Viking Sails - Viking Tents
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:21 amThe cloth used in Viking tents is usually presumed to be a ships sails AFAIK. I think this is because all 3 surviving tent frames are from ship burials, and there was that big bundle of wool that has been theorised as being the sail/tent on the Oseberg ship. It's a reasonable theory. The cloth bundle from Oseberg wasn't/isn't in any condition to be flattened out and investigated so we have no concrete evidence either way. Linen doesn't tend to survive long burial in most cases, and I don't remember seeing any reported from either ship burial. There may therefore have been a flax or hemp sail that disintegrated before the ships were uncovered. No evidence either way.
Has anybody on these lists had much contact with any of the reproduction Viking ships? Are their sails wool, or linen? If wool, how does the it stand up to the stresses of a sail's life? Later sails were made of linen.
I'm thinking of making a small tent to bring with me to live in on-site over the 3 Clontarf events and I'm not sure what material I should be looking at. Wool "canvas" could be problematic to source, but flax and/or hemp canvas is still available in various weights, weaves and widths.
Thanks,
Andrea from Australia
Has anybody on these lists had much contact with any of the reproduction Viking ships? Are their sails wool, or linen? If wool, how does the it stand up to the stresses of a sail's life? Later sails were made of linen.
I'm thinking of making a small tent to bring with me to live in on-site over the 3 Clontarf events and I'm not sure what material I should be looking at. Wool "canvas" could be problematic to source, but flax and/or hemp canvas is still available in various weights, weaves and widths.
Thanks,
Andrea from Australia