in these situations usually either start off with their hair up, come prepared to put it up, or it gets cut at some point. But the girls have to keep theirs. Like they would be too precious about it or something? My friends hair was growing out with the pandemic and it tickled her neck one time to many one day so she went to the bathroom and hacked it off. Ky grand,other regularly cuts her hair when it annoys her. Why in the world wouldn't this be an option for someone frustrated and fighting for their life and not needing to deal with one more thing?
Ye GODS that norman haircut bayeaux picture is hideous. I didn't think it was possible to get worse than tonsures. (To be fair the the Vikings interpretation doesn't look as bad)
If feel like there are a lot of haircuts and styles that if drawn look bonkers but actually can be decent in real life if done well and suited to the person. When they aren't done well and aren't suited is generally what we imagine though.
Tonsures can often be very effective at protecting your chastity more often than not, but I do like the thin halo tonsures that rest at a 30* angle from the temples. Punkest haircut in the church Norman haircuts can be just as iffy, but to a lesser extent. It all depends on the angle of the sides vs the shape of one’s cranium. They both seem to go great with GREAT BIG BUSHY BEARDS!
Great stuff; I really liked the inclusion of the stone (which I'm not sure how to spell the name of) with the "Big bad man" hair! One of my favourite things in art, history, and art history is children's/general "Outsider" art (basically drawings by people who didn't take drawing classes), because it preserves a really neat other perspective on the world. Which reminds me, have you ever seen Onfim of Novgorod's drawings? Because they're really cute and they're some of my favourite drawings like ever. Also, this was a really funny video, the surprise man bun really got me lmao
I saw a vid on Onfim, his drawings are so awesome!! I totally agree about "outsider art"- I worked with people with intellectual disabilities & it was so cool & interesting to see people's take on art when they don't have much or any concept of how or what they "should" be drawing (or whatever), or that what they're drawing has to be "good". Like young kids before society pushes those ideas on them, & it's kinda sad how it affects people, holding them back... "Big bad man hair" is totally a thing! It reminded me of my 3yo niece's drawing of an "angry man"- & a "ladder man", & that's exactly the kind of cool stuff you draw if you don't think there are rules about it :D
Good video. I've had an undercut since '98/'99 and started Viking reenactment in 2005. No one has ever said anything about about my hair. Thankfully the leather lamellar mob get all the criticism.
Jimmy: this is a really cool hairstyle but unfortunately we don't have any evidence to say that it's historically accurate The internet: STOP TELLING ME WHAT HAIRSTYLE I SHOULD HAVE YOU MONSTER
You absolutely wowed me with your analysis. Your incredible perception and historical knowledge make for a well articulated insight. Thanks for keeping it real. I wonder what historians 1000 years from now will describe your hair style as and what they think it means
Great video! Thanks for bringing to the forefront "It's a hobby! Chill out!". Being involved in the hobbies I am (perhaps too many) I truly wish more folks would come to terms with it. Seriously, they never shut off and keep an intensity that is down right aggressive. I'm grateful I came across your videos as I dove into Viking era.
It's also always jarring to see one's job/area of study treated as a hobby. People going around making slime in their kitchen don't start refuting chemists with 40 years of experience, yet History is treated like some sort of communal pet-theory dumping ground and recreational brothel
@@ABAlphaBeta I see your point. I'd be hesitant to state that people experimenting in their kitchens don't attempt to refute chemists. I have a feeling there aren't many fields out there that aren't also someone's hobby/side interest etc. Sadly, you're not wrong in History being made into what it has been. My statement of "diving into the Viking era" equates to love of learning and doing something new with joy coming from years of study by those MUCH more learned than I on the topics.
14:58 I remember I was chatting to this guy and when I said "It's a fantasy show" he just couldn't get over it. He told me with these exact words in some messages: Do you know that it is made by the History Channel, right? They have all evidence. Too little things are wrong, but of course, you don't know that! And then I was: darling Ragnar Lothbrok is supposed to be 6 guys at the same time-
I'm glad you made this video I'm so interested in viking lore and Norse mythology but obviously internet is not a great place to get my information so to hear real lore from an actual person that actually knows is really cool.
Here's also something that is tough about trying to know vikings hairstyles: Most of what the vikings themselves wrote down is gone, if they even did write all that much down, and most sources about vikings comes from the places where they raided, settled and so on. It is also worth noting that the vikings came from large areas (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), and populated large areas, so certain hairstyles could be wildly popular in one place, but not at all in another. I do, however, seem to recall having read/heard somewhere, from a seemingly more credible source, that vikings actually wore braids when going to war/fights in order to keep it away from their face. Now, the exact style of the braids can be somewhat less trusted, I believe, but I seem to recall the description of 1 or 2 braids being made on each side of the forehead, and those tied back in a ponytail, with a possibly even larger braid being formed in the back. Again, the exact style is probably not as accurate, but this doesn't seem unfeasible. Furthermore, it was believed that the first thing to signal ragnarok would be that Hel finished her ship Nagelfarr. A ship made from discarded hair (and nail clippings). This meant that vikings have used hair that was cut off in other stuff, for example weaving and such, because then Hel couldn't use it for Nagelfarr, and they would push ragnarok back. I find it hard to believe that vikings would favor shaven areas of their head, as it is difficult to control such small hairs, and they would therefore be helping Hel. There is of course the possibility that they would get a certain hair length and then shave parts of their head clean. But then the shaven head is only there for a short amount of time.
@@TheWelshViking I'll see if I can find the text I read regarding the braids. I'll be honest about the woven stuff. As I wrote it, I was convinced that I had read or seen it somewhere. However, now it's taken into question, I am not 100% confident that I have seen exactly that. I am still certain about the stories of nagelfarr, and the vikings therefore had reason to not discard hair, and therefore not trim short hair regularly. But as for what exactly they did with their hair instead of discarding it, I actually can't tell you for certain.
No idea how I got here but this was fun! Thanks for the rant on viking hair! I always wondered why the main impression movies were trying to convey made me think that viking spent a ton of time in the waiting for battle doing their hair or shaving all the "fancy" into there heads and braiding.
this whole video reminded me of "mara and the firebringer" bc a character describes such a hairdo on loki and a norse mythology professor goes OFF on that "i genuinely recommend the movie AND BOOKS, they were written with a lot of research and input of an actual professor on the subject) fun video! loved it, currently binge watching your videos i havent watched yet
Watching your vids again as they pop up in the recommends... comment for the algo. Very cool that you play the cello, such a beautiful instrument. Haunting.
I do love your videos, no matter what you're talking about, they always make me feel happy. Apart from the one about having to leave your flat. Really hope that disaster has now been fixed and that you're safely back at home! :D
This video popped up in my suggestions, and I'm too lazy to browse for one right now, but I'd love to see your take on the geography of Vikings :'D Good to see someone doing an effort to bust myths about The Viking Age and the Norse people and culture, will definitely give your channel a go! :)
As a fellow historian, I must say I greatly appreciate your videos! I must admit that part of me is often peeved at historical inaccuracies when I watch history themed or inspired movies and shows. Sometimes, I just cry out "WHYYYYYY!?!?!" when it wouldn't have taken any more effort to use the appropriate names, fashions, architecture, etc. But, on the other hand, there is some merit to these productions as they can foster interest towards the Past from which we historians and archeologist can build on to educate people. Cheers!
Do also keep in mind that historical accuracy is always in the cost of artistic freedom. While I get your feeling, that designer would probably also be going "WHYYYYYY!?!?!" when they have a crystal clear vision of what they want to do and are instead spending their time researching historical documentation for anything that fits the vision. So in the end it is a lot more effort and limitations the designers have to put themselves through than you might think, especially the further back in history we go.
This was very fun to watch. Have you watched Silvousplaits videos on historical viking hairstyles? She had one for men, one for women, and it was really neat. Be kinda cool to see you react to that.
Some time ago, I saw a video on this subject where a period tapestry from down south somewhere was pointed to. If I recall correctly there was a depiction of a Longship replete with Vikings standing on deck. Their hair cuts were more reminiscent of Moe Howard of the THREEE STOOGES than anything I saw on Vikings.
I adore your content so much :) I love learning this kind of stuff and love how you cover every facet of their culture! Can't wait to see what other norse stuff I can learn from you in the future :)
My hubby wore the Norman haircut to an SCA event once. I thought it was bad ass! Thanks for doing another one of these haircut videos. I love your stuff and thoroughly enjoy the fact that you know what the hell you're talking about! 😀😀
@@jennifermccrary1570 Society for Creative Anachronism, "an inclusive community pursuing research and re-creation of pre-seventeenth century skills, arts, combat and culture".
I'd be interested to know if Æthelwith's letter was in letter was in OE or Latin (I would assume the latter) because OE actually divided the 'neck' into two parts hneccan (the back of the neck) and heals (the front of the neck & throat) so if were writing in OE he could be more specific than simply 'neck'.
Thank you for making Viking history so accessible (like when you explain notable finds that are probably common knowledge to Viking enthusiasts but aren't common knowledge for people who are interested in other periods)! Your mention of Loki brought up a question for me about Viking/Norse conceptions of gender: a lot of people portray Loki as genderqueer in modern interpretations (which I really like!), so I was wondering if there is any historical account of Loki where they are genderqueer or outside of the gender binary. Do we even know enough about Norse conceptions of gender to interpret that aspect of Loki's character?
Not an expert, Loki was Sleipnir's mother. I think there are a few other stories where Loki was female bodied. What I do find fascinating, Odin's masculinity was challenged due to his connection with Seidhr.
Loki gave birth more than once I think. And he was also a practitioner of magic work, which was more of a woman’s thing. This is super bad in the Norse world because crossing gender lines could get you divorced, killed, shunned, or whatever. Argr/ergi was an insult implying lesser masculinity on a man, and you could fight someone to death for the dishonor of saying it. (This is all what I vaguely remember about studying loki when I first started working with him)
@@kitdubhran2968 Yes. I should have mentioned that 'seidhr' was magic work. I find it more interesting that the Allfather had his masculinity challenged than a trickster by learning magic/seidhr.
Maybe this video might be of interest to you, Gracie: th-cam.com/video/nHHxLnnrwcE/w-d-xo.html I cannot vouch for its correctness and it does not quite answer the question you had, but it's in this direction, so I thought I'd share it.
And now Id be very interested in a video about "Viking" ideas of masculinity and gender stereotypes. Given how people use history and "days when men were real men" to support inaccurate and toxic thinking its always nice to have a little more insight into how these perceived standards have changed with time. I always love to bring up that high heels and tights was considered mens fashion not so long ago in the scope of human history.
You play the cello? You have very good taste, Sir 😉 Could you talk about music and musical instruments from the viking period at some point? In my music history classes everything between ancient greece and the Renaissance was left out, because there aren't any written sources. I would love to learn about the finds and what music could possibly have sounded like. 😃
I happen to have developed the "Ragnarok" haircut over time. just cut I get hot but I also like having long hair, so best of both worlds. but I tend to get viking references aimed at me and it takes every bit of self restraint I have not to just yell "wrong!" at people
Cello gang! :D Cool that there actually is some preserved hair! I get the impression that most things not made of metal or bone has more or less returned to mother nature so everything is an interpretation. My favourite was finding an image from a researcher suggesting that the hängselkjol (sorry, it's getting late and my English eludes me) is open at the front and the brooches sit right on top of the breasts which makes the whole outfit a tad more suggestive (but also makes more sense actually). Waiting to see more people rocking that look hehe.
Bog body talk and picture while Im eating? Not fun. An Avatar The Last Air Bender reference showing up with a pic from the cactus shenanigans? Oh so much fun. ( 8:54 ) The flash of a certain fictional vampire while discussing brother Edward? Great for a chuckle. ( 11:20 ) This video as a whole with all its learning fun, humor, personality, and general care to correct misinformation without being an ass? Such a wonderful ride and greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly for it. I particularly loved the little rant about historical accuracy in reenacting and how 100% accuracy just isn't going to happen. I keep hearing some variety of historically adequate for the purpose/occasion and I think that is a better way of thinking of things. Also loved that it was pointed out that yes, some person or people could have worn a hair style but that doesnt mean it was common or a trend. Its nice to be reminded that peoples of bygone times were no more a monolith than those of today.
The Swabian knot = the Osterby comb over ;) Buggered if I know how anyone thinks there’s an undercut in that style *is confused* Fact is, any culture that has long hair will braid it....it’s practicality for heavens sake. You can’t have long flowing locks everywhere unless you also want to have long flowing flames!! It’s very hard to delineate the difference between hair, and fabric and skin in an engraving or picture given the stylistic restrictions of the time Also........Jimmy as a Tory...........*head explodes* Oh and now you’ve admitted to musicianship, you gotta play...it’s the law.
I love that he said nothing any historical reenactor does is perfectly accurate because he's right we can't use the exact same materials in the exact same way because we just don't have them
I had a theory of the Norman style "short back hair" was due to increased use of chain maille. As maille reduced making way for more plate, you can see correlation in changing longer hairstyles. It's just my opinion but logical 🤔
I love that you play cello. Do you play a specific type of music? I refuse to appear gloveless if I'm badly flailing with my sword (or near others flailing) because I need my hands for art and music and sewing and creating and all the unpaid things I'm into. Thank you for the video 💚💚 mouldy hearts for you.
Brilliant and funny. As an archaeologist, I found this humerus (bwa ha ha) and a great advertisement for authenticity (and my chosen occupation). Full disclosure, I am also a re-enactor (late Medieval) in Phoenix Arizona, so I get it.
The undercut has been fashionable for these past ten years, maybe slightly less, maybe more. But it's not a haircut I've ever seen attributed to Vikings before the last decade or so. I simply think that styles (of hair, clothes, accessories, etc) are projected onto historical figures depending on what's popular aesthetically at the time in which the depiction is done. Which is why, when you watch, say, a 1950s movie set in the 1860s, the actors look like they're straight out of the 1950s in spite of allegedly wearing Victorian costumes and dos. In the future we'll probably think "Vikings" has a quintessentially 2010s style.
I can see how the one from the stone with Loki might be interpreted as a Ragnar cut; the plait sticks out quite a bit from his head, as it would if it were positioned higher on his head (note how far Ragnar's braid sticks out in the images of him in this video). However, this is nothing more than Rorschach archaeology; the carving hardly has the detail to definitively say what it was meant to show, so people see it how they want to.
Hair Island by Steve McClaren, thank you for this amusing ear worm. Bluing your helmet, not wanting it to be shiny and blind your enemies? I have period correct hair now, its down to my lower back, thank you Pandemic (its been growing for over a decade prior to the end of the world). Wanting to do some hair taping and figure out that process of awesome goodness.
I am so happy I found your channel..I am Welsh (Direct descendant from Gilbert "the Red" de Clare of Caerphilly Castle) I have just subscribed & looking forward to watch your other historically accurate info. Diolch & Cymrae Am Byth!!
People tried to give Ragnar's haircut an historical "label" by pointing at the "Suebenknoten" (German knot), I got this right, didn't I? 1st century B.C. and 1st century A.D. in southern Germany are _NOT_ the same as 10th century A.D. in northern Europe.
List of original haircuts of the Viking age: 1. Bald 2. "Buzzed" 3. Short natural 4. Medium natural 5. Long natural 6. Extra long natural 7. Norman style 8. Pony tail 9. Wrapped pony tail
My thought on the tonsure - the aim of the tonsure is to promote the feeling of the monk having wisdom, how do people get wisdom - with age (in theory :-) ) So the tonsure is used to emulate greater age. Therefore in men, you can do this by copying male pattern baldness. In the Mediteranian men tend to get a bald patch that spreads with age. In Britain & Ireland men tended to recede from the front. This is why, to my mind, the two styles of tonsure may have developed. Obviously this isn't an absolute rule but growing up in Melbourne where there is a very strong Greek/Italian community I notice this difference compared to those men obviously of British/Irish decent. (I think it was Ceasar or Tacitus commented on Druids using the celtic tonsure so there's another thing the church stole from an earlier tradition) Actually thinking about it, maybe that's where the Norman cut is coming from to show how young a man is, hey look I can shave the back of my head and I've still got hair!
So, what you’re saying is that Ælfric doesn’t like the reverse mullet? Also, I remember kids that I went to school with back in the 90s that had pretty much that exact reverse mullet! It was shaved short everywhere except for the fringe. It looked terrible, so I’m with Ælfric on this one- reverse mullets look atrocious!
I liked your comment for the smile it brought me but generally I have found whether a style works depends on the head it grows from and what the person is wearing. Plus, most teenage boys in the 90s weren't so great at styling their hair. They managed to make decent cuts look dopey.
Another good one! Once again, interesting. I think the hbo(hbo?) Vikingr haircut is silly. I was always told to have your hair cut like that is thrall. If you want to be thrall or thought of then shave like this. I used to rock the 'emo' ha..left side was shaved a bit but the top fell to the right. That was back in the late 90s. Now my hair is like..if billy conolly stuck a wet knife in a toaster. 100% this video. I especially like what you say about historical accuracies. Well said my friend
"It's not a ponytail, it's a warrior's wolftail!" - Sokka
Yesssss you brought me way back
Hell yeah.
😂😂😂
Hahah love it
I just watched that episode earlier
“Nothing we do as re enactors is 100% correct.” Truer words were never spoken!!
I, personally, am sorely lacking at least 127 parasites on my body.
@@johannageisel5390 new t-shirt slogan: "If this reenactment was accurate, I would be dead"
@@lucie4185I Haha.
Yeah, I probably would be too.
@@lucie4185 Now I want that shirt and it's completely your fault 😂😂😂
Where you in the SCA ?
With their temporal time rip that gave them magical rubber soul shoes.. lol
Just poking you . If you know the SCA , you will get a giggle.
Always a bit of teasing between live metal wepo s clubs and the guys with rubber souls hitting eachother with sticks.. he he he .
I am impressed with Vikings for making that Norman haircut look really quite cool - it looks absolutely ridiculous on the tapestry!
I'm not sure whether Vikings made that haircut look good or Alexander Ludwig made that haircut look good.
I feel like the main thing making it look silly on the tapestry is that the man wearing it has no forehead and a giant chin...
I noticed 2 teens wearing similar haircuts on the way into school earlier. Maybe it's coming back or maybe just bad lockdown haircuts.
Back at the 2000 AD re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings in the UK, as a fundraiser people could get their hair cut Norman style. It looked pretty awesome with all these guys looking like that. Nobody offered to cut in the Anglo-Saxon style, so I did it myself. Looks a lot like a mullet.
@@davidcheater4239 bit of both i think. they did a good job of it, and he happens to be able to pull it off
The Ragnar Haircut (tm) is one of the most recognisable fashion features of the neo-viking age (2013 to current date).
Never heard it called that before but it's a fun one!
YES! Excellent way to describe it! 😂
It was popular in the 90s
@@loganriling4888 Yep, it comes from the punk hairdos, I believe.
We called it the "dead muskrat" when I was in high school (90s)
My first thought after learning about the two women in the Oseberg ship:
"And they were roommates"
They were galpals 😂
They were such good friends
OMG they were roommatessssss.
Omg they were tombmates
Lady and slave.
Ragnar do will have the last laugh when they excavate some of those 8th century electric clippers.
"is that a weird hairdo or a slightly-less-weird hat" is an oft-repeated argument from the jojo's bizarre adventure fandom that i did not expect to also be relevant to viking archaeology.
Also, I love how a solid third of 10-14th century sources for how fashions developed, are just clergy complaining about said fashion. I've been reading up on medieval clothes and love seeing a paragraph boil down to 'we know that the clothing/hair was worn this way because priests were telling people to stop doing that'.
Ah yes. The best way of doing research about what medieval did. Looking into what priests complained about.
I wonder if ten centuries from now, archaeologists will know how we wore our hair from Gen Z sassing us about side parts . . .
My mother took courses in historical english when they wanted to know how the common person talked the did all the things the textbooks told them not to. No one would bother putting it in if people weren’t doing it.
Robin The Parttime Sewer lol yeah most likely though if we look at warnings and instruction now they tell people off from doing plenty of things most people wouldn't.
@@khaxjc1 lol according to all the warnings I shouldn’t have survived childhood!! No seatbelts, lead paint, law darts had points!! To name a few!!
Am I the only one dying of laughter at a preacher a thousand years ago writing an "kids these days" letter to another seemingly like-minded crotchety old man .. I just.. it's beautiful. People have always been... Well, people. 💚 Thank you so much for sharing this!
They were doing it in Ancient Greece, as well.
Boomers gotta boom, regardless of Millenia!
I catch myself doing just that. "Boy...when I was young/during my time, we would never...bla bla bla"
Am I theo only one who says:
Come on! Those letters are mostly by absolute elite guys. Compare yourselves to Socrates and the players in his league. It's completely understandable that they must have shaken their heads over the spoilt brats they often dealt with: spoon-fed truths that genius minds developed.
Look at todays old people: Those who performed very well are those with the least understanding for the lazy or untalented majority. Those with the highest moral standards are those who find the majority spineless and foul.
Everyone today shames the critique of superior people as being just grumpy instead of listening to it.
Is it not suitable for an old man who had deal with devastation of war and extreme poverty to critizise the level of entitlement of someone who protests about not owning the latest Iphone and shiny car that?
Surely many people are grumpy. But you have to discriminate between grudge of losers and criticism of most commendable people.
Different times make different men. Different men endure different hardships.
@@Yawnpawn1 Hey look, another boomer!
Could the Suebian knot be a Roman era comb over?
I LOVE IT
Drat it Permie Bird now I can't get Rab C Nesbit out of my head
@@margaretbarclay-laughton2086 Sorry...
The pre Donald 🤣
An iron age Donald Trump?
I love it when we're trying to deciper what people did/wore/looked like back in the day based on art. Imagine archaeologists from the future look at, let's say, tentacle p*rn and think we actually did that
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Well some people probably do..
One thing that I constantly questioned when I got stuck watching Vikings with my boyfriend was "doesn't Ragnar's head get cold?". Surely for a Viking who lived in a cold climate, in a time without electric clippers, etc., it would be completely impractical to have a hair style like that. Hair keeps your head warm and a hair cut like that would surely be extremely annoying to maintain with limited hair cutting/shaving implements.
Some modern people walks around in the winter with no jacket, shaved heads and shorts so no its not impractical in the sense people who lived in scandinavia a 1000 years ago would been used to the climate and had their own tradition of hairstyles and shaven or bald heads would have been around back then as it is around today.
@@gustaf3811You are ignoring that the world got more Hot with climate change, you are also ignoring the material we use on our clothes, plus its more easy to get fat on our age and we have Quick acess to warm places so we can afford to go out with less clothes withou the risk of dying. Winter in our age is not the same winter of medieval age. Even today you can stil die in the cold with all of the variables above.
Yes! I live in central Ontario, quite cold in the winter, and I wear a mohawk, even in the winter, but you won't catch me outside without my toque!!
Yes, very very good points! And I thought the very same thing. I thought, “Wouldn’t their heads get really cold with the hair shaved all around like that? Then later towards the end of season 3, after the death of Athelstan, Ragnar shaves off all his hair, to be completely bald. Which I know is a total modern day fashion/ look, not a Viking one.
“Give me a Viking with HAIR- Long Beautiful Hair!!! Totally naked otherwise.”
Okay, so now I’m imagining Botticelli’s Birth of Venus- but now it’s just a Viking with his glorious hair covering his bits 😂😂
Glad to see the trend of thinking anyone who uses the word "brother" is talking to their actual sibling is actually a universal problem (I'm not but it's fairly amusing)
Like the reverse of Sappho and her friend
i have the "ragnar haircut" but i've started wearing a "jorvik cap" when i'm in kit. i don't "show off" my ragnar cut nor do i say that it's a viking haircut. i live in texas and it's hot as balls here most of the year, so it's a practical haircut for me since i have thick and long hair. great video!
Fellow Texan. I can second that it is indeed hot most of the year. There may even be a bill in the TX Legislature to officially change the month of August to Hot As Balls...it would be presently and historically accurate lol.
@@JamesRDavenport haha! True Story indeed!
I keep my hair in a sort of shaggier version of military cut, where I leave the top somewhat shaggy but cut the sides close, for a pretty similar reason.
I live in North Carolina where it's humid and hot as fuck and I blacksmith, I get very warm especially because my hair is thick and dark brown.
And also because I'm self-conscious about my head shape. Keeps my head from looking too large (because my head is big) while also hiding my forehead.
@dogwithavlog lol!
Also a Texan, but I've got chest-length dreads. I'm glad I'm TIG welder indoors, because otherwise, I'd be in a pool of sweat everyday of the summer!
I made a tiktok about how we have no evidence of viking dreads, even citing a study of iron age scandanavian hair from sweden...and people lost their minds that I dare imply that.
You. You must stay.
I was looking for the Viking dreads….
Simple reason is. You literally can't do it. As rasta myself. Getting plaits and later dreads takes time, work and dna. Why you want to claim you can, I have no idea
@@jacobharris954 the idea that European hair textures can't become dreads naturally is false. That doesn't mean vikings had them though.
@@jacobharris954 Leave your racist woke shit at home. All long hair can mat "dread". Even dogs and alpacas.
The vikings were around for several hundred years, fashions change. Even 20 years makes a difference, the hair cuts of men in the 1940s versus the Beatle cuts of the 60s show that very clearly. So maybe the Ragnar cut had a small following in 750 and disappeared by 790... or not. It is too bad they weren't into mummies.
Oh, what I wouldn't give for a well preserved Viking age corpse!
Tollund man?
@@TheWelshViking it would be useful for history too.
@@Archeh And many more than just him, from the Iron Age. Most of them were women or children, however.
@@Archeh 4th century.
I have a long mohawk that I braid to keep it outta the way. Had my mohawk before I became involved viking age reenactment and that's one thing I always say it's not period accurate. It just allows me to have long hair and stay cool in a hot environment.
The Ragnar 'do is the Mullet of our time and I'm totally okay with both of these things. Also, the Vikings interpretation of the Norman haircut doesn't look anywhere near as daft as it does on the Bayeux Tapestry.
Right? I actually kinda like the look how it was done in the tv show, but I just spend several years growing my hair long :')
Ya except the Aztecs did it first
@@word1ist …except the Viking period pre-dates the Aztec empire by, ya know, 600 years…
@@bond_3239 Moot point either way since they lived on the other side of the globe in a completely different hemisphere.
@@CollinMcLean just correcting the other fellow’s inaccurate comment 🙂
Wait... Do we KNOW that Vikings didn't wear nail varnish... Hmmm? ("Love your nails, Torsten! Thanks Ulf. It brings out my eyes.")
A couple nails in a matte black/purple would be perfectly plausible, an safer than acquiring them naturally.
Ulf is my name 😀
@@einaredlund253 😋
It is plausible. We do know that middle eastern and Indian cultures were using henna as nail stain, so reasonably it could've been acquired through trade.
8:16 beardy man on oseberg cart. look at the representation of mail on his neck, and jowls. The hat is either a helm, or padded arming cap, over a mail coif. Or else a helm , with maille aventail.
I thought it looked like a cap over wavy hair.
“the Bayeux tapestry (in aside) it’s an embroidery, but still, whatever” (13:09) As an avid embroiderer and seamstress, I love it that you made that distinction. :)
Speaking of the Ragnar hairstyle, the undercut with the ponytail/man bun has more kinship in style to North American native tribes like the Mohawk and other Eastern Woodlands tribes. The styles were done very well (in my opinion at least) in Last Of The Mohicans for a visual aide. Which is where the Ragnar Hair gets a bit problematic for me because taking a tribal hairstyle and plunking it on a "viking" is at the least a bit ignorant but when I see it on reenactors who, frankly, just should know better it gets more than a bit iffy.
Considering there are people swearing upon their dead mothers' that cornrows and locs are viking hairstyles, you really can see a pattern.
Thank you for saying it! So much this! Taking what ever non Christian things they can find and slapping it to what they want to be viking. Uuuggghhh. I could rant forever about this.
TV dresses all non xtians or “barbarians” as punk rockers. Linen tunics are dull, Vivienne Westwood makes interesting fashion. So they just do that. Maybe mix in some more fashion along the way.
@@thegreenmage6956 it’s not racist to say that viking reenactors shouldn’t claim cultural heritage that they have zero evidence for when black people have been discriminated for it for centuries
@@idasvenning3892 And problematic situations aside, its just lazy! Its like giving one of these "vikings" a bowie knife instead of a saex. If you've put the time and care into reenacting and something can be proven and documented that its the wrong time and place then fix it. I thought we were all here because we loved history, not to LARP!
To be fair, the fictionalized history of Vikings is probably the closest thing to history that can be found on the history channel these days (ancient aliens, pawn shops, custom cars, and junk-pickers)
I haven't had access to cable in about a decade and it was pretty much just as bad back then if Im remembering right. My stepfather watched like 3 channels and History was one. The only real history it showed beyond the junk was almost entirely war focused... which is why he liked it.
Ugh... Knight Fight...
History is basically just bro-sciences.
Like stores that specialize in antiques or vintage items I can kind of get because a lot of neat historical items can make their way into those things but they focus on a single pawnshop located in Vegas...
@@khaxjc1 My dad used to watch the History Channel a lot when I was really young in the early 2000s. It was mostly war stuff. Then I guess the channel suffered "network decay" and turned into dude-bro reality TV shows. He liked Ancient Aliens though.
@@starspeculation Ancient Aliens. A show where a bunch of white stoners look at ancient architecture and go "No way they could've made that. Totally must've been aliens."
TH-camrs vs People With Preconceived Notions: A Tale As Old As Time.
Head, meet brick wall (sometimes)
@@TheWelshViking Head also meet axe. (Thanks Egil)
I totally agree that it was probably hard to tell what the fashion was. My husband is Mohawk but not every native wore a Mohawk. They did it as a warrior to look fierce in a battle. Also centuries ago who shaved their heads constantly...hygiene wasn't always convenient 🙄.
I'm from Oneida. WWII Aviators wore Mohawks when bombing the enemy. My son wore a Mohawk which they renamed a Warhawk while fighting in Afghanistan. It's a proud heritage that lives on
Exactly! 👍
Still giving some of my elves Suebian knots, even though their setting's more 11th century based. They're elves, if anyone's going to be walking around with hairdos a few centuries out of date, it's probably them...
Excellent
Your insistence upon historical rigor delights me. I can't prove that nobody ever did something, I can only cite the rare examples where they did do a thing at least once. This simple concept is so difficult for some to grasp. My real concern is the widespread inability to grasp it. :)
I can picture how many years from now people might laugh at us for taking a hairdo depicted in a telly show as historical fact pretty much exactly how we ended up putting horns on viking helmets based on a victorian opera
"dyed pink, half shaved... pixie cut" I'm feeling called out
I think I learned of you from Bernadette Banner. I’m such a history nerd and therefore love your content.
It's always a pleasure to see how well you do your research! I've been in uni for a while so I'm sometimes hesitant to go for a master's degree but whenever I see someone so well-researched and who knows their stuff it's making me want to pursue it ahah
Thank you for the respect that you always give to the fiber crafts.
The Deep Wisdom is worthy of it
i use a mohawk and beard since 2014 AND all the time i get people trying to make me watch Vikings and i haven't ...so my family told me a year ago "why don't you grow more hair...your mohawk is kinda thin, it would look better with more hair" and i did and NOW i see why! gotta say i do look cool but everytime someone ask about my style i'd say "IT'S CALLED HANDSOME ORC AND I AM SLAYIN IT! WITH AN AXE"
greetings from Chile.
Aguante lxs que luchan.
I did American Civil War reenacting. I learned that the two things you can never say are “always” and “never”.
You got me with the tunic building, but kept me with this kind of content. I already got what I needed sewing wise, but I can never get enough of your historical commentary vids!
Oh, YES!!! Ranty brought-all-the-receipts Jimmy for the WIN!!!!
*fills room with receipts* GIMME MY MONEY BACK
This dispelling of nonsense fuels me.
Excellent vid.
pretty sure if Vikings had access to my sick blue hair dye they'd be all over it. Imagine rocking up in mediæval Denmark with bright blue hair.
Sensation!
"Holy Mother of God, where did you get this _magnificient_ shade from? Is that woad?"
Witch!
The pandemic has rendered the use of the word "sick" to mean "good" utterly passe. It was a weird affectation to begin with, and only gained passing currency among the callow who had never experienced real illness.
@@johannageisel5390 yes, it is woad.
@@Tipi_Dan Okay Mr intellectual, I'm sure common language can change to fit your views if you try hard enough
The man bun sound effects... 🤣 Thanks as always for the legit evidence!
All of this is fantastic. My only thought (experimental archeology style-y) would be that if you have long enough hair for it to get in your eyes or mouth, at some point you will try to pull it out of there. So if Vikings had long hair, they probably pulled it back. Y'know, in some way, some how. Making no claims about anything else, like how they did it.... Jimmy is the expert on that!!
That's why I'm always so angry with female superheros with long flowing locks... Try to fight with that! It's not practical! Long haired people will tie the hair somehow when they are doing something that requires a lot of movement!
@@giualonso female superheroes drawn by men.
The worst I've seen is Wonderwoman fighting in the swimsuit with stilleto heels... in three foot deep snow.
This was my thought also. That for work or fighting it would have to be contained in some way?!?! Just out sensibility/safety.
@@giualonso I've read that Galadriel used to put her hair up on her head like a crown when she engaged in athletics. The elven lady is sensible.
Giu Alonso same with stories where there is some kind of disaster or action happening. No way are any of the long haired woman I know ignoring finding something to hold their hair out of the way the first chance they get if their is stuff going on let alone serious fighting, survival work, or what have you. If they cant find something they would try using then hair itself to tie up the bulk of it. or hacking it off. I would like to see a stories where while looking for supplies or evidence or a secret key or what have you, instead of just brushing her hair behind her ear when it falls in her face the woman grabs a pencil off the desk and makes do with stabling a twist or bun to hold it back or grabbing a bit of string to make due or something where they actually fix the problem.
In comparison Ive noticed the long haired guys portrayed in these situations usually either start off with their hair up, come prepared to put it up, or it gets cut at some point. But the girls have to keep theirs. Like they would be too precious about it or something? My friends hair was growing out with the pandemic and it tickled her neck one time to many one day so she went to the bathroom and hacked it off. Ky grand,other regularly cuts her hair when it annoys her. Why in the world wouldn't this be an option for someone frustrated and fighting for their life and not needing to deal with one more thing?
Ye GODS that norman haircut bayeaux picture is hideous. I didn't think it was possible to get worse than tonsures. (To be fair the the Vikings interpretation doesn't look as bad)
From the description I immediately thought of the Chelsea haircut.
If feel like there are a lot of haircuts and styles that if drawn look bonkers but actually can be decent in real life if done well and suited to the person. When they aren't done well and aren't suited is generally what we imagine though.
On Vikings they used the very ancient technique of a fade to connect the disparate lengths. (And it is a Look).
Tonsures can often be very effective at protecting your chastity more often than not, but I do like the thin halo tonsures that rest at a 30* angle from the temples. Punkest haircut in the church
Norman haircuts can be just as iffy, but to a lesser extent. It all depends on the angle of the sides vs the shape of one’s cranium.
They both seem to go great with GREAT BIG BUSHY BEARDS!
Oh Sir, I must admit, I enjoy so much, not noly the knowledge you impart, but your delightful humor! Thank you.
Great stuff; I really liked the inclusion of the stone (which I'm not sure how to spell the name of) with the "Big bad man" hair! One of my favourite things in art, history, and art history is children's/general "Outsider" art (basically drawings by people who didn't take drawing classes), because it preserves a really neat other perspective on the world. Which reminds me, have you ever seen Onfim of Novgorod's drawings? Because they're really cute and they're some of my favourite drawings like ever.
Also, this was a really funny video, the surprise man bun really got me lmao
I saw a vid on Onfim, his drawings are so awesome!! I totally agree about "outsider art"- I worked with people with intellectual disabilities & it was so cool & interesting to see people's take on art when they don't have much or any concept of how or what they "should" be drawing (or whatever), or that what they're drawing has to be "good". Like young kids before society pushes those ideas on them, & it's kinda sad how it affects people, holding them back... "Big bad man hair" is totally a thing! It reminded me of my 3yo niece's drawing of an "angry man"- & a "ladder man", & that's exactly the kind of cool stuff you draw if you don't think there are rules about it :D
Good video. I've had an undercut since '98/'99 and started Viking reenactment in 2005. No one has ever said anything about about my hair. Thankfully the leather lamellar mob get all the criticism.
Jimmy: this is a really cool hairstyle but unfortunately we don't have any evidence to say that it's historically accurate
The internet: STOP TELLING ME WHAT HAIRSTYLE I SHOULD HAVE YOU MONSTER
You absolutely wowed me with your analysis. Your incredible perception and historical knowledge make for a well articulated insight. Thanks for keeping it real. I wonder what historians 1000 years from now will describe your hair style as and what they think it means
The intro......😂😂😂 startin' off naughty I see! Hope you have recovered a little from your run by now 😁.
Great video! Thanks for bringing to the forefront "It's a hobby! Chill out!". Being involved in the hobbies I am (perhaps too many) I truly wish more folks would come to terms with it. Seriously, they never shut off and keep an intensity that is down right aggressive. I'm grateful I came across your videos as I dove into Viking era.
It's also always jarring to see one's job/area of study treated as a hobby. People going around making slime in their kitchen don't start refuting chemists with 40 years of experience, yet History is treated like some sort of communal pet-theory dumping ground and recreational brothel
@@ABAlphaBeta I see your point. I'd be hesitant to state that people experimenting in their kitchens don't attempt to refute chemists. I have a feeling there aren't many fields out there that aren't also someone's hobby/side interest etc. Sadly, you're not wrong in History being made into what it has been. My statement of "diving into the Viking era" equates to love of learning and doing something new with joy coming from years of study by those MUCH more learned than I on the topics.
14:58 I remember I was chatting to this guy and when I said "It's a fantasy show" he just couldn't get over it. He told me with these exact words in some messages: Do you know that it is made by the History Channel, right? They have all evidence. Too little things are wrong, but of course, you don't know that!
And then I was: darling Ragnar Lothbrok is supposed to be 6 guys at the same time-
The Vikings is about as historically accurate as The Life of Brian is Biblically accurate.
yes, or Reign
I'm glad you made this video I'm so interested in viking lore and Norse mythology but obviously internet is not a great place to get my information so to hear real lore from an actual person that actually knows is really cool.
Here's also something that is tough about trying to know vikings hairstyles: Most of what the vikings themselves wrote down is gone, if they even did write all that much down, and most sources about vikings comes from the places where they raided, settled and so on. It is also worth noting that the vikings came from large areas (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), and populated large areas, so certain hairstyles could be wildly popular in one place, but not at all in another.
I do, however, seem to recall having read/heard somewhere, from a seemingly more credible source, that vikings actually wore braids when going to war/fights in order to keep it away from their face. Now, the exact style of the braids can be somewhat less trusted, I believe, but I seem to recall the description of 1 or 2 braids being made on each side of the forehead, and those tied back in a ponytail, with a possibly even larger braid being formed in the back. Again, the exact style is probably not as accurate, but this doesn't seem unfeasible.
Furthermore, it was believed that the first thing to signal ragnarok would be that Hel finished her ship Nagelfarr. A ship made from discarded hair (and nail clippings). This meant that vikings have used hair that was cut off in other stuff, for example weaving and such, because then Hel couldn't use it for Nagelfarr, and they would push ragnarok back. I find it hard to believe that vikings would favor shaven areas of their head, as it is difficult to control such small hairs, and they would therefore be helping Hel. There is of course the possibility that they would get a certain hair length and then shave parts of their head clean. But then the shaven head is only there for a short amount of time.
If there's a source on the braiding that's from the Viking age I'm not aware of it.
I'm also not aware of many, if any, significant finds of human hair in woven textiles, but happy to be shown some!
@@TheWelshViking I'll see if I can find the text I read regarding the braids.
I'll be honest about the woven stuff. As I wrote it, I was convinced that I had read or seen it somewhere. However, now it's taken into question, I am not 100% confident that I have seen exactly that.
I am still certain about the stories of nagelfarr, and the vikings therefore had reason to not discard hair, and therefore not trim short hair regularly. But as for what exactly they did with their hair instead of discarding it, I actually can't tell you for certain.
No idea how I got here but this was fun! Thanks for the rant on viking hair! I always wondered why the main impression movies were trying to convey made me think that viking spent a ton of time in the waiting for battle doing their hair or shaving all the "fancy" into there heads and braiding.
'Please don't think I'm a Tory!'
Hahaha, amazing
this whole video reminded me of "mara and the firebringer" bc a character describes such a hairdo on loki and a norse mythology professor goes OFF on that "i genuinely recommend the movie AND BOOKS, they were written with a lot of research and input of an actual professor on the subject)
fun video! loved it, currently binge watching your videos i havent watched yet
You are going to make a wonderful grumpy old man some day your rants are wondrous 🤣 isn't althetico mince
PINT FOR YOU!
Watching your vids again as they pop up in the recommends... comment for the algo. Very cool that you play the cello, such a beautiful instrument. Haunting.
As usual love your stuff. And I agree the wood head has long hair and is wearing a skull cap.
I do love your videos, no matter what you're talking about, they always make me feel happy. Apart from the one about having to leave your flat. Really hope that disaster has now been fixed and that you're safely back at home! :D
"Consult your Armorer" is going to be the name of my next punk album
thanks, Jimmy!!!
This video popped up in my suggestions, and I'm too lazy to browse for one right now, but I'd love to see your take on the geography of Vikings :'D
Good to see someone doing an effort to bust myths about The Viking Age and the Norse people and culture, will definitely give your channel a go! :)
The Norman haircut in the tapestry is giving me og skinhead girl vibes like Lol from This Is England.
As a fellow historian, I must say I greatly appreciate your videos! I must admit that part of me is often peeved at historical inaccuracies when I watch history themed or inspired movies and shows. Sometimes, I just cry out "WHYYYYYY!?!?!" when it wouldn't have taken any more effort to use the appropriate names, fashions, architecture, etc. But, on the other hand, there is some merit to these productions as they can foster interest towards the Past from which we historians and archeologist can build on to educate people.
Cheers!
Do also keep in mind that historical accuracy is always in the cost of artistic freedom. While I get your feeling, that designer would probably also be going "WHYYYYYY!?!?!" when they have a crystal clear vision of what they want to do and are instead spending their time researching historical documentation for anything that fits the vision. So in the end it is a lot more effort and limitations the designers have to put themselves through than you might think, especially the further back in history we go.
This was very fun to watch. Have you watched Silvousplaits videos on historical viking hairstyles? She had one for men, one for women, and it was really neat. Be kinda cool to see you react to that.
Some time ago, I saw a video on this subject where a period tapestry from down south somewhere was pointed to. If I recall correctly there was a depiction of a Longship replete with Vikings standing on deck. Their hair cuts were more reminiscent of Moe Howard of the THREEE STOOGES than anything I saw on Vikings.
That sounds… vaguely like the Oseberg tapestry? Maybe?
I love how relatable you make history. And the man bun thing made me cackle 😆
You had me intrigued with the historical hairstyles, you persuaded me to subscribe with the opportunity to learn more Welsh
I adore your content so much :) I love learning this kind of stuff and love how you cover every facet of their culture! Can't wait to see what other norse stuff I can learn from you in the future :)
The subtitles actually being named soybean knots is an entire mood tbh. I feel like if I tried to wear it today it could legit bear that name.
My hubby wore the Norman haircut to an SCA event once. I thought it was bad ass! Thanks for doing another one of these haircut videos. I love your stuff and thoroughly enjoy the fact that you know what the hell you're talking about! 😀😀
I keep seeing SCA - where I come from it stands for Society for California Archaeology. Would you mind telling me what it stands for in this context?
@@jennifermccrary1570 Society for Creative Anachronism, "an inclusive community pursuing research and re-creation of pre-seventeenth century skills, arts, combat and culture".
'Please don't think i'm a tory' LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! don't worry we know what you mean!!
Here I thought he was actually a 17th century Irish rebel...
A Welsh tory must exist but I hope to never meet one.
I remember reading the letter to Brother Eadward in a translation excercise during my Old English intro course at university.
I'd be interested to know if Æthelwith's letter was in letter was in OE or Latin (I would assume the latter) because OE actually divided the 'neck' into two parts hneccan (the back of the neck) and heals (the front of the neck & throat) so if were writing in OE he could be more specific than simply 'neck'.
I believe it was OE and he said hneccan, but dqm
Thank you for making Viking history so accessible (like when you explain notable finds that are probably common knowledge to Viking enthusiasts but aren't common knowledge for people who are interested in other periods)!
Your mention of Loki brought up a question for me about Viking/Norse conceptions of gender: a lot of people portray Loki as genderqueer in modern interpretations (which I really like!), so I was wondering if there is any historical account of Loki where they are genderqueer or outside of the gender binary. Do we even know enough about Norse conceptions of gender to interpret that aspect of Loki's character?
Not an expert, Loki was Sleipnir's mother. I think there are a few other stories where Loki was female bodied.
What I do find fascinating, Odin's masculinity was challenged due to his connection with Seidhr.
Loki gave birth more than once I think. And he was also a practitioner of magic work, which was more of a woman’s thing. This is super bad in the Norse world because crossing gender lines could get you divorced, killed, shunned, or whatever. Argr/ergi was an insult implying lesser masculinity on a man, and you could fight someone to death for the dishonor of saying it.
(This is all what I vaguely remember about studying loki when I first started working with him)
@@kitdubhran2968 Yes. I should have mentioned that 'seidhr' was magic work.
I find it more interesting that the Allfather had his masculinity challenged than a trickster by learning magic/seidhr.
Maybe this video might be of interest to you, Gracie: th-cam.com/video/nHHxLnnrwcE/w-d-xo.html
I cannot vouch for its correctness and it does not quite answer the question you had, but it's in this direction, so I thought I'd share it.
And now Id be very interested in a video about "Viking" ideas of masculinity and gender stereotypes. Given how people use history and "days when men were real men" to support inaccurate and toxic thinking its always nice to have a little more insight into how these perceived standards have changed with time. I always love to bring up that high heels and tights was considered mens fashion not so long ago in the scope of human history.
You play the cello? You have very good taste, Sir 😉
Could you talk about music and musical instruments from the viking period at some point? In my music history classes everything between ancient greece and the Renaissance was left out, because there aren't any written sources. I would love to learn about the finds and what music could possibly have sounded like. 😃
I happen to have developed the "Ragnarok" haircut over time. just cut I get hot but I also like having long hair, so best of both worlds. but I tend to get viking references aimed at me and it takes every bit of self restraint I have not to just yell "wrong!" at people
Cello gang! :D
Cool that there actually is some preserved hair! I get the impression that most things not made of metal or bone has more or less returned to mother nature so everything is an interpretation. My favourite was finding an image from a researcher suggesting that the hängselkjol (sorry, it's getting late and my English eludes me) is open at the front and the brooches sit right on top of the breasts which makes the whole outfit a tad more suggestive (but also makes more sense actually). Waiting to see more people rocking that look hehe.
Bog body talk and picture while Im eating? Not fun.
An Avatar The Last Air Bender reference showing up with a pic from the cactus shenanigans? Oh so much fun. ( 8:54 )
The flash of a certain fictional vampire while discussing brother Edward? Great for a chuckle. ( 11:20 )
This video as a whole with all its learning fun, humor, personality, and general care to correct misinformation without being an ass? Such a wonderful ride and greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly for it. I particularly loved the little rant about historical accuracy in reenacting and how 100% accuracy just isn't going to happen. I keep hearing some variety of historically adequate for the purpose/occasion and I think that is a better way of thinking of things. Also loved that it was pointed out that yes, some person or people could have worn a hair style but that doesnt mean it was common or a trend. Its nice to be reminded that peoples of bygone times were no more a monolith than those of today.
The Swabian knot = the Osterby comb over ;)
Buggered if I know how anyone thinks there’s an undercut in that style *is confused*
Fact is, any culture that has long hair will braid it....it’s practicality for heavens sake. You can’t have long flowing locks everywhere unless you also want to have long flowing flames!! It’s very hard to delineate the difference between hair, and fabric and skin in an engraving or picture given the stylistic restrictions of the time
Also........Jimmy as a Tory...........*head explodes*
Oh and now you’ve admitted to musicianship, you gotta play...it’s the law.
I love that he said nothing any historical reenactor does is perfectly accurate because he's right we can't use the exact same materials in the exact same way because we just don't have them
I had a theory of the Norman style "short back hair" was due to increased use of chain maille. As maille reduced making way for more plate, you can see correlation in changing longer hairstyles. It's just my opinion but logical 🤔
I love that you play cello. Do you play a specific type of music?
I refuse to appear gloveless if I'm badly flailing with my sword (or near others flailing) because I need my hands for art and music and sewing and creating and all the unpaid things I'm into.
Thank you for the video 💚💚 mouldy hearts for you.
I learned classical and baroque, but these days I'm trying to improve my folk and klezmer abilities :D
@@TheWelshViking Ooh lovely. Just branching out into "folk" myself.
@@TheWelshViking klezmer! Yessssssss
Great video as ever bud and regards to the Norman haircut in vikings there were several other characters in season one with that style too
Brilliant and funny. As an archaeologist, I found this humerus (bwa ha ha) and a great advertisement for authenticity (and my chosen occupation). Full disclosure, I am also a re-enactor (late Medieval) in Phoenix Arizona, so I get it.
Brilliant , always enjoy your clarification, pronunciation and humor....
I love the "thanks actual Vikings" bit! Perfectly said 😂
The undercut has been fashionable for these past ten years, maybe slightly less, maybe more. But it's not a haircut I've ever seen attributed to Vikings before the last decade or so. I simply think that styles (of hair, clothes, accessories, etc) are projected onto historical figures depending on what's popular aesthetically at the time in which the depiction is done. Which is why, when you watch, say, a 1950s movie set in the 1860s, the actors look like they're straight out of the 1950s in spite of allegedly wearing Victorian costumes and dos. In the future we'll probably think "Vikings" has a quintessentially 2010s style.
Nice Yarm helmet in the background!
EDIT: Oh, you even mention it at the end. ^^'
Absolutely of topic but I love that you play the cello😊. Like the rest of the video to, as usual👍
I can see how the one from the stone with Loki might be interpreted as a Ragnar cut; the plait sticks out quite a bit from his head, as it would if it were positioned higher on his head (note how far Ragnar's braid sticks out in the images of him in this video). However, this is nothing more than Rorschach archaeology; the carving hardly has the detail to definitively say what it was meant to show, so people see it how they want to.
It's really good to see some proper sources being explored, and some good wholesome reenactor vibes being promoted!
Hair Island by Steve McClaren, thank you for this amusing ear worm. Bluing your helmet, not wanting it to be shiny and blind your enemies? I have period correct hair now, its down to my lower back, thank you Pandemic (its been growing for over a decade prior to the end of the world). Wanting to do some hair taping and figure out that process of awesome goodness.
Pint for you amd your fabulous hair!
Have you seen Morgan Donner’s video on hair taping? It’s what got me to give it a try!
I am so happy I found your channel..I am Welsh (Direct descendant from Gilbert "the Red" de Clare of Caerphilly Castle) I have just subscribed & looking forward to watch your other historically accurate info. Diolch & Cymrae Am Byth!!
People tried to give Ragnar's haircut an historical "label" by pointing at the "Suebenknoten" (German knot), I got this right, didn't I?
1st century B.C. and 1st century A.D. in southern Germany are _NOT_ the same as 10th century A.D. in northern Europe.
List of original haircuts of the Viking age:
1. Bald
2. "Buzzed"
3. Short natural
4. Medium natural
5. Long natural
6. Extra long natural
7. Norman style
8. Pony tail
9. Wrapped pony tail
Tonsure, Celtic Tonsure, Romanesque, Plaited and curled, plaited, laid across the head, bowl cut
Now I have "Norman style" from Horrible Histories stuck in my head 🙃
We've got bad hair cos of the chainmail that we wear...
This. Is Norman Style.
My thought on the tonsure - the aim of the tonsure is to promote the feeling of the monk having wisdom, how do people get wisdom - with age (in theory :-) ) So the tonsure is used to emulate greater age. Therefore in men, you can do this by copying male pattern baldness. In the Mediteranian men tend to get a bald patch that spreads with age. In Britain & Ireland men tended to recede from the front. This is why, to my mind, the two styles of tonsure may have developed. Obviously this isn't an absolute rule but growing up in Melbourne where there is a very strong Greek/Italian community I notice this difference compared to those men obviously of British/Irish decent. (I think it was Ceasar or Tacitus commented on Druids using the celtic tonsure so there's another thing the church stole from an earlier tradition)
Actually thinking about it, maybe that's where the Norman cut is coming from to show how young a man is, hey look I can shave the back of my head and I've still got hair!
So, what you’re saying is that Ælfric doesn’t like the reverse mullet?
Also, I remember kids that I went to school with back in the 90s that had pretty much that exact reverse mullet! It was shaved short everywhere except for the fringe.
It looked terrible, so I’m with Ælfric on this one- reverse mullets look atrocious!
Agreed
I liked your comment for the smile it brought me but generally I have found whether a style works depends on the head it grows from and what the person is wearing. Plus, most teenage boys in the 90s weren't so great at styling their hair. They managed to make decent cuts look dopey.
The reverse mullets of the 90s I knew also had the fringe bleached to really make it look that bit more hideous 😆
I camefor a hair rant, and was not disapointed. Keep up the good work.
choking on my spit and swearing it's not the rona is kinda the story of the last year for me
Another good one! Once again, interesting. I think the hbo(hbo?) Vikingr haircut is silly. I was always told to have your hair cut like that is thrall. If you want to be thrall or thought of then shave like this. I used to rock the 'emo' ha..left side was shaved a bit but the top fell to the right. That was back in the late 90s. Now my hair is like..if billy conolly stuck a wet knife in a toaster. 100% this video. I especially like what you say about historical accuracies. Well said my friend