Viking Shoulder Bag With Wooden Handles. Model Viborg 12

Material: genuin leather

• Slats: Acacia wood with wax impregnation
• Hand stitching
• Handwoven cord
• Bag length: 21 cm
• Bag width: 24 cm

This traditional Scandinavian shoulder bag with wooden handles made from leather is based on the officially  found archaeological artifact. Leather variant is quite unusual for this type of bags, but offers a very practical and convenient option. It is a traditional element in both men’s and women’s attire. This bag is ideal for carrying larger items that don’t fit in a smaller waist pouch. It can be slung over your shoulder, and it won’t get in the way at a festival.

Wooden handles securely close and prevent the contents from falling out, even during fast running or bending.

Two more findings likely belonging to this type of item, resembling the horn handles from Hedeby, are currently displayed in the Viborg Museum in Denmark (Vlasatý 2016). One is made of wood, and the other is made of horn.

Regarding the bags themselves, the most promising finds are the leather fragments from Lake Søndergård (Søndergård Lake) in Viborg (Petersen 2005: 407-409, Ill. 24). The bag (which may have originally been a pillow) is now represented by six large fragments. The upper part of the bag consists of leather strips measuring 40 cm long, 9 cm wide at the edges, and 13 cm wide in the center. The edge of the opening is folded inward and stitched through holes spaced 0.2 cm apart. Loops are located 9 cm from the edges. Two rectangular leather pieces, now represented by four fragments (22 × 29 cm, 37 × 25 cm, 17 × 25 cm, and 19 × 42 cm), were sewn onto the lower part of the strips that form the opening. Thus, the bag’s overall height was at least 55 cm. This find could be interpreted as a craftsman’s bag. The rounded neck suggests it was paired with curved handles found in Hedeby and Viborg.