Medieval gugel
The grave find from Skjoldehamn has raised many questions since its recovery in 1936 and continues to do so today. According to current research, the pagan grave in the marshland dates to the first half of the 11th century. The hood of the gugel of Skjoldehamn has a simple square basic shape and a very wide brim, which is not round but falls onto the chest with a corner. This gugel is also a very early example of the type of headgear that became a ubiquitous item of medieval clothing in Europe.
In the course of the investigations, attempts were made to assign the garment to a gender and cultural group. For this purpose, not only the DNA of the buried person was examined more closely, but also the additional finds. The enclosed trousers confirmed the researchers' theory that the person must have been male. The DNA examination in 1999 showed no Y chromosome present in the bones, which supported the theory that it must have been a woman instead. However, this methodology is considered outdated.
The question of culture points to Norway. This is assumed by ornamentation and morphological features, which suggest that the buried person was a member of the Sami tribe. Further research is needed, as some key evidence for these hypotheses is still missing. More modern DNA analyses and research into the history of fashion among the various Sami groups will shed light on this.
Details Gugel from Skjoldehamn Wool Bjorn:
Material: 74% wool, 15% polyester, 7% polyamide, 4% natural fibers
Available colors: brown, grey, green
Scope of delivery: 1x Skjoldehamn Wool Bjorn coat
