Viking horned helms, yep I went there.

[Sir James A]

Romans wore helmet crests to signify their title and position amongst their ranks. Their color typically signified their house (i.e. House of Julii was red) but only Roman Consorts could wear their house signet on campaign. Auxillaries could not bear any crests (not Roman citizens) and even Legionaries (Roman citizens) could only bear it if they had significant importance in rank, title or office and it had to bear the color of their Cohort Commander. So I am told at least....

Bold part is kind of what I was thinking, identification as a group, but not an individual.

Also found this, from the bronze age Scandinavia/Russia. This example specifically is from Denmark.

Ah, okay. I thought you meant *horns* as in animal horn like hollywood. The pictures look metal, rather than wood/steel. And it's really throwing me off, but I swear the lone horn on the left looks threaded at the bottom, as if it would be removable (such as for battle), and used during ceremonials (as Sir Ian said). I can't tell if it's threaded, or just ringed, but both seem very unusual if it would be expected to be a permanent fixture on the helmet.

I would not say that their armor skills were not advanced. Their helms were quite decorated, along with fittings on swords, etc.

Advanced in regards to heat treating, articulation, and complexity. They certainly had very decorative items, and some that were crazy intricate in detail. In my head, that's different from the core function of the armor. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for all the info and opinions on this subject!!!

Also the above picture of bronze age helms, we see toppers like this on the royal Danish helm when heraldry is "used" or better said recorded.

If I'm reverse engineering this correctly, it's from a collection of heraldry, Armorial del Gelre, which is 1370-1414: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelre_Armorial. No doubt helmet toppers / crests were in use at this point, and at least 100 or so years earlier - my knowledge is severely lacking in that period, and I had to google for the crest info on this one, but I hope that helps.

[SirNathanQ]

The Norse peoples, especially Vikings, lacked any reason to stick horns or battlefield decoration on their helms. They certainly lacked the battlefield command system of the Romans, or the heraldry of the medieval era. And when worn to war, a crest in the medieval era seems for from line commander identification, to serve as rallying points on the battlefield amongst the complex cavalry actions.
All these things Vikings wouldn't have or need. During most of the viking era, to have a maille shirt identified you as a leader enough, you don't need to jam things to your head.

Also the sagas tend to ridicule those who let themselves get dragged about by their helm (loose cheekguards are mentioned). Horns do not particularly lend themselves to preventing this.

[Sir Vander Linde]

All these things Vikings wouldn't have or need. During most of the viking era, to have a maille shirt identified you as a leader enough, you don't need to jam things to your head.

That just simply is not true. Norse people were very much a sea culture as well as a horse culture. The horse bit is often over looked, but comprises a majority of religious/military practices. Everyone who was a free man had maille and a weapon, a leader usually would have additional armor of some early plate variant, lamellar, or a circular chest piece, splints,etc. They had quite good military tactics as well, if I remember correctly there was an instance of them taking out an army 3x the size of theirs that had cavalry. Heraldry was there, but you are correct it was not as greatly in use.

[Sir Wolf]

that is not true at all.
there is NO evidence to that what so ever.
they had mail that is it. that is known. any lamallar or scale is of meditereanian area. could have been brought back etc.
 there is writings about how much a jarl or huscarl or hersir had to have if he had certain amounts of land etc.

[Lord Dane]

that is not true at all.
there is NO evidence to that what so ever.
they had mail that is it. that is known. any lamallar or scale is of meditereanian area. could have been brought back etc.
 there is writings about how much a jarl or huscarl or hersir had to have if he had certain amounts of land etc.

At mimimum, they must have had leather, linen, and maille.

[Sir Wolf]

there is no proof of leather armour at all in northern countries. none. there are leather shoe, and belt finds but no armour.
i have heard of reindeer hide cloaks but they were "magical" ie  put in a story setting where one met the gods.
all metal is small pieces put together with rivets. spangen helms etc. the long narrow pieces with the biggest part being the size of your hand. so the metallurgy isn't there for them

vikr means to go out. gorilla warfare. go quick and get out quick. once they couldn't beat the surrounding peoples they started settling down with them. william of normandy is the (cant remember the greats) grandson of the old danish king. his sons settled once they got older etc. even the skralegs(sp?) in north america. they stopped going west ward because they faught the same way. the northerners had no more tactitcal advantage

[Lord Dane]

there is no proof of leather armour at all in northern countries. none. there are leather shoe, and belt finds but no armour.
i have heard of reindeer hide cloaks but they were "magical" ie  put in a story setting where one met the gods.
all metal is small pieces put together with rivets. spangen helms etc. the long narrow pieces with the biggest part being the size of your hand. so the metallurgy isn't there for them

vikr means to go out. gorilla warfare. go quick and get out quick. once they couldn't beat the surrounding peoples they started settling down with them. william of normandy is the (cant remember the greats) grandson of the old danish king. his sons settled once they got older etc. even the skralegs(sp?) in north america. they stopped going west ward because they faught the same way. the northerners had no more tactitcal advantage

It was that troublesome Lokey, I tell ya. He took away the Nords ability to have cool warrior stuff, making them exceptionally spiteful of those who have 'armor'. No wonder they had to raid.   

[Ian]

there is no proof of leather armour at all in northern countries. none. there are leather shoe, and belt finds but no armour.
i have heard of reindeer hide cloaks but they were "magical" ie  put in a story setting where one met the gods.
all metal is small pieces put together with rivets. spangen helms etc. the long narrow pieces with the biggest part being the size of your hand. so the metallurgy isn't there for them

vikr means to go out. gorilla warfare. go quick and get out quick. once they couldn't beat the surrounding peoples they started settling down with them. william of normandy is the (cant remember the greats) grandson of the old danish king. his sons settled once they got older etc. even the skralegs(sp?) in north america. they stopped going west ward because they faught the same way. the northerners had no more tactitcal advantage

Don't worry Chuck, the new Vikings tv show on History will set this back another 50 years or so and make everyone think that Vikings looked like characters from Skyrim.  I like the show, I watch it, but I understand it's pure fantasy.  Casual watchers however will think it's history, and it's wrought with leather and furs and all the trappings of the imaginary Viking except the horned helmets so far.  Although their priestess did wear a winged helmet at a funeral, but it was ceremonial.

[Sir Vander Linde]

 what we have Here is a failure to under stand the fact that there are two governing systems at this time vassalage and  comitatus.
There are in fact finds that support other armors. Shulder straps for lamellar for example have been found. Also if they did not have this armor tech then how may I ask, did the armies of the north all magicly get single piece raised conical helms and various fourms of lameller armor? Which we have records of. After all lamellar pieces are smaller than a hand. 

Excuse bad spelling I am typing on my phone. Small buttons.

[Ian]

I thought the last surviving hope of Viking lamellar was the Birka armor, and that was discovered to have really been from central Asia or Siberia, effectively bringing the idea of viking lamellar to a close.

[Sir Vander Linde]

 by the way... Sorry if I come of as a prik.

Yeah the birka is of Rus making. There was a version found in Fin. Land. That is differnet that starts with a "k" but o curently forget the name of it. Was a inland thing and probably never left the local area where it was found.

[Sir Wolf]

birka, fins all had heavy Rus influence did they not? esp from the Byzantium guards etc? also check your time table the "vikings era" is a short one. from lindensfarne(sp?) 790s to what? at the latest 1066?

[Sir Wolf]

and single piece conical helmets do not fall into this range. they are post 1066 correct?

[SirNathanQ]

Check out this article, and the website as a whole. Very good stuff on Norse culture.

http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_mail.htm