Intro:
Very little in the way of extant textiles survive from what we would call the Norse period (Scandinavia in the 6th-11th centuries). Of that, very little is decorated in what we as modern people would call embroidery - that is the placement of non-structural threads for the purpose of decoration. Instead they seemed to have favoured metallic additions to their textiles.
The literature talks about individual pieces of embroidery being of an eastern or western influence style, and how some were straight up imported. Despite where the stitching was made, it was clearly valued and used in Norse culture. In preparing to produce items in this style, focus on the product and its use, not on whether you as a Norse person would have done the stitching yourself.
This page focuses more pictorial type of Norse embroidery and will not discuss seam treatments.
Very little in the way of extant textiles survive from what we would call the Norse period (Scandinavia in the 6th-11th centuries). Of that, very little is decorated in what we as modern people would call embroidery - that is the placement of non-structural threads for the purpose of decoration. Instead they seemed to have favoured metallic additions to their textiles.
The literature talks about individual pieces of embroidery being of an eastern or western influence style, and how some were straight up imported. Despite where the stitching was made, it was clearly valued and used in Norse culture. In preparing to produce items in this style, focus on the product and its use, not on whether you as a Norse person would have done the stitching yourself.
This page focuses more pictorial type of Norse embroidery and will not discuss seam treatments.
Extant Examples:
Uses:
The uses of the embroideries found thus far are unclear at best.
The recreations of the Mammen embroideries, commissioned by the National Museum of Denmark, place the embroideries on a cloak and a tunic. There is, however, no basis for this decision. The textiles were in fragments with no context.
The embroideries found at Oseburg are scraps or worse, cakes made from layers of different textiles fused together by time. Who knows how the pieces were used by the people preparing this burial. They could have been trim on a dress, or maybe they were piled together (hence the cake) for some reason.
Time/Place:
The Mammen find has been dated to the late 10th century, and was found near Viborg (of shirt fame) Denmark.
The Oseburg ship has been dated to the mid 9th century, and was found near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway
The span in time and space of these two finds allows us to draw stylistic conclusions for the broader "Norse period" as played in the SCA.
Design Features:
Motifs - Mostly animals, some faces, arranged in strips.
Details - Outlines are usually in lighter colours
Stitches - Stem stitch.
Materials - Silk floss, ground fabrics were unidentified. Applied to wools and silks.
The uses of the embroideries found thus far are unclear at best.
The recreations of the Mammen embroideries, commissioned by the National Museum of Denmark, place the embroideries on a cloak and a tunic. There is, however, no basis for this decision. The textiles were in fragments with no context.
The embroideries found at Oseburg are scraps or worse, cakes made from layers of different textiles fused together by time. Who knows how the pieces were used by the people preparing this burial. They could have been trim on a dress, or maybe they were piled together (hence the cake) for some reason.
Time/Place:
The Mammen find has been dated to the late 10th century, and was found near Viborg (of shirt fame) Denmark.
The Oseburg ship has been dated to the mid 9th century, and was found near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway
The span in time and space of these two finds allows us to draw stylistic conclusions for the broader "Norse period" as played in the SCA.
Design Features:
Motifs - Mostly animals, some faces, arranged in strips.
Details - Outlines are usually in lighter colours
Stitches - Stem stitch.
Materials - Silk floss, ground fabrics were unidentified. Applied to wools and silks.