Hoods

Hoods are illustrated on the Gotlandic picture stones, whilst finds exist from Viking age Heddeby and medieval Bocksten.

Hoods are composed of a head covering which extended downwards to cover the shoulders. They may have been worn in conjunction with cloaks.

How to Make a Hood

Anyone will benefit from having a hood made from either linen, for authentic sun protection in summer, or wool for winter or a layer of both to keep the wind out! This is another easy piece of kit to make and so very useful. Just add an extra half metre to your fabric order or buy a remnant. This piece of kit looks great with simple lines of straight stitching securing the seam allowances. A simple variation is to cut the front and back in a graceful curve.

A downloadable copy of this information is available here.

A later modification was to add a long tail to the point of the hood called a "lirripipe". However, these are medieval and therefore inauthentic for our period.

Credits: with thanks to Alix Cooper.