By: Aisling Bronach of House Shadow Drake

According to the eddaic poem, Rispula, which dates from approximately the tenth century, the Vikings had three social classes: slaves, free farmers, and warlords. Taking this in mind, the appearance of the Viking would have been reflective of their social class.

Archaeological finds tend to indicate that the Vikings were very well groomed. Among some of the common toilet items that have been found are: decorated combs, ear-scoops, tweezers, and washing bowels. On examination of the bodies of the deceased, wear on the teeth seems to indicate that some form of a toothpick was being utilized. These things were not just common to the nobility, but common to all of Viking society.

A Spanish Arab who visited Hedeby during the tenth century wrote that both men and women used eye make-up. The English chronicler, John of Wallingford, used older sources to assess that Vikings were favorable among the women because they took a bath on Saturdays and combed their hair.

However, contrary to the above, an Arabic emissary named Ibn Fadhlan in the 920's met a group of Vikings on the Volga River, and recorded that:

He further records that the Vikings did wash every morning but used the same water. To a Muslim, these habits would be considered vulgar - a typical religious Muslim would wash everyday before each of the five prayers.

The typical Viking male dress varied considerably in materials, cut, and design. Typical dress might include narrow ankle-length trousers, bell-bottom like trousers, or large plus-fours which would have plus-fours which would have been tied below the knee. These would have all been made of wool and woven in two colors. Trousers such as these were held up by a strap around the waist or long bands tied around the legs. Another type of trousers were shorter, and were usually accompanied by stockings. Also worn would be a tunic or shirt, which might have been accompanied by an undershirt of some type. The tunic would have been trimmed with some form of ornamentation, and a belt might also have been worn with this. The cloak would have been fastened over the right shoulder by a large brooch or tie.

The standard dress of the Viking woman was a dress made of linen or wool, with an overdress resembling a pinafore that was placed over the top. This would overdress would have straps that would have been longer in the back that in the front, and in the front would be attached very large, usually trefoil-shaped or rectangular, brooches over the straps. A chain of beads could be attached between the brooches, and such items as a small knife, scissors, a needle-case, or a key could be attached to that chain. A woman might also typically choose to wear a shawl or a cloak which would be fastened in front with a brooch as well.

Men and women would often display their wealth in the form of neck and arm rings. Most of the arm and neck rings are made from dirkhem which are Arabic coins made of silver. Ibn Fadhlan records in the 920'swhen he met a group of Vikings on the Volga River: