Small Hands at the Bellows: Craft Training in the Viking Age

The purpose of this study was to determine what could be learned about how Viking Age craftspeople trained novices based on examinations of ethnographic accounts of craft training and medieval guild records of apprenticeship. By investigating the training practices of medieval crafting guilds as well as potters, bone- and antlerworkers, hornworkers, glassworkers, and non-ferrous metalworkers in other cultures, this study has shown that Viking Age novice craftspeople of both genders began learning in the workshops at a young age, and were likely the children of the senior craftsperson or craftspeople. Based on these findings, it is likely that Viking Age workshops were not highly specialized in one craft, but rather were operated by members of the craftsperson’s family who were skilled in multiple crafting disciplines. Most importantly, this study has shown that there is still a great deal still to be learned on the subject of Viking age craft training. It is my hope that this study will encourage further research and engagement on the topic.