Some wonder if the lead could have been used to create a concoction with the henbane seeds and ointment discovered in the grave. Since other items discovered in the grave suggested she was a seeress, it is not clear if the lead was used to paint her face as part of her rituals to communicate with the dead. It’s also unclear why the woman would have used white lead as makeup. However, this belief is hard to substantiate as no trace of the woman’s skin was discovered in the remains. Many historians believe that the Fyrkat woman was using the white lead as some makeup. However, they didn’t know about its toxicity. Also known as “white lead,” ancient Greeks commonly used lead carbonate. She was also buried with a box brooch, which contained lead carbonate. (Also see Did the Vikings Have Piercings?) She was buried with fine clothes and some jewelry that would have been rare in the Scandinavian region at the time. The remains showed that the woman was fairly rich or had access to riches. The grave of a suspected “seeress” that dates from around 980 was found in Fyrkat, Denmark. ![]() It is difficult to say if modern depictions of Vikings with painted faces are historically accurate because there are no pictures from the Viking period.ĭo modern depictions of Vikings reflect the actual clothes they wore? See What Did the Vikings Wear? to learn more. Yaqub’s note suggests that it was conventional for Vikings to add a foreign substance to their face to change or enhance their appearance. Some interpretations of the texts show that Ibrahim mentioned that the Danish Vikings at Hedeby, a town on the southern tip of the Jutland Peninsula in northern Europe, lined their eyes with Kohl, which is black powder, usually antimony sulfide or lead sulfide, used as eye makeup. Yaqub mentioned in his writings that Viking men and women used some kind of indelible cosmetic to “enhance the beauty of their eyes.” (Also see What Kind of Hairstyles Did the Vikings Have?) Many historical discussions about the appearance of Vikings refer to the writings of Ibrahim ibn Yaqub (also known as Al-Tartushi) who visited the Viking town of Hedeby around the year 965 A.D. Did Vikings paint their faces for war? See below Viking face paint: evidence from English writings
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