Turns out Vikings looked a bit different from what you might have thought and it sent this thread wildly viral
On those rare occasions we find ourselves thinking of the Vikings, we picture them as looking like seafaring Hells Angels – huge beards, grimy leather, forked helmets etc…
Turns out that our (and probably your) preconceptions were quite spectacularly wrong.
Here’s a Tweet thread from Fake History Hunter to put us right…
1.
So what did Vikings really look like?
TV/movies tell us they looked like dollar-store biker gangs, wearing black leather, covered in dirt and allergic to colours… but in reality… they looked like 1970s pop singers.Seriously, thread time.
Photo: Roberto Fortuna pic.twitter.com/abNDDg8PFg
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) September 13, 2023
2.
It's tricky finding out what Vikings really looked like, few images and even fewer original items of their clothing & fabric have survived and if they do, they've faded, are discoloured, etc.
Photo: Roberto Fortuna, National Museum of Denmark pic.twitter.com/F33B7wW6BE
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) September 13, 2023
3.
Thanks to science we can now find out what they originally, most likely, looked like.
The museum did a LOT of research.I'm getting massive 1970s vibes from these pictures, my mum got married in a similar dress…
Photo: Roberto Fortuna, National Museum of Denmark. pic.twitter.com/0WS2MCJwVD
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) September 13, 2023
4.
This was all done by some very knowledgeable people working for the National Museum of Denmark as art of the "Fashioning the Viking Age project".
You can read more and download their reports on tools, textiles, fibres, reconstruction, etc here:https://t.co/CHGjqkhSaE pic.twitter.com/daU5Zlx0bE
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) September 13, 2023
5.
Here's an interesting blog on the project;https://t.co/wDF8SgNmes
You can also read a bit more about it here;https://t.co/fWCJYzgQL1
Gold & silver thread being woven, Photo: Lone Bjørnskov-Bartholdy. pic.twitter.com/pxr5TLxRiL
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) September 13, 2023
6.
A lot more photos here, the project has its own Instagram account;https://t.co/1lFyUItgTR
And you probably already know how I'm going to end tis thread… but…do these outfits match the image of the Vikings/medieval Scandinavians you've been shown in films & tv? pic.twitter.com/h2UUHVX3oT
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) September 13, 2023
Fascinating stuff! Other Twitter users were on hand to give us more information and (naturally) amusing comments…
So that’s where ABBA took their costumes from
— Bannery McBannerface (@mcbannerface) September 13, 2023
They took bathing and beard/hair braiding very seriously. Traded scented oil and goods all the way down to Egypt.
— Terrence Daniels (Captain Planet) (@Terrence_STR) September 14, 2023
Why are movies and TV shows set in olden times allergic to color?
— Brian says "The X-Men are the only X that matter." (@TheArtistForm11) September 13, 2023
As an early medieval reenactor the biker/leather/all black everything pisses me off so much. We have to effectively deprogram people as to why we all don't have undercuts and 5ft of eyeliner on. The vikings were clashy gaudy peacocks
— Verity Vex (@VerityVex) September 13, 2023
Imagine Fleetwood Mac showing up to raid your monastery.
— Kevin McPartland (@McPCivilWar) September 13, 2023
They look like they're about to drop an amazing melodic folk album.
— SWGooner (@byrninho) September 13, 2023
Didn't the Anglo-Saxon also complain about how clean they were and thus compromised the virtues of married women?
— Loftur S. (@LofturS) September 13, 2023
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) September 13, 2023
13.
So what you're saying is that Eurovision is actually much older than we think, right?
— Michael M. (@SirBedwyr) September 13, 2023
Don’t worry we are still here ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ADFCulqvXh
— (@psandn) September 13, 2023
Follow @fakehistoryhunt on Twitter here!
I've written a book!
As some of you know I've been writing a book and well… it's now done, printed and coming to a bookshelf near you!
On October 12th you'll be able to get yourself a copy of 'Fake History, 101 things that never happened'.https://t.co/5cKzwLuGL8 pic.twitter.com/Ax5UBvlOG2
— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) September 8, 2023
Source Twitter @fakehistoryhunt