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<blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 7484125" data-attributes="member: 58172"><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]100677[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>The Heðinn ‘Fur Cloak’</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>of the Vǫlva and the Berserkr</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The image above suggests what a heðinn ‘fur cloak’ looks like. This particular one is bear fur. </p><p></p><p>A Norse cloak is a wellmade garment with a simple rectangular form, formally standardized as 2 meters by 1 meter. Normally, a cloak is a wool weave with finely sewn hems. But a rare cloak for shamanic use might be fur. The Norse typically wear the cloak in the following way. If one is righthanded, the cloak is folded longwise in half around the left side of the body, with the two sides of the cloak front and back. Then the two sides of the cloak are pinned over the right shoulder. The resulting neck area can be as loose or as tight as suitable for comfort and weather. The two sides then hang down from the pin, often reaching calf-length, front and back. Thus the right arm remains free from coverage. The front side can be thrown back over the left shoulder if the left arm needs to be free. Additionally, the cloak can function as blanket, especially outdoors in harsh winter.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]100678[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The Old Norse term heðinn is uncommon. But it is famous because of its appearance in the name Úlf-heðinn, literally the ‘Wolf Fur Cloak’, namely the nickname for special berserkar serving as bodyguards for several kings, including the Haraldr Inn Hárfagri the king of Noregr, according the skald poem Hrafnsmál.</p><p></p><p>Because the Norse typically avoid wearing furs, except in certain shamanic contexts, the archeological record for a heðinn remains so far unattested. But fragments of wool cloaks of a similar shape do survive. Likewise, texts and drawings affirm what a typical Norse cloak looks like.</p><p></p><p>The heðinn is a loose garment that can be ‘swung’ around someone, the way a cloak or a pelt of animal fur can. This differs from a tunic that one must squeeze thru, or a jacket that one must arm thru.</p><p></p><p>Norse texts mention heðinn for use in shamanic magic, such as figuratively for illusions in Eyrbyggja Saga. A target of an illusion later complains, ‘I have (it) in mind, (that maybe) if Katla had swung a heðinn fur cloak around our head?’ (Hvort mun Katla eigi hafa héðni veift um hǫfuð oss?) More literally, in Njals Saga, a male shaman by the name of Svanr ‘swung’ a pelt of goat fur around his own head for focus to shapeshift his friends into the appearance of a dense fog. ‘Svanr took one goat-fur and swung it around his head. And he spoke: Become fog, and become horror, and a marvel (to) all (of) them who seek after you. Then a massive fog came (to be) in exchange for them.’ (Svanr tók geitskinn eitt og veifði yfir hǫfuð sér og mælti: Verði þoka og verði skrípi og undr ǫllum þeim er eftir þér sækja. Þá kom þoka mikil í mót þeim.) Later, those who sought these mist-form men were struck blind in terror, falling from their horses and scattering. </p><p></p><p>Elsewhere a heðinn is ‘folded’ (vefja) around a person, as a Norse cloak, as illustrated above. Similarly the legal-tender sheet of wool fabric (vaðmál) can be ‘folded’ around a person for use as a cloak. This standard section of fine wool fabric can be used as money, and if so must be 2 meters by 1 meter. Typically, this sheet is cut to tailor various garments such as for a tunic or dress, yet can be used as-is as a winter cloak. The heðinn fur cloak appears to be a similar kind of standard section of 2-by-1 fabric, but comprises a well-made fur, rather than a wool.</p><p></p><p>The Norse proverbs, Hávamál, mention a heðinn garment as presenting a threatening appearance. In this context, the head hides the tongue while the heðinn hides a hand, and both can deliver deadly attacks. Possibly the tongue refers to verbal expressions of magical intention. Meanwhile the hand might hold a weapon.</p><p></p><p>‘Two armies are of one. A tongue is a killer of a head. For me, I consider, (he) is in a heðinn (for) what of a hand?’ (Tveir ro eins heriar, tunga er hǫfuðs bani, er mér í heðin hvern handar væni.)</p><p></p><p>The proverb advises vigilance against any attack. In this case, the heðinn garment normally − proverbially − serves to hide one arm, namely the left one under the cloak fold. (Thus the heðinn seems unlikely to be a sleeveless jacket, as some might speculate.) Moreover, there is no indication that this heðinn cloak covers the head. (Thus it seems to lack a hood.) The proverb indicates a head that can be seen clearly, while the tongue hides, and while one hand hides under the cloak.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Altho obscure, the Norse texts corroborate the heðinn as a rectangular fur cloak, finely cut and stitched, as wool cloaks are. Scholarly confusion comes in from the Non-Norse context of Anglo-Saxon Old English glosses. For example, the Latin term mastruca is a peculiar heavy outer vest made out of goat fur or sheep fur, which is worn in Sardinia since the 200s BCE. In the Latin text, Cleopatra, the marginal annotation of the First Cleopatra Glossary lists the Old English term hæðen to elucidate this obscure Latin term mastruca. Add to this, linguists note that Old English hæðen is a cognate of Old Norse heðinn. At this point some speculate incorrectly that the Norse garment too is a vest or ‘sleeveless jacket’, in contrast to the Norse textual evidence and archeological evidence for Norse style garments. Here the main difficulty is, even if two terms are cognate, each language uses them in different ways with different meanings. In any case, this same term hæðen can also be used in Old English to mean a simple sheet of goat fur or sheep fur − agreeing more with the way that the Norse use their cognate term. Apparently, the Anglo-Saxons import furs from the Norse, often in the form of wellstitched two-by-one rectangles that the Norse call heðinn and that the Anglo-Saxons call hæðen. This fur can be used as-is as a cloak. However, the Anglo-Saxons themselves appear to cut this fur fabric (as they would wool fabric) in order to sew together various kinds of fur garments, which they also call a hæðen.</p><p></p><p>In any case, in the Norse context, the use of fur garments is rare. A fur cloak is called a heðinn. Its shape and hemming resembles a standard Norse wool cloak. Mainly, heðinn seems to be goat fur. But the furs of other animals are also known, such as the wolf fur.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>In sum. The famous berserkar known as the Úlfheðnar appear to be wearing wellmade wolf-fur Norse cloaks.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Yaarel, post: 7484125, member: 58172"] [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]100677._xfImport[/ATTACH] [B]The Heðinn ‘Fur Cloak’ of the Vǫlva and the Berserkr [/B] [/CENTER] The image above suggests what a heðinn ‘fur cloak’ looks like. This particular one is bear fur. A Norse cloak is a wellmade garment with a simple rectangular form, formally standardized as 2 meters by 1 meter. Normally, a cloak is a wool weave with finely sewn hems. But a rare cloak for shamanic use might be fur. The Norse typically wear the cloak in the following way. If one is righthanded, the cloak is folded longwise in half around the left side of the body, with the two sides of the cloak front and back. Then the two sides of the cloak are pinned over the right shoulder. The resulting neck area can be as loose or as tight as suitable for comfort and weather. The two sides then hang down from the pin, often reaching calf-length, front and back. Thus the right arm remains free from coverage. The front side can be thrown back over the left shoulder if the left arm needs to be free. Additionally, the cloak can function as blanket, especially outdoors in harsh winter. [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]100678._xfImport[/ATTACH][/CENTER] The Old Norse term heðinn is uncommon. But it is famous because of its appearance in the name Úlf-heðinn, literally the ‘Wolf Fur Cloak’, namely the nickname for special berserkar serving as bodyguards for several kings, including the Haraldr Inn Hárfagri the king of Noregr, according the skald poem Hrafnsmál. Because the Norse typically avoid wearing furs, except in certain shamanic contexts, the archeological record for a heðinn remains so far unattested. But fragments of wool cloaks of a similar shape do survive. Likewise, texts and drawings affirm what a typical Norse cloak looks like. The heðinn is a loose garment that can be ‘swung’ around someone, the way a cloak or a pelt of animal fur can. This differs from a tunic that one must squeeze thru, or a jacket that one must arm thru. Norse texts mention heðinn for use in shamanic magic, such as figuratively for illusions in Eyrbyggja Saga. A target of an illusion later complains, ‘I have (it) in mind, (that maybe) if Katla had swung a heðinn fur cloak around our head?’ (Hvort mun Katla eigi hafa héðni veift um hǫfuð oss?) More literally, in Njals Saga, a male shaman by the name of Svanr ‘swung’ a pelt of goat fur around his own head for focus to shapeshift his friends into the appearance of a dense fog. ‘Svanr took one goat-fur and swung it around his head. And he spoke: Become fog, and become horror, and a marvel (to) all (of) them who seek after you. Then a massive fog came (to be) in exchange for them.’ (Svanr tók geitskinn eitt og veifði yfir hǫfuð sér og mælti: Verði þoka og verði skrípi og undr ǫllum þeim er eftir þér sækja. Þá kom þoka mikil í mót þeim.) Later, those who sought these mist-form men were struck blind in terror, falling from their horses and scattering. Elsewhere a heðinn is ‘folded’ (vefja) around a person, as a Norse cloak, as illustrated above. Similarly the legal-tender sheet of wool fabric (vaðmál) can be ‘folded’ around a person for use as a cloak. This standard section of fine wool fabric can be used as money, and if so must be 2 meters by 1 meter. Typically, this sheet is cut to tailor various garments such as for a tunic or dress, yet can be used as-is as a winter cloak. The heðinn fur cloak appears to be a similar kind of standard section of 2-by-1 fabric, but comprises a well-made fur, rather than a wool. The Norse proverbs, Hávamál, mention a heðinn garment as presenting a threatening appearance. In this context, the head hides the tongue while the heðinn hides a hand, and both can deliver deadly attacks. Possibly the tongue refers to verbal expressions of magical intention. Meanwhile the hand might hold a weapon. ‘Two armies are of one. A tongue is a killer of a head. For me, I consider, (he) is in a heðinn (for) what of a hand?’ (Tveir ro eins heriar, tunga er hǫfuðs bani, er mér í heðin hvern handar væni.) The proverb advises vigilance against any attack. In this case, the heðinn garment normally − proverbially − serves to hide one arm, namely the left one under the cloak fold. (Thus the heðinn seems unlikely to be a sleeveless jacket, as some might speculate.) Moreover, there is no indication that this heðinn cloak covers the head. (Thus it seems to lack a hood.) The proverb indicates a head that can be seen clearly, while the tongue hides, and while one hand hides under the cloak. Altho obscure, the Norse texts corroborate the heðinn as a rectangular fur cloak, finely cut and stitched, as wool cloaks are. Scholarly confusion comes in from the Non-Norse context of Anglo-Saxon Old English glosses. For example, the Latin term mastruca is a peculiar heavy outer vest made out of goat fur or sheep fur, which is worn in Sardinia since the 200s BCE. In the Latin text, Cleopatra, the marginal annotation of the First Cleopatra Glossary lists the Old English term hæðen to elucidate this obscure Latin term mastruca. Add to this, linguists note that Old English hæðen is a cognate of Old Norse heðinn. At this point some speculate incorrectly that the Norse garment too is a vest or ‘sleeveless jacket’, in contrast to the Norse textual evidence and archeological evidence for Norse style garments. Here the main difficulty is, even if two terms are cognate, each language uses them in different ways with different meanings. In any case, this same term hæðen can also be used in Old English to mean a simple sheet of goat fur or sheep fur − agreeing more with the way that the Norse use their cognate term. Apparently, the Anglo-Saxons import furs from the Norse, often in the form of wellstitched two-by-one rectangles that the Norse call heðinn and that the Anglo-Saxons call hæðen. This fur can be used as-is as a cloak. However, the Anglo-Saxons themselves appear to cut this fur fabric (as they would wool fabric) in order to sew together various kinds of fur garments, which they also call a hæðen. In any case, in the Norse context, the use of fur garments is rare. A fur cloak is called a heðinn. Its shape and hemming resembles a standard Norse wool cloak. Mainly, heðinn seems to be goat fur. But the furs of other animals are also known, such as the wolf fur. In sum. The famous berserkar known as the Úlfheðnar appear to be wearing wellmade wolf-fur Norse cloaks. [/QUOTE]
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