by Lars N. Nygaard
In 1904, a Viking grave was excavated in Vestfold, about 100 km southwest of Christiania (now Oslo). The burial mound was 40 meters wide and 4 meters high. Led by Swedish archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson, the excavation revealed a 21-meter long Viking ship from around AD 820, buried in 834. The ship contained two unidentified women and richly decorated grave goods. The site became known as Oseberg, named after the local farm there.
Around the mast was a wooden chamber where hundreds of fragmented textiles were found—clothing, bedding, household items—preserved by chance after over 1,000 years in the ground. At the time, there was no experience in conserving such delicate material. Today, the textiles are stored at the Viking Ship Museum in Bygdøy, Oslo. A new, larger museum is under construction and expected to open in 2027.
Among the finds were over 80 fragments of narrow wall hangings, densely decorated with animals, humans, ships, wagons, and buildings. The decay was severe, and the original layout is unknown. Nonetheless, the archaeologists recognized their importance. The first substantial publication on the textiles appeared in 1940, edited by Margareta Nockert and Arne Emil Christensen, as volume four of the Oseberg series.
In her 2019 book The Oseberg Tapestries, archaeologist, professor Marianne Vedeler suggests that the weavings were made by high-status women—those with time and resources, supported by servants or slaves. The widest surviving band is only 23 cm, woven in wool with organic fibers such as flax and nettle, which have since rotted away.
The scenes remain partially mysterious but include parades, battles, warriors, hanged men, arrows, and spears—imagery deeply tied to Viking life and mythology.
Katherine Larson, in The Woven Coverlets of Norway (2001), argues that tapestry weaving developed as an art form in medieval Europe due to contact with the Middle East. She illustrates this with a 600 BC Greek vase showing a warp-weighted loom—also used in Norway.
Aase F. Bay Sjøvold was a Norwegian museum curator, textile and costume researcher. She was head of the textile department at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Oslo from 1968. Her theory supported that of prodessor Vedeler concerning the oriental origin of some of the themes of early weavings from Norway. When we had our exhibition of Baluch weavings and carpets in 2023, we posted this clip from her book «Norsk Billedvev» from 1976.
There are many well-documented sources describing the Vikings’ journeys with their ships across the Mediterranean to Miklagard/Constantinople. They also sailed across the Baltic Sea and reached the Black Sea by partially sailing and dragging their ships long distances over land to reach the same destination via the Russian rivers. Likewise, they sailed up the Seine and laid siege to Paris, and up the Guadalquivir River in Spain, where they plundered towns.
Norwegian pictorial weavings often had biblical subjects, much like those produced across Europe in the same period.
Tapestry weaving flourished during the Renaissance, particularly in France and the Netherlands (1400–1600), supported by royal and noble patrons. Subjects were biblical or mythological, often inspired by church paintings or engravings. As Larson notes, professional weavers who migrated to Scandinavia brought the Renaissance realism with them.
The oldest known tapestry technique in Norway is the so-called Baldishol carpet, dated 1040–1190 AD and now in the National Museum in Oslo. Found during the demolition of a church in 1879, it had been buried in clay and dirt for centuries, but when cleaned revealed vibrant colors and fine detail. It shows two figures representing April and May and was likely once part of a full calendar set. The Baldishol tapestry shares many details with the Bayeux tapestry, including costume and horse gear.
It’s uncertain whether Baldishol was woven in Norway—no similar examples from that period have been found. Other Norwegian tapestries appear only after the late 16th century.
The Bayeux tapestry, also from around 1070 AD, is 70 meters long and depicts William the Conqueror’s invasion of England. It marks a turning point when Viking dominance ended.
Smaller tapestries with classical motifs became popular in the 20th century, both professionally and as handicrafts. The Norwegian Handicraft Association (DNH) distributed works with religious subjects like The Wise and Foolish Virgins. Another piece from the collection, dated to the 17th century, depicts Salome’s dance and the beheading of John the Baptist, combined with an adoration scene and a mysterious figure fleeing on a donkey—possibly Josef.
Text on many weavings is often illegible. Most people at the time were illiterate, and inscriptions were often decorative or nonsensical.
By the 17th century, weaving had blossomed in rural areas like the Gudbrandsdal valley, and a few other other places. The name “Gudbrand” means “God-sword”, and “dal” is Norwegian for valley. This flourishing owed much to a blend of foreign influences and old Norwegian traditions, especially the practice of tjelding—decorating wooden walls with woven images.
In medieval folklore, weavers were often seen as powerful and mystical figures. They could foresee events, summon illness, or open burial mounds. They carried oral traditions forward, and their works could be both sacred and frightening in a society with little access to visual media.
Even after the Reformation, tapestry retained its magical associations. Court records show that at least two women burned as witches in the late 16th century had connections to weaving.
One 20th-century weave shows a medieval knight and two crosses, possibly referencing the twin-towered churches of Hadeland or Skara Cathedral. A related 17th-century weave is now in the National Museum (N.M. 35456).
According to Thor B. Kielland’s monumental work Norsk Billedvev 1550–1800, around 1,300 pictorial weavings survive in Norway, most of them rural in origin. Only 50 are urban and clearly linked to foreign traditions. The rest reflect local developments between 1600 and 1800. Kielland argues convincingly that the Renaissance revival of weaving in Norway blended imported styles with older native traditions. This hybrid form also paralleled changes in architecture, carving, and fashion. Though no medieval Norwegian weavings survive in full, the legacy remains visible in the remarkable works of the 17th century.
Lars N. Nygaard
Literature and image sources:
- Detail of the Bayeux Tapestry – 11th Century. The city of Bayeux – France.
- Marianne Vedeler Oseberg-De gåtefulle billedvevene. Spartacus Forlag as-Sap- Scandinavian Academic Press 2019.
- Lars N Nygård and Jan Eskeland-«Baluch» 2023. A fully illustrated catalogue from the exhibition in the logged barn at Nyfossum-The Cobalt museum. Åmot. Private release.
- Norsk Billedvev-1976. (Norwegian figural weave) Aase Bay Sjøvold.
- The Woven Coverlets of Norway. Katherine Larson. University of Washington Press. 2002.
- Thor B Kielland- Norsk Billedvev 1550-1800. I-III. Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. Published by The Arts- and Crafts Museum in Oslo 1955.
- *Helen Engelstad-Dobbeltvev i Norge. Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. 1958.
Lars N. Nygaard Orientalske Tepper, Teppeforum, Gamle Drammensvej 40, 1369 Stabekk, Norway – email: carpetlars@hotmail.com