Women with Visible Hair
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Viking Age Compendium articles on Women's Clothing:
Viking Bareheaded long hair (past shoulder)
Art
A number of picture stones, Oseberg carvings, Valkyrie pendants all seem to show Viking women with exposed long hair.
Literature
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Archaeology
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Discussion
An alternative interpretation is that they depict a long scarf.
Owen-Crocker considers the evidence for Viking art to represent bare hair either worn in a bun or more commonly in a knotted pony tail.
English Women's Visible hair
Small Pins
Art
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Literature
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Archaeology
- York, 4 finds of bone (MACGREGOR, MAINMAN AND ROGERS 1999 p.1949)
- Norfolk, 16 finds (MACGREGOR, MAINMAN AND ROGERS 1999 p.1949)
Discussion
Margeson suggests that these small pins could have been used to secure a veil, head-dress or worn in the hair. (MACGREGOR, MAINMAN AND ROGERS 1999 p.1949)
Leather hair accessory
An almond shaped piece of leather with a pin of bone or wood used to hold a pony tail.
Art
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Literature
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Archaeology
- York, with rolled or moulded ends, late C11th or early C12th. cat.15779 (MOULD, CARLISLE AND CAMERON 2003 p.3411)
- London – Guild Hall, with moulded small cylinder ends. cat. 4375 (MOULD, CARLISLE AND CAMERON 2003 p.3411)
- Dublin, with moulded crescent shaped ends. cat. E711:5193 (MOULD, CARLISLE AND CAMERON 2003 p.3411)
- Gloucester, 1 Westgate Street (9th century): Diamond shaped hair slide 70x40mm of thick well tanned leather. Decorative holes in the centre and one on each end for fastening, which have been stretched by use. Two similar pieces came from the late Saxon deposit at 11-17 Southgate Street, Gloucester. (GOUDGE 1979 p.195)
Discussion
An alternative interpretation of these leather finds is as slings. (MOULD, CARLISLE AND CAMERON 2003 p.3411)
