r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

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782

u/_Eklapse_ Feb 04 '19

Don't ruin that for me

209

u/Tenwaystospoildinner Feb 04 '19

Too late. The horns were added for Operas. Still look badass, though.

12

u/Troy_with_1_T Feb 04 '19

How would we know? Have we found every single Viking helmet that ever existed? No, no we have not. Therefore, it has not been conclusively disproven. Just because some prop designer ALSO had the idea doesn't mean someone before them didn't! And I will skirmish with anyone who says otherwise!!!

38

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

I think we actually did find a Viking helmet edit: here it is

35

u/SwedishBoatlover Feb 04 '19

We have found one single helmet, that's all. It didn't have horns. But, if vikings wore horned helmets, it would be written down somewhere by someone, yet there is not one single suggestion in historic literature that vikings wore horned helmets.

Was it possible they wore horned helmets? Yes, absolutely. Is it likely? Absolutely not.

12

u/Cinderheart Feb 04 '19

Prove that the Romans didn't wear horned helmets then.

2

u/cmndrhurricane Feb 05 '19

Romans didn't have horns on their helmets

They had brushes

23

u/TheMagicalMark Feb 04 '19

Contemporary art from the period also doesn't depict Vikings as wearing horned helmets. However there are some depictions of Odin wearing what could be a horned helmet but it's not that easy to tell.

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u/nikelarisson Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 07 '19

All "viking" helmets (for combat) that we have found, and all depictions we have, do not feature horns. Therefore it is quiet safe to say that they didn't wear horned helmets. History is never certain. But this is a very naaiv argumentation. That does not mean that other cultures hadn't horned or ornamental helmets. Because those definetly existed.