Fur & Feathers

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Evidence sources

Art
--
Literature
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]
Ohthere also says the following about the walruses that lived to the north of Halgoland: "which have very good bone in their teeth; of these teeth they brought some to the king; and their hides are very good for ship ropes".
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]
  • The Saga of Erik the Red. Probably written in the C13th. Describing the prophetess Thorbjorg. "Now, when she came in the evening, accompanied by the man who had been sent to meet her, she was dressed in such wise that she had a blue mantle over her, with strings for the neck, and it was inlaid with gems quite down to the skirt. On her neck she had glass beads. On her head she had a black hood of lambskin, lined with ermine. A staff she had in her hand, with a knob thereon; it was ornamented with brass, and inlaid with gems round about the knob. Around her she wore a girdle of soft hair, and therein was a large skin-bag, in which she kept the talismans needful to her in her wisdom. She wore hairy calf-skin shoes on her feet, with long and strong-looking thongs to them, and great knobs of latten at the ends. On her hands she had gloves of ermine-skin, and they were white and hairy within." http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en


Archaeology
A few archaeological 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 1938: p.133] [HAGG 1986: p. 65]

Discussion
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The tanning process

After the flesh had been removed from the skin and it had been fully cleaned it is then immersed in a bath of fermenting barley or other starchy material. This makes the skin stable but makes the skins susceptible to water damage as the acids can be washed out. Oil, alum and vegetable tanning methods where also used in the same manner as tanning leather. These methods though make the skin tighter and less pliable. [THOMSON 1998:p.8]


The use of untanned hides

Shoes

Shoes made from a single piece of untanned hide where still being worn in the Shetland Isles at the turn of the 20th century. [HALD 1972:p.165] Some of these shoes still retained their hair either on the outside or the inside. Known as 'rivlins' in Scotland, 'skin-sko' in Iceland, 'Cuaran' in Ireland or 'pampooties' in the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland.
Rivlins can be made from almost any large animal. Usually the shoe was made from the freshly slaughtered animal. Apparently the knee of the hide was much favored to form the heel of the shoe.[HALD 1972:p.167]

Ireland 10 finds [HALD 1972:p.156]

Ropes

Ropes or cords of whale, walrus and seal skin are mentioned by Ohthere. The walrus was skinned in a continuous spiral beginning at the tail.
A good site about ship ropes is at Viking Kings AS


Evidence by animal

Bear

Art
--
Literature

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

Archaeology
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Discussion
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Beaver

Art
--
Literature

  • Al-Mukaddasi
  • Code of Welsh Laws by King Howel Dha. c.940AD.

Archaeology

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

Discussion
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Boar

Art
--
Literature
--
Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: The boar bristles found in grave 739 were probably from a brush. [GEIJER 1938: p.133]

Discussion
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Cat

Art
--
Literature
--
Archaeology

  • Norway, Oseburg. Ingstad believes the leather found in the Oseberg ship burial was likely cat skin. [PREHAL 2011:p.28]
  • England, York. "the cat skinning was probably small scale and opportunistic" [O'CONNOR 2003:3233-3234]
  • Scotland, Whithorn. "definite evidence of Norse cat-skinning, and indeed specifically for their fur" NICHOLSON 2013 personal communication. (Reference needed)

Discussion
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Duck

Art
--
Literature
--
Archaeology

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

Discussion
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Ermine

Art
--
Literature

  • Saga of Erik the Red: "a black hood of lambskin, lined with ermine"; "On her hands she had gloves of ermine-skin, and they were white and hairy within."
  • Einhard describing Charlemagne's dress: "In winter he protected his chest and shoulders with a thorax of otterskin and/or ermine." [OWEN-CROCKER 1998:p.39]

Archaeology
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Discussion
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Fox

Art
--
Literature

  • Al-Mukaddasi: "steppe foxes, and foxes"

Archaeology
--
Discussion
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Goat

Art
--
Literature

  • Al-Mukaddasi

Archaeology
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Discussion
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Hare

Art
--
Literature

  • Al-Mukaddasi: "spotted Hares"

Archaeology
--
Discussion
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Martin (Sable)

Art
--
Literature

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

Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: Marten (grave 557)

Discussion
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Otter

Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere: "a cloak of bear's or otter's skin"
  • Einhard describing Charlemagne's dress: "In winter he protected his chest and shoulders with a thorax of otterskin and/or ermine." [OWEN-CROCKER 1998:p.39]

Archaeology
--
Discussion
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Reindeer

Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere: "five reindeer skins"

Archaeology
--
Discussion
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Seal

Art
--
Literature

  • The Voyage of Ohthere: "two ship-ropes (each sixty ells long), one made of whale's and the other of seal's skin"

Archaeology
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Discussion
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Sheep

Although wool is very common this section deals with non-processed sheep wool and hides.
Art
--
Literature
--
Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: Unspun sheeps fleece, probably from a sheepskin blanket, was found in two graves (731, 942)

Discussion
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Squirrel

Art
--
Literature
--
Archaeology

  • Birka, Sweden: Squirrel (grave 507)

Discussion
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References

<nocite> GEIJER1938 HAGG1986 HAKLUYT1893 HALD1972 HARTING1880 HOWARD-JOHNSTON1998 OCONNOR2003 OWEN-CROCKER1998 PREHAL2011 SPRIGGS1998 WIGH1998 </nocite> <biblio force=false>#Template:Bib</biblio>