Lesson 17 - Viking Crafts.
Note: [If you have not done so already, check out last week’s lesson. Visit “Viking History” on my blog to view all of the lessons.]
Komiði sæl og blessuð, vinir,
I have mentioned craft and production quite a bit now, as we have talked about Viking towns and commerce. The Vikings did not only trade things they stole, nor did they only have raw materials to offer. If not already convinced by their ships, the Vikings were tremendously skilled when it came to their art and crafts. However, as we will discuss next week, their art was more practical than the art of “great” civilizations. This lesson is essentially an introduction to the brief Art and Weaponry segment that we are now beginning.
Contents:
1. Who Crafted?
2. Crafting as a Profession
3. Crafting like a “Viking”
4. Textiles
Even before towns, most people knew how to craft, at least to some extent. Items for everyday life were generally made in the home, which was, before towns, the major source for production. If not just at home, crafters would be local or traveling experts, either offering their service to farmsteads nearby or providing a sort of “wandering” service.
When I said everyone crafted, that included women. However, that does not mean it was free from gendered restrictions. Certain crafts were often associated with certain sexes. For example, woodworking and blacksmithing were viewed as male tasks, while weaving and textile production were female tasks. This trend is evident in burials, for the grave goods most often reflect this distinction. Textile production was very time consuming though, so it gave women a way to participate in production and in the “economy.”
Once towns emerged in Scandinavia, crafting gravitated towards a new center. This center moved from the household and into the town, thus providing a spot for year-round production, rather than part-time or even seasonal work. Yet, even those who travelled represented the motion towards crafting as a profession. The Mästermyr Chest from Gotland, Sweden provides interesting insight into the traveling craftsman:
The chest dates to around the year 900 and features a wide variety of tools. It was truly an essential kit for a craftsman. It does not only indicate that these craftsman were traveling, but also gives some potential insight into the types of crafts that these Scandinavians partook in.
So, what did they craft? Well, when they weren’t carving intricate art onto ships and axes, they utilized a variety of materials in order to create pretty “basic” items. By basic, I mean that these items were not typically luxurious, rather they would be used for everyday purposes. Yet, production was still sophisticated, making use of imported materials to use in production. Some crafts, especially amber, was highly desired in regions south of Germany. Here are some of the materials they used to craft with:
Wood
Leather
Bone
Iron (…forges and metal pits were on the outskirts of towns, and so metals were most often provided from outside the center of production.)
Bronze
Silver
Gold (…not manufactured in Scandinavia. Gold was often important and them melted so that they could mold it into other objects. Gold was rare, of course, and used for decoration.)
Beads (…this was a big craft, along with glass, which often was used to make beads.)
Glass (…this was a specialist craft, not just anyone did glasswork. There were various types: Russian Carnelian, Rock Crystal-imported, and Amber-locally available.)
Textiles normally do not survive, since they easily break down over time. They are usually only found in two particular situations: metal attachments and anaerobic environments. For reasons I am not going into, metal actually helps prevent a textile from fully “decomposing.” This can be observed in Birka graves. Brooches and swords often helped preserve the clothing of women and men alike. Though, such preservation would still be poor at best. As for anaerobic environments, these are special conditions that help preservation. Thick clay as well as boggy land help seal objects from the elements that cause them to break apart. This can be observed with bog bodies and even the Oseburg ship itself.
Textiles were often lavishly decorated. One such example, that we actually have been able to “reproduce” is the tapestries of Oseburg. I have posted about this in the past (literally only after two weeks of starting this blog). You can view that post here (Oseburg Tapestry Post). At the very least, you will see what it was thought to look like.
Textiles reflected the long-distant trade networks that formed alongside towns. The Birka graves show textiles from China, Syria, and even Arabia. Nordic textile styles actually take on some inspiration from foreign styles as well. As a result of their growing internationality, textiles also conveyed status. Textiles, especially women’s clothing, was often enhanced with precious metals, beads, gems, and dyes. There was even selective breeding to produce whiter, brighter wool.
As I stated previously, this is only the beginning of “Viking” crafts. Crafts in medieval Scandinavia were more focused on the creation for useful items, yet, as towns and international trade began to flourish, crafts began to convey a new kind of status: command of resources and networks. This, of course, was not entirely new, but definitely on an expanding level. Next week we shall talk about proper “Viking” art styles as we make our way into weaponry and raids.
Next Week’s Lesson: Lesson 18 - Viking Art: Decorating Useful Objects.
[Gen.] Jennifer Dukes-Knight, “Crafts, Art, and Weaponry,” Lecture, Viking History, University of South Florida, 2015. || I had little extra input to make this lesson, so there are clearly a lack of notations this time. If there is any aspect of this lesson that you would like more detail, send me an ask and I shall research it for you.
[Fig 1.] Image of the Mästermyr Chest, provided by the Swedish History Museum via Flickr. (link)
[Fig 2.] This image depicts a more wealthy medieval Scandinavian woman’s attire: an apron dress with brooches and beads. (link)
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