Difference between revisions of "Fur & Feathers"

From The Viking Age Compendium
Jump to: navigation, search
m (→‎Fur)
m
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{Stars1}}
 
{{Stars1}}
−
===Fur===
+
 
 +
We have a few good literary sources describing the kinds of furs traded during the Viking Age.
 +
*The Voyage of Ohthere from King Alfred's Orosius. Othere was from Halgoland and traded via Hedeby to London. He described the tribute paid to him by the Finlanders as:<br>
 +
:"Everyone pays according to his substance; the wealthiest many amongst them pays only the skins of fifteen martens, five reindeer skins, one bear's skin, ten bushels of feathers, a cloak of bear's or otter's skin, two ship-ropes (each sixty ells long), one made of whale's and the other of seal's skin." [HAKLUYT 1893:p.178]<br>
 +
:Owen-Crocker describes the Finlanders tribute as "bear or otter skin cyrtles" [OWEN-CROCKER 1998:p36]<br>
 +
*Al-Mukaddasi, Shams Al-Deen Abu Abdallah. 985AD "fur of steppe foxes, martens, foxes, beavers, spotted hares and goats" HOWARD-JOHNSTON 1998:p.69]
 +
<br>
 +
A few archeological sites have turned up a number of finds of fur.
 +
*Birka, Sweden: 90 fragments of fur and 100 feathers [HAGG 1986:p.52] were found. Geijer reports of the following types of fur being found: Squirrel (grave 507), Marten (grave 557), Beaver (graves 539, 619, 956, 968). These pieces for fur were probably used as decoration on womens clothing. [GEIJER 1983: p.133] [HAGG 1986: p. 65]<br>
 +
 
 +
===Bear===
 +
{{Evidence
 +
|Art
 +
|Literature =
 +
*The Voyage of Ohthere: a cloak of bear's or otter's skin
 +
|Archaeology
 +
|Discussion
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Beaver===
 +
{{Evidence
 +
|Art
 +
|Literature =
 +
*The Voyage of Ohthere
 +
*Al-Mukaddasi
 +
|Archaeology =
 +
*Birka, Sweden: Beaver (graves 539, 619, 956, 968)
 +
|Discussion
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Boar===
 +
{{Evidence
 +
|Art
 +
|Literature
 +
|Archaeology =
 +
*Birka, Sweden: The boar bristles found in grave 739 were probably from a brush. [GEIJER 1983: p.133]
 +
|Discussion
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Goats===
 +
{{Evidence
 +
|Art
 +
|Literature =
 +
*Al-Mukaddasi
 +
|Archaeology
 +
|Discussion
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Martin===
 +
{{Evidence
 +
|Art
 +
|Literature =
 +
*The Voyage of Ohthere
 +
*Al-Mukaddasi
 +
*Doomsday book. 1086AD. Mentions martin skins being imported into Chester [OWEN-CROCKER 1998:p36]
 +
|Archaeology =
 +
*Birka, Sweden: Marten (grave 557)
 +
|Discussion
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Otter===
 +
{{Evidence
 +
|Art
 +
|Literature =
 +
*The Voyage of Ohthere
 +
|Archaeology
 +
|Discussion
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Reindeer===
 +
{{Evidence
 +
|Art
 +
|Literature =
 +
*The Voyage of Ohthere
 +
|Archaeology
 +
|Discussion
 +
}}
 +
 
  
  
Line 15: Line 92:
 
:Unspun sheeps fleece, probably from a sheepskin blanket, was found in two further graves (731, 942)<br>
 
:Unspun sheeps fleece, probably from a sheepskin blanket, was found in two further graves (731, 942)<br>
 
:The boar bristles found in grave 739 were probably from a brush. [GEIJER 1983: p.133]
 
:The boar bristles found in grave 739 were probably from a brush. [GEIJER 1983: p.133]
−
 
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
|Discussion
 
|Discussion
−
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 31: Line 106:
  
 
|Archaeology=
 
|Archaeology=
−
*Birka, Sweden: Feathers or downs were found in 2 graves (597, 825) [GEIJER 1938: p.133]
+
*Birka, Sweden: Feathers or downs were found in 2 graves (597 duck, 825) [GEIJER 1938: p.133]
  
  

Revision as of 18:31, 17 July 2013

Fur & Feathers


Completion Rating
This article's completion rating is 1 out of 5. Article planned for future work. No real progress to date.
Completion Rating
This article's completion rating is 1 out of 5. Article planned for future work. No real progress to date.

We have a few good literary sources describing the kinds of furs traded during the Viking Age.

  • The Voyage of Ohthere from King Alfred's Orosius. Othere was from Halgoland and traded via Hedeby to London. He described the tribute paid to him by the Finlanders as:
"Everyone pays according to his substance; the wealthiest many amongst them pays only the skins of fifteen martens, five reindeer skins, one bear's skin, ten bushels of feathers, a cloak of bear's or otter's skin, two ship-ropes (each sixty ells long), one made of whale's and the other of seal's skin." [HAKLUYT 1893:p.178]
Owen-Crocker describes the Finlanders tribute as "bear or otter skin cyrtles" [OWEN-CROCKER 1998:p36]
  • Al-Mukaddasi, Shams Al-Deen Abu Abdallah. 985AD "fur of steppe foxes, martens, foxes, beavers, spotted hares and goats" HOWARD-JOHNSTON 1998:p.69]


A few archeological sites have turned up a number of finds of fur.

  • Birka, Sweden: 90 fragments of fur and 100 feathers [HAGG 1986:p.52] were found. Geijer reports of the following types of fur being found: Squirrel (grave 507), Marten (grave 557), Beaver (graves 539, 619, 956, 968). These pieces for fur were probably used as decoration on womens clothing. [GEIJER 1983: p.133] [HAGG 1986: p. 65]

Bear

Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere: a cloak of bear's or otter's skin

Archaeology
--
Discussion
--

Beaver

Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere
  • Al-Mukaddasi

Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: Beaver (graves 539, 619, 956, 968)

Discussion
--

Boar

Art
--
Literature
--
Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: The boar bristles found in grave 739 were probably from a brush. [GEIJER 1983: p.133]

Discussion
--

Goats

Art
--
Literature

  • Al-Mukaddasi

Archaeology
--
Discussion
--

Martin

Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere
  • Al-Mukaddasi
  • Doomsday book. 1086AD. Mentions martin skins being imported into Chester [OWEN-CROCKER 1998:p36]

Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: Marten (grave 557)

Discussion
--

Otter

Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere

Archaeology
--
Discussion
--

Reindeer

Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere

Archaeology
--
Discussion
--


Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere from King Alfred's Orosius. Othere was from Halgoland and traded via Hedeby to London. He described the tribute paid to him by the Finlanders as:
"Everyone pays according to his substance; the wealthiest many amongst them pays only the skins of fifteen martens, five reindeer skins, one bear's skin, ten bushels of feathers, a cloak of bear's or otter's skin, two ship-ropes (each sixty ells long), one made of whale's and the other of seal's skin." [HAKLUYT 1893:p.178]
Owen-Crocker describes the Finlanders tribute as "bear or otter skin cyrtles" [OWEN-CROCKER 1998:p36]
  • Doomsday book. 1086AD. Mentions martin skins being imported into Chester [OWEN-CROCKER 1998:p36]
  • Al-Mukaddasi, Shams Al-Deen Abu Abdallah. 985AD "fur of steppe foxes, martens, foxes, beavers, spotted hares and goats" HOWARD-JOHNSTON 1998:p.69]

Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: Geijer reports of the following types of fur being found: Squirrel (grave 507), Marten (grave 557), Beaver (graves 539, 619, 956, 968). These pieces for fur were probably used as decoration on womens clothing. [GEIJER 1983: p.133] [HAGG 1986: p. 65]
Unspun sheeps fleece, probably from a sheepskin blanket, was found in two further graves (731, 942)
The boar bristles found in grave 739 were probably from a brush. [GEIJER 1983: p.133]


Discussion
--


Feathers

Art
--
Literature
--
Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: Feathers or downs were found in 2 graves (597 duck, 825) [GEIJER 1938: p.133]



Discussion
--


References

<nocite> GEIJER1938 HAGG1986 HAKLUYT1893 </nocite> <biblio force=false>#Template:Bib</biblio>

Retrieved from ‘http://www.vikingage.org/wiki/index.php?title=Fur_%26_Feathers&oldid=4300’