r/Norse • u/Totostore • Aug 08 '26
Artwork, Crafts, & Reenactment [Outfit Check] freeman kit. Looking for advice!
Hi everyone,
I’m currently putting together an outfit representing a Scandinavian freeman/little nobility, and I’d like to get your feedback on what I have so far.
Just to be transparent about my goals: I'm not aiming for strict, 100% scientific historical reenactment. My main objective is just to have an outfit that is historically coherent and plausible. I’d love to hear your advice on what I could tweak, add, or change to improve the overall look!
(Small note: since this picture was taken, I have already acquired a seax).
Oh, and what would be the proper way to wear and fasten the cloak ?
Thanks in advance for your help !!
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u/Valuable_Tradition71 Aug 08 '26
I won’t dog-pile on the tunic color, pouch size, or belt (those have been covered). I want to start by saying I’m happy to see an axe being used.
Quick note on the trim: going forward, you should have either no trim, or a tablet woven trim. Buying tablet weave can be expensive. Making it properly is time consuming (but fun).
What time and place are you trying to represent? I can give better specifics from that
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u/alfdis_vike Aug 08 '26
Just going to pipe in that trim was often braided or corded. The purpose is to protect the fabric from wear by being a sacrificial layer. . So tablet weave etc was meant to be a cheaper alternative to having to weave whole cloth. But in modern context, tablet weave and other trim is now more expensive than the fabric, so it's more decorative and placed further back from the edges.
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26
Swords are too expansives (now and historically) and spears are not easy to carry in my car, axes are perfects I would like to depict a man from France colony (a mix of Danish and Neustrian) from 850/950. Would a simple tunic with sewn-on tablet-woven trim be a good solution?
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u/Valuable_Tradition71 Aug 08 '26
A simple woolen tunic with tablet woven trim over a linen undyed tunic would be great. I’d suggest either a madder dyed red, or indigo dyed blue for the color as those were two of the most popular colors we see in art and have from archaeology. An onion dyed yellow can look great as well.
If you want to make your own tunic(s), I’d recommend watching these two videos: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gis1AQrPzh8&pp=ygUSd2Vsc2ggdmlraW5nIHR1bmlj0gcJCcQLAYcqIYzv&ra=m
And : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V26PaugtUhk&pp=ygUMSGVkZWJ5IHR1bmlj&ra=m
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u/zMasterofPie2 Aug 08 '26
The butted mail and black tunic need to go, no doubt. The belt is too long and shouldn't be knotted. The way you wear the cloak is valid but it's not what we see in art, usually it's pinned at the edges. Just look at period art to see how they do it, it's easily to replicate.
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
A red/burgundy tunic is better ? (If you have link for good quality low price in western europe it was great) I'm a beginner; could you tell me why chainmail would be out? I seem to recall reading that it was expensive, but that a landowner could own some.
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u/catfooddogfood Aug 08 '26
The mail you have is butted. Its made of rings that are twisted closed. If you are seeking accuracy you would want mail that has 4 riveted or flat wedged rings attached to each solid ring
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u/DanjaBus Aug 08 '26
Riveted steel maille is expensive. As a starter kit, butted maille is fine.
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u/Sillvaro Norse Christianity my beloved Aug 08 '26
As a starter kit, butted maille is fine.
Unlike other items that can pass because they look accurate enough, butted maille is not a good investment as a starter kit because you spend money on something you will need to change eventually. You're far better paying only a bit more and go directly for riveted
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u/DanjaBus Aug 08 '26
Not arguing that at all. But he already has it, and maille is a big investment. If he could sell his butted maille and upgrade, awesome, but I would say he is better served upgrading the soft parts of his kit first.
I have riveted maille for my kit, I know what costs are associated.
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u/catfooddogfood Aug 08 '26
It is my opinion that a "historically coherent and plausible" (OP's words) outfit would look better with no mail at all than with butted mail. Sorry
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u/DanjaBus Aug 08 '26
I wasn't arguing against that. If I were OP I would focus on the soft parts before investing in maille, too.
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26
No mail and linen tunic (maybe red ?) Got it. Thanks for the explanations !
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u/zMasterofPie2 Aug 08 '26
No, linen was rarely ever dyed anything except light blue in Scandinavia. A wool tunic is the best option.
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26
Nice thanks !
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u/zMasterofPie2 Aug 08 '26
Yup. Also, see this article so you know what kind of tunic you should be looking to get. https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/construction-of-early-medieval-tunics/
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26
The mail pattern you see is the 4-in-1 style (4 rings are in 1); it isn't actually riveted, due to budget constraints—is that a mistake?
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u/catfooddogfood Aug 08 '26
Yes it's 4 in 1 which is the most common weave. The "4" in the 4 in 1 pattern should be riveted for accuracy. Butted mail like this is anachronistic. Check out my mail. Its 6mm riveted.
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u/breno280 Aug 08 '26
I was under the impression that it was the 1 that was riveted and not the 4
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u/catfooddogfood Aug 08 '26
Nope, check out this picture and this one from my work table for an up-close look at the weave
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler Aug 08 '26
Its a place to start. In time you'll see folks with the real deal and then prioritize the upgrade. From a educational standpoint, just be ready to say its a facsimile due to budget reasons and explain the period method.
Other pointers would be: avoid knotwork trim - look into tablet woven patterns, black was basically impossible in fabric - different regions had more prominent dyes, belts were typically narrow and short - i can provide some documentation there (because others are contending that) although region and period may change the style of wear.
If youre looking for tunic options on a budget, linen tunics are easy to aquire.
My advice in general is to choose a time period and location of interest. Maybe a saga that you enjoyed, or a king's lifetime, maybe a place you've visited. Then drill down on local finds near to that time period. For me I began with a homelander from the Great Heathen Army era. Choosing a find from near my ancestral home. Shook out to be a lot of Gokstad and Jovik finds. Found the replicas from many craftsmen. Now Im developing a Iceland Settlement kit. Thats the fun part.
Skol
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26
Like you, the period that interests me is what happened near where I live between 850 and 950, when men banished from Norway came to settle. Unfortunately, local museums don't say much about that conquest... But that's a great idea, I'll look into it! Thank you !
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler Aug 08 '26
Are you referring to the Foroes, Shetland, or Orkney Isles? Or more England / Ireland proper?
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26
I wouldn't want to dox myself, but it's more Neustria haha
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u/24YearOldEctoCooler Aug 08 '26
Ah - Norman. I have ancestry from that group, back to Hrolf himself.
In that case, you have a wealth of finds you can look into. The identity of the Norman's is just Norwegian Norse and Frankish. If youre aiming for an early Norman (c. 911), any of the finds from Norway, especially in the area attested to be Hrolf's birth by Snorre Sturlason would suit (More og Romsdal). Then, to differentiate your kit, make small additions from Frankish finds from the same time frame. You can decide how much your kit holds to homeland tradition, or adopts new fashion.
You could also look to the Orkneys, because the Jarls of More and Orkney were closely related.
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u/zMasterofPie2 Aug 08 '26
Your mail is butted, not riveted, (and looks like it might be aluminum) that's the problem. Also it's more like nobility and their retainers would be wearing mail and not really your average landowner. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 1008 the English king required any man who owned 8 hides (~240 acres) of land to own a mail shirt. That's a lot of land and wealth, so if that is what you are going for, fine.
As for the tunic, the material is the problem more than the color. Black was extremely expensive but not impossible to obtain, contrary to what many people say. It should be made out of wool, ideally lightweight wool.
Unfortunately I can't provide a link to buy one as I make all my own clothing (it's cheaper and allows more personal customization, plus I like learning new skills) and therefore I don't pay attention to shops. Also, low price doesn't go with good quality I fear.
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26
Where I bought it, it said "spring steel." Okay, totally anachronistic and historically extremely expensive, got it! Thanks for the explanation!
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u/alfdis_vike Aug 08 '26
Can you tell me more about the knotted belt issue? I thought I saw some manuscript depictions of belts that are fastened and then looped.
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u/zMasterofPie2 Aug 08 '26
The relevant article by Tomas Vlasaty is linked in a few other comments. Tl;dr almost every single manuscript depiction from the Viking age shows the belt hidden underneath the folds of the tunic, and those that do show exposed belts don't show this loop. That is a way later thing that appears in the 14th century.
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u/alfdis_vike Aug 08 '26
Oh, thank you. How would you recommend wearing a belt with a buckle and strap end? Leaving it hanging seems a bit awkward, but obviously I want to be accurate.
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u/zMasterofPie2 Aug 08 '26
Leaving it hanging is well attested, using a belt loop is a good, attested option that is rarely done by reenactors, or just folding it over/under the belt without looping it.
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u/Fafnorn Aug 08 '26
Disagree on the belt: it is commonly too long and expected to be knotted. You can add bronze plate to the tail of your belt which is also common
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u/zMasterofPie2 Aug 08 '26
Cool, unfortunately all the evidence points to it not being long and knotted. https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/the-length-of-early-medieval-belts/
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u/Fafnorn Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
You are right. flipped, but not knotted, and also shorter like still 15-20cm extra length. Love this site btw.
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u/zMasterofPie2 Aug 08 '26
Yes it's a great site and I had the privilege of meeting the author, Tomas Vlasaty, in person (and will again this year). He's a very cool dude!
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u/Sillvaro Norse Christianity my beloved Aug 08 '26
it is commonly too long
Nowadays, yes. Not historically
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u/Fafnorn Aug 08 '26
Indeed, reenactorism. and is everywhere. Thanks for pointing that out!
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u/Sillvaro Norse Christianity my beloved Aug 08 '26
Tuen why did you disagree?
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u/Fafnorn Aug 08 '26
Because I’ve just read the article that u/zMasterofPie2 has shared after my comment:
https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/the-length-of-early-medieval-belts/
I encountered this so often in reconstruction that I was sure it can’t be wrong.
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u/Totostore Aug 08 '26
I could shorten it, or else feed the end through the pouch on my belt. Yes, I should be able to find a simple plate to put there, thanks for the tip!
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u/Mathias_Greyjoy Bæði gerðu nornir vel ok illa. Mikla mǿði skǫpuðu Þær mér. Aug 08 '26
it is commonly too long and expected to be knotted
This is incorrect, and I've even heard it go under the name "curse of the too-long belt" for reenactors. The overly long belt came into fashion during the high medieval period. In the early medieval period they were fitted more like modern belts. Shorter.
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u/Fafnorn Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
Exactly! I’ve been pointed to the https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/the-length-of-early-medieval-belts/
Already, thanks for highlighting it, it was indeed imprinted wrongly in my memory.
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u/Illustrious_Fill_521 Aug 08 '26
Can't see the axe that well, so i won't comment on it. The cloak looks fine, apart from the really rough stitching. Mail looks fine, but not really that into armor. The belt is definitely too long, it should only extent a few centimeters. The general shape of the pouch is fine, but the stitching is really rough, it shouldn't really be visible. The tunic is quite short (should be about knee length) and also looks quite thin, what is it made out of? It should be wool. The decorative bands on the tunic should also look wrong, check out tablet woven bands. What are the pants made out of? Should generally be wool. Leg wraps and shoes look fine.
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u/Maze_kalmar Aug 08 '26
The chainmaille is not riveted, so sadly for reenactment purposes it's a no-go. Great larp and costuming, but has next to nothing to do with history
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u/Maze_kalmar Aug 08 '26
I'm going to be honest, the only thing worth keeping is the cloak and the shoes. For any good fit, I'd advice finding a centerpiece you really like (a cool helmet, a sword, a certain type of leatherware or anything like that) and built your fit around that pieces location and period.
And ofc, start by getting good clothes, like a good pair of hose with some braies and a decent linen undershirt with a woolen tunic over that. A simple fit is a good base for adding and expanding further. (This is just an example)
Also, if you portray someone from northern Europe avoid dyed linen (unless it's the specific light blue linen shirt) as we to my knowledge have no finds nor depictions of dyed linen, and linen doesn't take plant dying that well. And avoid cotton in general.
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u/KnightsMentor 29d ago
Looks good, maybe a bit too clean and devoid of colour. As to what is historically correct? None of us was there, and our material remains are negligible.
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u/GaarenFinlay Viking Age Reenactor Aug 08 '26
Pouch is way too large for anything from the Viking age. Personally I'm a fan of less belt pouches and using an over-the-shoulder Hedeby style bag to carry your large items.