A powerful chieftain with a helmet
Not many could afford a helmet like this one, so the warrior who owned it must have been a very rich and powerful man. Perhaps he was a chieftain, the reason why his war gear was especially fine.
Helmet with «glasses»
The helmet had a metal frame around the eyes, like glasses, and plates at the back that protected the warrior’s neck. The inside of the helmet would have been lined with wool or leather to soften blows, like the styrofoam lining in a bicycle helmet.
Did warrior need his helmet in the Realm of the Dead?
When the warrior died he was buried in a burial mound. He was given many things a warrior would need in the Realm of the Dead; a sword, a shirt of chail mail and this fine helmet.
Nice to know
- The Gjermundbu helmet has its name from the the Gjermundbu farm in Ringerike, where it was found.
- The helmet was made some time between the years 950 and 975.
- You can see the helmet up-close at the Historical Museum in Oslo.