The Armour Archive

There's an upcoming "Viking" event in February (hosted by the SCA, near Pittsburgh, PA) that I am thinking about attending. I don't have a helm but am considering making a simple conical helm covered in horn scale (i.e. staggered, partially overlapping rows of roughlt rectangular scales, approx. 1.5" x .75"). Let me add that this is to be sort of a costume piece (and perhaps an A&S submission) and not a piece of equiment for list combat!

Before I start digging into every reference book I can place my dirty mitts on, I thought I'd pick your collective brain to see what anybody knows about horn scale helms, correct period, and culture.

Stuff I Already Know:

• Such helms are known to have existed in England as late as the 1300's
• It is known that there were helms during the Migration era (and later?) that employed horn panels in a "spangen" type construction

Thanks, in advance, for your help!

Tim

The only West European helmet I know of with horn panels is the (English) Benty Grange helm of about 650 AD. And no helmets with scales of horn (I've seen pictorial "reconstructions" of the Benty Grange helm done that way. However, the evidence is that the horn was in panels, not scales - none of it has survived - just the structure of the grain embedded in the rust of the helmet.)

Regarding helmets made of scales, for western Europe, the 14th century is the earliest I've seen any evidence of them, pictorial or otherwise.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

I discovered a small passage in the article "Medieval Footsoldier 1460-85: (3) Edged Weapons & Helmets" by Clive Bartlett and Gerry Embleton published in Military Illustrated Past & Present (No. 11, February/March 1998) which gives mention of scale helmets:

"These three types of helmet (e.g. sallet, barbute & kettle) were produced in all quanlities and worn by all classes of soldier; but in between and around them are a variety of designs, often with extra features. Illustrations show small sallets or caps with a large rondel fixed to each side for extra protection, perhaps riveted to either the chin strap or the actual skull. A few helmets have what appear to be small hinged nasal bars. Some caps were constructed of small metal or horn overlapping plates set vertically or horizontally."

Sadly, the authors show no illustrations of the last items nor give any further references.

Tim