26/05/2026
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The horned Viking helmet we associate with warriors of the North was most likely created by artists — not by history itself.
Historical helmets from the Viking Age were simple and practical, designed for protection in battles
The Gjermundbu helmet discovered in Norway — one of the very few surviving helmets from the Viking Age — had no horns at all.
The horned helmet became a legend during the Romantic era in the 19th century.
One of the first artists to portray northern warriors with horned helmets was August Malmström, who illustrated the Icelandic Friðþjófs saga ins frœkna.
Later, Richard Wagner made the image even more famous in Der Ring des Nibelungen — and the horned warrior slowly became part of modern imagination.
Sometimes myths become stronger than history.
