Viking dreadlocks and Celtic elflocks :
- Cultural Significance of Dreadlocks Among the Vikings. It is believed that unmarried Viking girls sometimes wore dreadlocks and heavily braided to mark a festival or formal occasion.
- Dreadlocks likely had practical and cultural purposes. …
- References. …
Dreadlocks are commonly thought to be a Black style that other races imitate. But many people have heard through the grapevine that Vikings wore dreads in ancient times. Did Vikings actually have dreads?
Harald Fairhair and Sweyn Forkbeard were both Viking men of royalty, with mentions of their hair in their bynames. [5] For hair to be included in Viking titles, hair must have had a high degree of importance in the Norse society. Viking hairstyles were both functional and practical. See Did the Vikings Wear Dreadlocks? to learn more.
Historians have uncovered Roman accounts stating that the Celts wore their hair “like snakes” and that several Germanic tribes and Vikings were known to wear dreadlocks. Rastafari movement dreadlocks are symbolic of the Lion of Judah which is sometimes centered on the Ethiopian flag.
Not to be confused with Lock of hair or Lovelock (hair). Dreadlocks, also locs, dreads, or in Sanskrit, Jaṭā, are rope-like strands of hair formed by locking or braiding hair.
Where do dreadlocks come from?
Dreadlocks are mention in multiple ancient sources from a variety of places around the world. From religious writings in India to depictions on art from ancient Greece, dreadlocks are clearly evident in ancient civilizations.
Dreadlocks and braids are also different because of the impact they have on hair. Braids can be taken out without causing significant hair damage, whereas dreadlocks need to be teased and matted if they are to be untangled, which may lead to hair breakage.
Braids: Some note that braids are intentionally formed by taking three or more strands of hair and weaving them one on top on another until it reaches each strand’s ends. Dreadlocks: On the other hand, are more naturally formed as a result of hair matting together over time.
Married women wore their hair in a knot at the top of their heads. (Also see Here’s How the Vikings Proposed and Got Married) The Viking men who traveled to distant lands in order to fight and loot often wore their hair in long braids and sometimes dreadlocks.
The Vikings neighbors to the south were the Celts and being in close geographical proximity, they influenced each other in different ways. “Elflocks” or “fairy-locks” are a hairstyle of tangles and knots similar to dreadlocks. Going on raids was important to Viking culture.
Vikings were known to place great importance on personal hygiene, and that even extended to their hairstyles. The importance that they placed in these matters can, in part, be seen in the story about Odin when the Norse god was distraught after the death of his son and refused to wash or comb his hair for days.
One reason why this was so may be so is because some cultures associated women’s hair with femininity and men’s hair with masculinity.
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How did the Vikings keep their hair?
Researchers of the Viking age have examined ancient texts, carvings, and statues, in an attempt to learn more about Viking hygiene and Viking daily life in general. [1]
[10] . Darker haired Vikings would use a lye bleaching agent to stain their hair and beards a lighter, straw-color.
Recovered carvings from the Viking age also reveal that Norse women wore ponytails in addition to the coiled bun. In fact, the ponytail was likely a popular hairstyle, as depictions of women with ponytails are frequently found on Viking picture stones and gold pieces. [14]
Additionally, Vikings would have been able to wear their helmets more comfortably by keeping their hair short in the back. (Also see Did Viking Helmets Really Have Horns?)
[15] Viking women had a variety of hair dressings to choose from, including pins, combs, hoods, and rings. These ornaments could be simple, made from linen or wool, but they could also be more ornate and studded with small gems.
From recovered artifacts, historians have determined that hygiene and grooming were very important in Norse society. Some of the most common relics left over from the Viking age are grooming tools, including hair combs. [2]
Thralls, or slaves living in Scandinavia, were known for having their hair cut short. Both female and male thralls kept their hair shorter than free Norsemen, making them easily distinguishable. [16]
Who wears dreadlocks?
The practice of Jaṭā (dreadlocks) is practiced in modern day Hinduism, most notably by Sadhus who follow Śiva. The Kapalikas, first commonly referenced in the 6th century CE, were known to wear Jaṭā as a form of deity imitation of the deva Bhairava – Śiva. Shiva is often depicted with dreadlocks.
When reggae music, which espoused Rastafarian ideals, gained popularity and mainstream acceptance in the 1970s, thanks to Bob Marley’s music and cultural influence, dreadlocks (often called “dreads”) became a notable fashion statement worldwide, and have been worn by prominent authors, actors, athletes and rappers.
Rastafari movement dreadlocks are symbolic of the Lion of Judah which is sometimes centered on the Ethiopian flag. Rastafari hold that Haile Selassie is a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, through their son Menelik I. Their dreadlocks were inspired by the Nazarites of the Bible. Haile Selassie was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930. Many Jamaican Rastafarians claimed that Selassie’s coronation was evidence that he was the black messiah that they believed was prophesied in the Book of Revelation. Some street preachers such as Leonard Howell, Archibald Dunkley, Robert Hinds, and Joseph Hibbert began to claim that “Haile Selassie was the returned Jesus”. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the Rastafari message spread from Kingston to the rest of Jamaica, especially among poor communities.
Dreadlocks, also locs, dreads, or in Sanskrit, Jaṭā, are rope-like strands of hair formed by locking or braiding hair. Dreadlocks are controversial and commonly a flashpoint of cultural appropriation, but the style is demonstrably global and ancient and multicultural.
There are two different types of synthetic dreadlocks. The first is dread extensions, in which other hair can be infused with the wearer’s own hair. The second is dreadfalls, in which one dread is tied into another with either elastic or lace.
Traditionally, some wear the dreadlocks loose, while others wrap the dreadlocks around their heads, or bind them at the back of the head. In North Central Australia, the tradition is for the dreadlocks to be greased with fat and coated with red ochre, which assists in their formation.
Even the name is controversial, having negative and colonial connotations. The style is visually similar to braids, but whereas braids can be prepared immediately and “finished”, dreadlocks properly require a period of maturation which does not strictly end.
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