Did the Vikings’ Helmets Really Have Horns?

If you search the term "Viking" on Google and look at the image results, there are countless of images of Vikings wearing horned helmets. Statues of the explorer Leif Erikson do not have them but instead several have small wings on the helmet, perhaps a substitute for the horns. There are in fact no archaeological finds or textual sources that show Viking helmets with horns. Yet Vikings have been portrayed with horned helmets for as long as anyone can remember. How is that?

It all started during the Renaissance, when artists began portraying the Germanic tribes—the enemies of the Roman Empire—with horns on their helmets. In the 19th century, artists and influential Scandinavians adopted this imagery when they wanted to look back and find something for the Nordic countries to take pride in. They chose to highlight the years 793–1066 and named this period the “Viking Age.” The image of Vikings wearing horned helmets, to appear extra fierce, was established and spread. The first known depiction of Vikings with horned helmets can be traced to Denmark in 1877. By the early 1900s, this image of the Vikings was already widespread.

The Gjermundbu helmet

Nowadays most people with even a little interest in this period know that Viking helmets looked different from how they are portrayed. In fact, there are very few finds from this time when it comes to helmets. The most famous is the Gjermundbu helmet, discovered in Norway in 1943. It has a simple, rounded top and a nose guard. Today, modern images of Vikings wearing horned helmets can perhaps rather be seen as a cultural and humorous phenomenon that has lived on. In this way, with just one image, you can show your heritage—for example, if you are from Scandinavia and live abroad—or your interest. Everyone understands that it is a Viking being referenced when a horned helmet design appears on a T-shirt.

Horned helmets or not?

At Superior Creatures, we have chosen to give some of our Viking cats helmets with horns and others without. The reason is precisely that we think it often adds a more humorous feel and also makes the design more obvious—that we are portraying a Viking cat and not, for example, a cat in medieval clothes. So if you’re thinking of dressing up (or dressing up your cat!😻) as a Viking for Halloween, find a helmet with horns if you think that suits you (or your cat) best. If someone says it’s wrong, just tell them you’re honoring the image of Vikings according to the Nordic national romantic ideas of the 19th century.😊

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Source: https://varldenshistoria.se/civilisationer/vikingar/vikingarna-hade-horn-paa-hjalmen