The Vikings Helmet Essay

In the Old Norse, these Vikings were considered as raiders who raided Christian countries in Europe and since then, they are referred as unprincipled and uncivilized men this is according to Misconceptions, (2014). With their accomplishments, it is evident that they were sophisticated raiders and with their violent activities, it is clear that they were rough when compared to their contemporaries. This paper will examine the culture of the Vikings, the technology behind the Vikings Helmet and its relationship with other cultures, and the impacts of the Vikings Helmet on civilization. When looking at the stereotypes of restless, barbarian and rude, there is a huge contrast which led to the delicacy and sophistication of the Viking art. This is because the Vikings craftsmen were excellent in metalwork and woodwork where they were able to craft weapons and warships.

In 1882, Doepler added horns on a Germanic gods and heroes book and up to date, the horns are still a signature. This image of a horned helmet worn by a Vikings is so good to pass up and even the Scandinavians themselves love to put them on especially by the fans of their sports team. Since then, the horns function as an indication and also it stresses the Viking's wildness when in a berserk mood. The horns also fit perfectly on the helmets that Minnesota Vikings wear every time (Harl, 2005). The public perception of Vikings was very bad because they were portrayed as violent, rapacious, and bloodthirsty in other words 'wolves among sheep' but during the 19th century, the perception changed because of Victoria's reign.

The Vikings were known of horned helmets which is a modern myth but the horn had several purposes within the culture. For instance, the Vikings used horns as drinking vessels and not only were the horns used as cups but also they were used to as a medium of connection between people and nature (land they lived). The horned helmet was successful in both North America and Scandinavia and it was the source of Minnesota Vikings football team. Minnesota has a Scandinavian immigrant's concentration, and their descendants remain to aggressively promote their Scandinavian identity via traditional foods and festivals. But more significantly, they remain to show their pride in their Viking lineages, just similar to most Scandinavians practices. The fact is there was less protection when the iron of the helmet was in contact with the skull.

This is because, if there was a blow to the helmet, then the impact would be transmitted directly to the skull hence it would blow up the skull also. The helmets that exist today from the Vikings era have rivet holes on them which explain that the smiths used some sort of leather as a suspension system. According to researchers, they suggest that the cap was made from materials such as sheepskin. The material used was absorbent meaning that it was not only used to absorb sweat and prevent the helmet from rusting but also used as a protective measure of absorbing blows. These several pieces were called spangenhelm style which was easier to make since it required less labor. It was hard for Viking age smiths to make a helmet bowl from a single piece of iron since it was large and had associated limitations.

A single iron band was circled around the brow when making the helmet and it was riveted by 2 or more iron bands that were crossing on the top of the head. According to Wester, (2000) riveted iron plates were then used to fill the four openings to be able to create the bow. Sometimes hard leather was used instead of riveted iron plates to fill the four openings to reduce costs. They had a huge impact on the history of both the better and for worse sometimes. The problem is they are remembered for their brutality but on the contrary, they have continued to progress humanity with their influence on trade. In addition, the Vikings were more connected to technology than we thought.

For instance, Jim Kardach was a Viking king of Denmark who invented Bluetooth technology. Also, the world has been gifted with a mythology which now has become so popular because of TV shows, for instance, One of Norse Mythology and god of thunder among others. Many Vikings have been thought to be warriors and pirates but the fact is that most of them were just normal humble people who had their jobs and run their lives like others. Majority of them were farmers who grew oats and wheat among others. Others were doing livestock arming such as cattle, pigs, and goats. All these explain that as other average people were focusing on world domination, the Vikings who were similar to other civilizations, focused on survival.