Warpaint

The time has come for me to go fully into the land of conjecture! I’ve been kicking this topic around for a while and have yet to be able to get anything concrete on it. Warpaint was used by the ancient Norse warriors. It’s a toss-up: some people use texts by al-Tartushi and ibn Fadlan to say “yes they did”, others point to those same texts and say that they are only proof of makeup, not war paint. Both viewpoints have their merits. The documents were written during peaceful meetings, so descriptions of makeup would not be warpaint; but having the technology to make eyeblack means that it’s only a small jump to actually using it at war, especially given contact with people that did use it in war. There is also talk about facial tattoos as markings that never disappear. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to make the leap of conjecture (yes, I know it’s a leap) that the warpaint isn’t mentioned in the sagas because it was normal. Warriors painted their faces to scare their enemies, it wouldn’t be the only thing that the ancestors did to give themselves a psychological advantage. There is evidence of filing teeth and accounts of terrible battle cries. All these things chalk up to a culture in which war paint would not be out of place. 

I’m going to break this down into three parts: what was used elsewhere in period, what might have been used in the North in period, and what I actually use. I’ll start off with what I actually use. Currently, I’m using a type of eyeblack used by athletes to take glare off their eyes. It can be purchased at most sporting goods stores, and the one I have comes in a tube which makes it easy to apply. It’s quite similar to greasepaint, and the texture is probably not too far off from one of the fat- or wax-based versions from history. Once I had found what I was going to use, I started working out different patterns that I could wear, and because it’s barely visible in my helm, I have taken to just using a black bar across my eyes. The end result is the illusion of seeing only the whites of my eyes and black shadows through the eye slits in my helm. When I was at Gulf Wars, I added teeth to the mask for show when waiting between battles. Since there is no evidence or accounts of what might have been used, my design process has been based on things that would have been simple to apply. I am going to start working on a design that represents ulfheðinn, something reminiscent of a wolf. 

On to what was actually used elsewhere in history: I have spoken with several friends in regards to what was used in their areas. One who researches Egyptian culture told me that in ancient Egypt, the make-up consisted of a binding agent such as animal fats or oil, and a pigment. Their pigments were typically made of minerals. To get a good black, they used lead galena which was (at the time) unknown to be toxic. The makeup made from lead was called kohl, and not only used for cosmetic reasons, but practical ones as well, such as to reduce glare and keep insects away from the eyes. 

A little bit closer to my own region, Tacitus makes several mentions of a Germanic tribe, the Harii, blackening their skin to blend into the night and terrify their foes. I was able to find a recipe that is thought to be Anglo-Saxon in origin, and a little closer to my time period. It uses beeswax and oil as the binding agent, and charcoal as the pigment.  All of these ingredients would have been plentiful in the Northlands. Beeswax would have been easy to get, since apiculture was common, and charcoal is everywhere. This second recipe could easily have been traded with a person living in Rus lands.

All in all, the idea of ulfheðinn using facepaint/body paint isn’t that big a leap. Makeup of similar types exist through all regions and most periods of history, which means that the technology was there. An even more direct link is the theory that the Harii, the tribe mentioned by Tacitus, are thought to be an early version of the Odinic Warrior Cult, the same tradition that ulfheðinn represent. Throughout history, warriors have sought to terrify their enemies, to win the battle of the eyes before the lines are ever met. The ancestors would have been no different. In the meantime, while we wait for more proof, the practical reasons of eyeblack are more than enough for me to wear it. 

Do you guys like warpaint? Have you seen evidence for its use or against? Let me know in the comments!