Last modified on 29 May 2017, at 16:58

Hats & Hoods (Men)


More Men's Clothing pages

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Completion Rating
This article's completion rating is 2 out of 5. Article structure and content is subject to change as data is still being collected.

Hoods

A covering of cloth for the head and neck with an opening for the face.

Surprisingly there is scant evidence for people wearing hoods during the Viking Age.

Art

  • T64 Harley Psalter f.66v [OWEN-CROCKER 2004:p.264]
  • Gotland, Some figures on the picture stones at Larbo Tangelgarda I and Sanda I, appear to be wearing a hat or hood with a long tail hanging down the back. [TOPLAK 2011: p.65]

Literature

  • hod and possibly Caeppe and cappa although the latter 2 could also mean cap or cape. [OWEN-CROCKER 2004: p.82, 170]
  • cucullus can mean a hood fastened to a garment, for instance a monk's cowl. [OWEN-CROCKER 2004: p.222]
  • Hetta, siðr hattr, siðr höttr [EWING 2007]
  • The word hetta refers to a sperate hood, not attached to another garment, and is used in two contexts in the sagas. The first is kollhetta referring to a hood without long tail, the second being skauthekla which does have the long tail. The Hedeby hood is an example of a skauthekla [TOPLAK 2011: p. 66]

Archaeology

  • Denmark, Hedeby, The remains of a hood were found made of dark brown 2/2 twill (0.3-0.4mm thick), which originall would have been covered in tufts of wool giving it a fur-like appearance. The fragment is 55x20cm big and represents the back of a hood from the shoulders up to the top. The hood had a liripipe, 14cm wide where it attaches and now 15cm long but the original length can not be determined. The liripipe was made from one folded over piece of cloth. the hood was also folded along the top, sewn up the back and had a small dart (8cm at widest point) inserted at the bottom. However, Hagg is of the opinon this was open fronted hood that would have been attached to a coat, cloak or bodywarmer, and may have been used together with the felt animal face masks found in the harbour [HAGG 1991]:p. 55-60
  • Norway, Skjoldehamn, wool hood [LOVLID 2009]

Evidence from other periods

  • Germany, Thorsberg (C4th)
  • Scotland, Orkney, wool fringed hood(215-615AD)
  • Germany, Bernuthsfeld (680–775AD)
  • Greenland,

Discussion
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Hoods with a lining
Currently with have no evidence for lined hoods.

Hoods made from leather
Currently with have no evidence for leather hoods.

Conical hat

The most typical depiction of head wear in the Viking Age as that of a simple cone [EWING 2007]:p.117.
Art

Literature
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Archaeology
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Discussion
Although it is not possible to determine if the depictions are meant to be helmets or hats Ewing seems to think that it is more 'plausible' that they depict hats [EWING 2007]:p.118.
Croom states that in the Roman period the brimless conical hat was known as the 'freedman's cap' or pilleus. In the 1st and 2nd centuries and possibly for longer it was worn by freed slaves to show their improved status. It was also worn on special ceremonies such as funerals or festivals. [CROOM 2000]:p.69


Pillbox cap

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

  • Netherlands (600-900AD)
    • Leens. Two hats were found in Leens. Hat 2 is a pillbox cap. It is made from several pieces of the same diamond twill. It has decorative stitches along the seams. [BRANDENBURGH 2009]:p.68
  • Denmark (old)
    • Hedeby. A fragment (S35) of piled 2/2 twill is from a cap similar in shape to a pillbox, though the exact shape and dimensions could not be determined. It is made of two parts sewn together. The fragment was found in the top layers of a well and dates to around 877. [HAGG 1991]:p.55 [HAGG 2015]:p.57

Discussion
This style of hat was adopted by Roman soldiers from the late 3rd century. Roman pill-box caps could be made from sheepskin, fur as well as possibly from leather. Vegetius writing in the 4th century refers to a pannonian which is probably a pill-box hat. It may also be that a padded type of this hat was used under a soldiers helmet for padding. The pill-box cap became a symbol of the Roman soldier in much the same manner as the Roman military belt and as such was not work by the non-military. [CROOM 2000]:p.69

Forage style cap

Art

  • Dublin, Christchurch: A small human head carved from wood, possibly a gaming piece, dating to the late 11th Century. The 3D head shows very clearly a hat very similar to the Aalsum hat (see below), which sits over the forehead and extends down over the ears and around the back of the neck. [LANG 1988]:p.32 & 84

Literature
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Archaeology

  • Netherlands,4 hats dated to the period 700-1000AD have been identified from the Netherlands by Brandenburgh [BRANDENBURGH 2009].
    • Oostrum (700-900AD): The hat was made from natural white wool which was dyed a light red woven in diamond twill, the decorative stitching was in darker red thread. This hat is similar in shape to the one from Aalsum, being close fitting and extending downwards over ears and back of the neck. [BRANDENBURGH 2009]:p.69
    • Aalsum (500-900AD): This hat is made out of four pieces of different diamond twills. The hat sits close to the head and extends downwards over the ears and the back of the neck. [BRANDENBURGH 2009]:p.66
    • Leens. Two hats were found in Leens. Hat 1 is a cap with and extension down the back of the neck. It is made from 3 pieces of different diamond twills. [BRANDENBURGH 2009]:p.68
    • Rasquert (800-900AD): This hat is made of fine diamond twill. The cap is similar to hat 1 from Leens being close fitting and extending down the back of the neck. [BRANDENBURGH 2009]:p.69

Discussion
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Naalbound hats

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

  • The hat of St. Symeon 1035AD. A naalbound hat that belonged to the saint and became a reliquary, to cure headaches, after his death. It was made of natural brown sheeps wool. Now in the Domschatz in Trier, Germany. [HEYEN 2002]:p.493
  • The hat of St. Bernard of Clarivaux 1152AD. A probably naalbound hat belong to St. Bernard, now kept as a reliquary in a church in Niederwerth, Germany. http://www.bildindex.de/obj20599844.html#

Discussion
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Straw hats

A hat made from plaitted straw, reeds, willow, bast or other vegetable matter.

see the article page Sun hats for a full overview.

Art

  • A later example can be found in Eadwine Psalter, Cambs. Trinity College MS R.17.1 f.?? c.1147AD

Literature

  • Odin is described as wearing as wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a blue coat in the C13th Bagler Sagas. This may refer to a straw hat.

Archaeology

  • Russia, Novgorod. A hat made of roots 'in the manner of a rush hat' and 'shaped like a straw hat' [EWING 2007]:p.120 This hat does however date to the 14th C, which is a bit late for evidence of straw hats in the viking age. There is also the alternative interpretation that this is a bowl rather than a hat. http://historic.ru/books/item/f00/s00/z0000170/st025.shtml

Discussion
It is very unlikely that any straw item would survive to be found. Always on poor people. This kind of hat was depicted in use during the Roman period and again in the C12th. It is likely that such a simple hat was in use by common agricultural workers throughout the Viking Age.

Felt hats

A hat made from compressed animal fibers Art
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Literature
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Archaeology
Fragments of felt have been found in the Hedeby settlement and harbour, but none complete enough to be identified as a specific item (besides one of the two animal masks). Hagg does say that it is possible that the lighter, finer felt was used for caps and hats, while the thicker felt may have been used as saddle cloths. [HAGG 1984]:p.194 [HAGG 1991]:p.99 There is supposedly a felt cap from Hessen dating to the Viking Age [HAGG 2015]:p.115
Discussion
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Skull Caps

A brimless tight-fitting cap.
Art

Literature
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Archaeology
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Discussion


Phrygian caps

see Phrygian Caps or Helmets


Birka style hats


... with a fur rim

Art
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Literature

  • Ibn Fadlan's Account of the Rus (c.921AD) “They put a hat of brocade and fur on him [The dead chieftain]”
  • Njals saga and Ljosvetninga saga. Both mention a 'Russian hat' or gerzkr hattr being given as Kings gifts. Ewing suggests that these may have been similar to the hat described by Ibn Fadlan [EWING 2007]:p.119-120

Archaeology
Though there is a lack of evidence for fur hats from archaeology, there is the fragment of a cap, probably of the pill box style, from the Hedeby settlement which was made from a piled fabric (woven fabric with tufts of un-spun, or loosely spun, wool woven or tied into the fabric). This would indicate that fake-fur hats were worn in the Viking Age. [HAGG 1991]:p.59 This hat fragment has been dated to around 877AD [HAGG 2015]:p.133
Discussion
Geijer states that no such thing was found in Birka, but she does quote Ibn Fadlan (in her discussion & comparison) who described the clothing of a dead Swedish Chieftain he met at the Volga. Ibn describes the Swedish Chieftain as having been dressed for burial (among other things) in "a golden hat with sable fur". Geijer does go on to say that this is not typical Swedish Viking clothing but is an example of how men would have picked up and adopted exotic bits of clothing whilst on their travels. Hence the apparent variation in male clothing and uniformity in female clothing found at Birka [GEIJER 1938]:p.150.
Almgren in his 1966 book 'The Viking' was the first person to depict this style of hat being worn by a Viking. He seems to make an argument that this style of hat would have been worn by Hungarian Magyar warriors of the time. He cites Hungarian bridle-bits and Hungarian type stirrups finds from both Birka in Sweden and Trellborg in Denmark as the basis of hos thoery that if the Vikings were using Magyar horse equipment then they would also have adopted their fashion as well. [ALMGREN 1966]:p.228-230


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