What Viking Hygiene Was Like

The Vikings - a group of exploring and raiding seafarers from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway - traversed the world from the eighth to the 11th centuries. As warriors, traders, and eventual settlers, the Vikings disrupted the lives of those groups they encountered while simultaneously facilitating cultural exchange and making an impression that was often less than positive. This is how they managed to keep it clean.

#Vikings #Hygiene #WeirdHistory

[forgivenchildofGod]

Finding this channel was one of the highlights of 2020.

[tomservo]

Contrary to belief, packed dirt floors are actually quite clean and dust free. Keeping livestock inside also helped keep the longhouse warm during long winter months and one didn't have to go outside to get fresh milk or wool.

[HoundofOdin]

An English clergyman wrote a letter to the Pope complaining about Christian English women marrying "pagan" Danes because they bathed once a week.

[Kittykat]

Can you talk about Japanese hygiene? I keep reading how shocked they were by how dirty western culture was compared to theirs

[juanfisi]

I find the last one hard to beleive after hearing how much they value cleanlines.

[sarahsays]

Learned via Tik Tok that when they went marauding back in the day women would be tempted by them because they were so clean lol. England and France didn't have the best hygiene practices to put it midly. So we got a clean buff dude against a filthy skinny dude. Not really hard to make the choice lol.

[thorfinthorfin]

Thank you for this. As a Norseman in America I was ridiculed by my Professors as a Barbarian. My comb fell out of my pocket. The Professor said " Hey Conan, you dropped your comb. Did you pillage this? I know you barbarians don't know how to use these things." I think I will foreward this link to him.

[thor-godofthunder]

I am an interpretive historian who studies the spread of culture and practices, so the Vikings come up a lot in my studies, and I would like to add one point. A large amount of what we know of Viking life comes from Ibn Fadlan, who was a 10th century Muslim. Islamic culture has many regulations around cleanliness, some of which are to never bathe in still water and to never clean oneself with your left hand. The myth of Vikings sharing a communal bathing bowl is likely a facsimile made by Fadlan because he deemed still water to be contaminated (as was briefly covered in the video), but also any actions of cleaning with the left hand (which happened often as many accounts show most Vikings were ambidextrous) would have been discounted as further dirtying to Fadlan.

[virginiaw]

I really enjoy these mini lessons. Thanks for making the long rides better.

[emile]

You must be so happy to go from a couple subscribers to 2.5 million in 2 years. You deserve it though, been watching you from the start!

[DNU]

who would knew 80% of my skyrim mods are more canon than ever?

[bettinadelcastillo]

Can we talk about how perfect the narrator pronounced the name “Snorri”? Along with many other names and titles Wow!!!!

[christinerodriguez]

I'm completely amazed at how different cultures viewed cleanliness. It stumps me to think how some ancient cultures found cleanliness a requirement and some later cultures thought washing too much would open pores to diseases. 🤔

[minabew]

I wish there was more about Viking women hygiene!

[stinkanator]

I have binged watch this channel and have ran out of videos to watch. I NEED MORE! 😆

[bellamaster]

I suppose you might say that their teeth were rather Groovy.

[Theserenity]

God BLESS! your pronunciation my good man :') You are international relic to be treasured surely <3 !

[loralee]

Best YouTube channel of 2020. Love the narrator, you rock, please take a bow!♥️🦋

[MrsJHarrington]

This channel is amazing, very educational and informative, well researched. Love the narrators voice too!

[-Scotticus-]

Weird History + Vikings = Thank you!!!