Get the look: Rusvik man, winter clothing

This Rusvik clothing composition is specially made for winter. This Viking man is part of the Rusvik. We have named him Ivar, and he has settled with his wife Thyra in the region of modern-day Ukraine. Ivar is a 9th-10th century trader of Swedish descent. He grew up in the Viking town of Birka in Sweden. 

Sweden has traditionally been associated with the Rusvik. But the Rusvik were just as present in Northern Poland, the Baltic states, Finland, White-Russia, Russia, and Ukraine. DNA research has shown that Vikings originated from a wide variety of countries.  

In the Kiev region, the Rusvik prince Rurik founded a new realm in the 9th century. The Kievan realm was located at the crossroads between the Islamic world and Scandinavia. Vikings traveled down the Volga River and traded with the Islamic world. There, they sold goods such as fur, hides, amber, slaves, and ivory in exchange for Islamic silver dirhams. Dirhams can be seen as the USD or EUR of that time. They had a higher silver content and were therefore more reliable than European coins. The Vikings also bought silk, gemstones, and spices from the Middle East. 

The Kievan Realm began as a number of Slavic tribes in the region around Kiev, led by princes (knyaz) who exercised authority over the tribes. In the 9th century, Rurik, a Viking prince, arrived in Novgorod and established his dynasty, the Rurikids, as rulers over the area. His successors, such as Oleg the Wise, united the Slavic tribes and laid the basic for the realm.

The trade with the Baltic states, Ukraine, and the Middle East placed the Swedish city of Birka at the center. Birka thus grew into one of the richest Viking cities. Viking traders established trade routes between Birka and the Kievan Rus. They exchanged items like fur, honey, wax, and gemstones from northern Europe for goods such as weapons, silver, and textiles from the Kievan Rus.

In the 10th and 11th centuries, the Kievan Rus experienced its Golden Age. Under princes like Vladimir the Great and Yaroslav the Wise, the realm expanded and consolidated its power. Kiev became the center of political, economic, and cultural activity. The city housed churches, markets, and administrative buildings.

The Scandinavian culture was notably evident in the administrative structure of Kievan Rus. The earliest rulers were often referred to as knyaz (king), and their administrative practices showed Viking influence. The city of Novgorod, where the Vikings first arrived, played a central role in the early political and economic development of Kievan Rus.

We have assembled Ivar and his wife Thyra on basic with clothing and accessories representative of the entire Baltic region and the Volga. 

Read our other blog to learn more about the women's outfit.

The rubakha, a long tunic, was the basic of the Rusvik clothing. Poorer men often wore one, and wealthier men wore a second one over it, made from a more expensive fabric. The overtunic is made of wool with a herringbone pattern collar. The woolen tunic provides extra warmth in the cold weather of its habitat.

Do you prefer an undertunic with long sleeves? Then take a look at the Tunic Leif.

Characteristic of Ivar's clothing is the puffed trousers that remained popular in Russia and Ukraine until the early modern period. Similar puffed trousers are even depicted on the 9th-century tapestry of the Norwegian Oseberg ship, but with an extra wide puff.  

Under his trousers Ivar wears woolen leg wrappings. The leg wrappings were fastened with buckles.

Ivar wears a luxurious caftan made from red and blue wool. The colors red and blue symbolized wealth. Only the wealthier Vikings could afford to wear these colors of fabric. 

Many modern Vikings wear hats. Although hats have not been frequently found in Viking graves, it can be assumed that Vikings indeed often wore hats to protect against the cold. 

In cold times, Ivar wore a thick woolen cloak over his caftan. Besides protection against the cold, these cloaks were also used for sleeping in. 

It was considered improper to wear the tunic without the belt. Both the components of the belt and the fittings on the pouch are based on finds in graves from Birka. 

In this composition, Ivar Viking shoes is worn as found in the Viking city of York. 

Vikings often wore a sax. Saxes are available in both large and small variants. Small saxes were probably often used as tools. This large sax was clearly intended for battle. The Rusvik regularly wore saxes whose scabbard was luxuriously decorated with brass deposits. This was both decorative and for reinforcing the scabbard.

Ivar wears in this composition a Viking sword Petersen type E2. This sword is based on an original found in a Viking grave at Gnёzdovo near Smolensk in Russia.