The Reason the Vikings Bleached Their Dark Hair
If I ask you to imagine a Viking, you are more likely to imagine a tall, heavily built man with blond hair and blue eyes. However, not all Scandinavians were blue-eyed blonde-haired people, despite the fact that today it is commonly believed so. Some of them had red or dark hair. Moreover, strange as it may seem, hair color was incredibly important.
As soon as the Scandinavians were not called in the middle Ages — barbarians, savages, northerners and so on. Of course, the French and the British, who were subjected to numerous raids, extremely disliked these people. Even today, the Vikings are often portrayed as fearless bloodthirsty warriors whose desires are mainly a glorious death in battle and wealth.
However, it would be wrong not to mention that the Vikings are known not only for their raids on churches and cities, but also for their rich culture. I do not know a single person who is not familiar with Norse mythology. In addition, the Scandinavians developed meticulous hygiene, not typical of Europeans of that period, as well as a rather unusual attitude towards their hair.
The hair color of the Scandinavians mainly depended on the region of origin of the person. Generally, blond hair was predominant in northern Scandinavia, while the dark type of hair was more common in the western and southern parts of the region. However, as you might have guessed by now, people with natural blond hair were valued somewhat higher by society than people with dark hair. And men tried in every possible way to lighten their hair.
Depending on the region, there are different ideals of male or female beauty. And in each society this standard will be different. And in Scandinavia of that period there was also such a standard. Men mostly wore long, light-colored hair. It was this image that was considered the most attractive to the female population. The same preference was given to natural blondes by men.
However, it’s not just about women’s preferences in the region. As mentioned above, the Scandinavians have a rich mythology. And, since the Vikings were incredibly believing pagans, they respected the divine canons in every possible way. One of the ancient Eddic poems, called Rígsþula, tells how a Norse god named Rig (Heimdall) gave life to people of three classes — slaves, freemen and rulers or great warriors.
Therefore, according to this legend, the entire population was divided into three castes. The slave caste, the freemen caste, and the jarl caste.
When the god Rig participated in the creation of the world, namely in the arrangement of the social structure, the first thing he came across was a hut that belonged to Ái and Edda (great-grandfather and great-grandmother). These people received him without hospitality, fed him bad food. Rig spent the night with them, and then left. After 9 months, Edda gave birth to an ugly son with very dark hair, who was named Trall. þræll means slave in Norwegian. The boy grew up and after a while was born on a woman named Tyr (slave). They had 12 sons and 9 daughters, whose names also meant something ugly or inferior. All of them had dark hair. According to mythology, these people began to personify the caste of slaves.
After Rig left the house of Ai and Edda, he came across a beautiful house where the craftsman Afi lived with his wife Amma (grandparents). Unlike previous people, this family happily took the stranger under their roof and fed her delicious and satisfying food. The next morning, God left, and after 9 months, Amma gave birth to a son, who was named Karl (that is, a free man). The boy had a ruddy complexion and red hair. When the boy grew up, he married a woman named Snör. They had 12 sons and 10 daughters, whose names indicated beauty and abundance. These people are personified with free farmers, artisans.
After that night, Rig came to a mansion that stood at the edge of the earth. Faðir and Móðir (Father and Mother) lived there. The owners of the house received God with great honors, Modir even personally invited him to lie down with her. After 9 months, she gave birth to a beautiful child named Jarl (Ruler), whose hair was blond and bright. When the boy grew up, he became interested in weapons. At this time, Rig returned to the mansion and declared the boy his son and heir. God taught Jarl the art of war, the use of runes, advised him to strive for superiority over the rest. When Jarl finally grew up, he married a woman named Erna, who later bore him 12 sons. In the future, they will become a caste of warriors and rulers.
Based on this poem, it becomes clear why black hair was not considered honorary among the Vikings. Usually, children from noble families with dark hair were ridiculed by their peers. Ancestors of slaves. That is what they were called. That is why the Scandinavians tried in every possible way to whiten their hair. After all, the lighter the hair, the more respect will be from fellow tribesmen.
Interestingly, men were more involved in bleaching their hair. They used a consistency of wood ash infused in water, which they called lye. This mixture gave a strong alkaline reaction, which started the process of oxidation of the natural pigment of the hair roots. Thus, turning dark hair into lighter. As a result, the Vikings could achieve their goal, and then with the help of paint they could even get the golden color of their hair and beard.
