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Decorated Bone and Antler Comb

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Despite the common depictions in today’s pop culture, hair and hygiene were surprisingly important to the norse people. This can be seen through the common finds of combs such as this, and their often intricate appearance. This viking age comb was found in Andøy, Norway.[1] The teeth are made from finely cut antler. This was common on combs, but required skill, pointing to the existence of craftsmen who made combs. The back of the comb is made from thin strips of bone that are held together by five iron rivets. This is a later style of construction, found from the mid-twelfth to thirteenth century.[2] The back of the comb is curved, with a simple, yet intricate pattern on it.

Not only were combs helpful when dealing with the lice that were continuously present at the time,[3] they also played an important part in the high standards of appearance and hygiene that the norse held. Women had long hair that could be intricately styled[4], while men held a variety of hairstyles, from neatly combed back,[5] to a “reverse ‘mullet’ hairstyle.”[6] Men also usually sported beards that were generally well kept.[7] Norse men were known to bathe every Saturday, which was frequent by medieval European standards, and were received as “clean and pleasant smelling” by English women.[8] We can see this standard of cleanliness in a verse from Reginsmál:[9]

                                    "Combed and washed | shall the wise man go,
                                    And a meal at morn shall take;
                                    For unknown it is | where at eve he may be;
                                    It is ill thy luck to lose."

The importance of hair can also be seen in many of the nordic sagas. Virtually any time a character is introduced, their hair plays an important part in their physical description, usually described in aesthetically pleasing ways. Examples from Njal’s Saga include “Her hair came down to her breasts, and was both thick and fair,”[10] and “her hair was as soft as silk; it was so long, too, that it came down to her waist”. Of course, women were not the only ones with luxurious hair, as can be seen in the following passages from the Laxdale Saga: “He had a great deal of hair as fair as silk, falling in curls; he was a big man, and strong,” and “This man had yellow hair, waving down over his shoulders [...] he had his hair cut across his forehead.”[11]

Looking back, we often see the norse as a barbaric, dirty people. One contributing factor to this is the observations by Ibn Fadlan, who calls them “The dirtiest of all Allah’s creatures.”[12] Fadlan was a Muslim though, which probably colored his descriptions as cleanliness was very important in the religion.  Despite this, we know from that this is not the case due to  evidence from other texts, the large number of combs found, and the findings of other preening instruments, such as ear spoons. By the standards of most of their European contemporaries they were quite clean.
 

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  1. Clothing Austin Mason
  2. Baltic Austin Mason
  3. 1000-1200 CE Celeste Tường Vy Sharpe
  4. Bone Celeste Tường Vy Sharpe
  5. Late Viking Age Celeste Tường Vy Sharpe

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