Welcome to our 5 things you might not have known about the Vikings blog post.

As many of you might not have known. Tea and the gang was born in Norway and we have based our LIQUORICE DIGESTIF PU’ERH TEA blend on one of the biggest characters in Scandinavian history – The Vikings, but did you know that not all the legends about the Vikings are actually true?

Photo Credit: Hans Splinter

1.Vikings did not actually wear horned helmets.

It is a common misconception that Vikings actually wore horned helmets, we even have this in our character design for our tea. Most of the Norsemen would have supported headgear but closer looks into the Viking age do not actually show them wearing horns. The only actual authentic Viking helmet that has been discovered actually has no horns. It is thought that artists started to paint the Viking men with horns somewhat later in the 19th century, to make them look more barbaric.

2. Viking men preferred being blonde.

Being blonde in Viking culture was highly desirable and so many Viking men would actually dye their hair. One method of this was to use a strong soap with a high lye content to bleach the hair. This might explain why so many still dye their hair blonde today.

3. Vikings were actually known for their good hygiene.

You would have thought with all the drinking, fighting and bloodshed that Vikings might have had a bit of a pong right? Well actually they were very well groomed. Some viking site excavations have turned up many grooming tools such as razors, combs and even their own versions of ear tweezers. It is even thought that Vikings had a bath at least once a week, which sounds gross but was much more frequent than others. They also enjoyed dips into hot springs when they could, which might explain why many Scandinavians love a nice sit down in a hot tub today 😉

4. Vikings enjoyed a good ski.

Now if any of you have visited Scandinavia in the winter, you will know that the number one activity is skiing, but did you know that skis were invented over 6,000 years ago and Viking men believed that skis were a great way to maneuver around and even used this as a fun way of unwinding. It is beleived that they even worshiped a god of skiing, named Ullr.

5. Viking women had some basic rights.

Even though Viking men and women were not treated as equals, Viking women did have some basic rights such as being able to request a divorce and also being able to inherit a property.

We hope you enjoyed our 5 things you might not have known about the Vikings post and you can enjoy a delicious cup of our LIQUORICE DIGESTIF PU’ERH TEA in our online store here: