VARARFELDIR

Paying homage to Scotland's rich Viking heritage, I research and recreate traditional Viking-era vararfeldir. These are great, shaggy cloaks of curly locks worn by ancient kings and seafarers to keep the elements at bay.

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These cloaks are mentioned in the saga of the 9th-century Norwegian king Harald Gráfeldur, who took his eponym “Grey Cloak” from the grey varafeldur he was gifted. They are later noted as an important trade good in the 13th-century Icelandic law text Grágás, which gives specific dimensions and regulations for how they should be made.

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Remnants of the distinctive woven and knotted cloth used to make vararfeldir have been found in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Scotland and the Isle of Man, showing how far these remarkable pieces of craftsmanship, and the skills used to make them, travelled in the ancient world.

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Naturally wind and waterproof, thanks to the properties of the wool they are woven from, vararfeldir evoke powerful imagery of the wild North: warrior kings marching to battle, skalds sharing tales in the mead hall, and the Norns themselves, sitting at the great loom of fate, weaving the fates of men.

 

These very special cloaks also make wonderfully warm throws for a bed or sofa, or dramatic wall hangings.

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You can learn more about my vararfeldr journey at my Vararfeldr exhibition, currently touring in Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Norway.​