Dyes Used by The Vikings Traditional Method

[pinerevolver]

Hello Other Bushcraters !

Im having a bit of trouble finding out the infromation i need about
natural dyes used by the Vikings and other Primitive Ancestors.

Im very intrested in learning this old craft and im wondering if you
guys have any information about dying wool.

* Yellow - Heather leaves, birch leaves, lingonberry leaves, onion skins
* Red - Madder root
* Blue - Indigo
* Green - Same as yellow + indigo

- JellDragon

Thoose were some of the ingredients that the Vikings used to dye
there clothes
Would anyone happen to have information linked to the Process ?

Thanks

 

[malente]

I only know that to create blue the process involved pissing on the half-finished product and lay it out into the sun to dry (and turn blue). That's where "feeling blue" comes from, apparently.

Wayland will be over to correct me though I'm sure.

 

[launditch1]

..with the addition of woad surely?Unless you're taking the p****

Op, the Viking answer lady may have the answer...http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/index.shtml

 

[Toddy]

I'm an archaeologist, specialising in traditional textile crafts.
Viking dyes are considered to be tradesmen dyes.
That means that while weaving was done on a domestic scale most dyeing seems to have been done by Dyers.
Excavation on Viking sites in York, London, Dublin and Scandinavia reinforce this view.

The Swedish and Norwegian ladies I met in Latvia only used lixivation for mordanting when they portrayed the past. I spent time with them explaining mordants. They were astonished at the range of dyes that I consider normal for the UK, while I was astonished that they didn't have it

In the UK we find mats of firbog clubmoss in Viking dyeing sites. This plant naturally accretes alum in it's roots. Its one of the four major European mordants. Iron, copper, tin and alum are all used to help fix a dye.
Madder, woad and weld, that's red, blue and yellow, are substantive dyes, that means that they will give colour without a mordant, but they are all much better for the use of one.

Can I ask why Vikings ? and why, and what, you want to dye ? Wool, linen, hemp, nettle or silk if in period, if it's cotton, it's not so straight forward.

The following are a normal range of British natural dye samples. No reason that Vikings could not have obtained these.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Wayland]

Mary is much more expert than me on this topic, I would just add that most people underestimate the range of colours that can be achieved using these techniques.

I believe all these yarns were hand dyed with materials available to the Vikings.

 

[leaf man]

now i am mega interested in this! i do not understand most of the words, but interested non the less.
Wayland, are you saying that those colours all came from natural, FREE if you can find it sources? shows just how much knowledge we have lost through convienience

 

[Freelander]

I'm an archaeologist, specialising in traditional textile crafts.
Viking dyes are considered to be tradesmen dyes.
That means that while weaving was done on a domestic scale most dyeing seems to have been done by Dyers.
Excavation on Viking sites in York, London, Dublin and Scandinavia reinforce this view.

The Swedish and Norwegian ladies I met in Latvia only used lixivation for mordanting when they portrayed the past. I spent time with them explaining mordants. They were astonished at the range of dyes that I consider normal for the UK, while I was astonished that they didn't have it

In the UK we find mats of firbog clubmoss in Viking dyeing sites. This plant naturally accretes alum in it's roots. Its one of the four major European mordants. Iron, copper, tin and alum are all used to help fix a dye.
Madder, woad and weld, that's red, blue and yellow, are substantive dyes, that means that they will give colour without a mordant, but they are all much better for the use of one.

Can I ask why Vikings ? and why, and what, you want to dye ? Wool, linen, hemp, nettle or silk if in period, if it's cotton, it's not so straight forward.

The following are a normal range of British natural dye samples. No reason that Vikings could not have obtained these.

cheers,
Toddy

Toddy,

Is it possible to have a break down on the wool colour wheel you have shown with the names of the plants/roots for the relavant colours, please. Interseting to see what did what, thanks.

Great looking piece of work there by the way.

KR

 

[Toddy]

Not easily is the answer
Those wheels are some of the sample colours I obtained from using the plants that grow along the river Clyde and it's shores, from Lanarkshire right the way down the Firth.

I think the total list of plants was over 150.
I used roots, barks, leaves, shoots, berries, flowers, fungi, galls........I did only use alum, iron, copper, urea, salt, vinegar, tannin and lixivation as mordants and adjustants though.
Nothing toxic like tin or chrome.

If there's a particular colour or range that interests you I can most likely tell you what I used however

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Freelander]

Thanks Toddy

What was used for the three greens, number 4,5, 6 from the bottom of the bottom photo on the green selection anti-clock wise. (Olive to Khaki to me

and the really bright orange coloure on the middle photo?

Thanks.

 

[Toddy]

That entire side was nettles. Those three were alum, copper and then iron mordanted wool simmered in a strong nettle dyebath made from plants picked early in the year.

The bright orange is alum mordanted wool soaked in a hot first rinse madder dyebath.
Madder gives off a yellow/ orange dye first, that needs to be rinsed off, and then the dye gives bright red; later it's more peachy colours until it's exhausted.
The orange was done from the rinse off water.

Our water is very soft here and colours are sharp and bright. Even using the same plants elsewhere the water changes the shades and tones of the colours.

It's gotten so that I can pick out a range of colours and say with some assurance, "That's Lanarkshire", or, "Those are Perthshire".

There are all sorts of claims about tartans showing what someone's clan was; I don't think that's true, I'm one of the few who has really seen the differences across the country, in the past most folks stayed much closer to home. What I do think is entirely possible is that on seeing someone else's clothing they could say, "Well, it's not ours."

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Freelander]

Intersting,

Thanks for the advice Toddy.

May give it a go.

Kind Regards