CHAPTER THIRTEEN

HANDICRAFTS

John Ljungkvist

A

round the middle of the eighth century the Scandinavians became involved in
increasing warfare, trade and cultural contacts with areas all around Scandinavia.
These changes also had an impact on handicrafts. Factors such as the increasing use
of raw materials, the rise of towns to become new places for craftspeople to dwell in, and
intensified trade, made the craftspeople and their products more important for the
society. Some parts of the handicrafts did however change slowly. These contrasts
between ‘sudden’ changes and long-lived technology and tradition make handicraft
a problematic term as it covers a wide range of different activities and specialities. Some
of them altered quickly, depending on changes in fashion, trading routes and politics.
Others remained the same for centuries, because of strong traditions and stagnant
technology.
The Viking Age is different from previous periods because of the rise of towns and
trading centres. But large production centres for different goods were uncommon. Most
of the objects needed in people’s daily life had to be manufactured by local specialists or
ordinary people in rural farms and villages. Most people in Scandinavian society were
craftspeople; basic carpeting and textiles were produced in their households.
From the evidence of the Old Norse sagas it is possible to recognise crafts that can be
tied to men and women respectively. Carpeting and smithing were mainly male crafts,
while working with textiles was primarily a female occupation. The strongest evidence
does however come from the grave materials in different parts of Scandinavia. Objects
related to work with textiles, such as needles and spindle whorls, are primarily found in
female graves. Objects connected to woodworking or smithing, such as axes, chisels and
files, are almost exclusively found in male graves. One must however remember that the
sagas and the graves reflect primarily the social conventions in the society, and not
necessarily all the real situations. It is not impossible that men, women and children
could cross over the gender-related borders. This could for example happen when a craft
became a true profession or necessary for the support of a family.