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Real Viking Beards: Styles, History & How to Grow One Like a Norseman

JUNE 15, 2025

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When most people think of Vikings, they picture axe-wielding madmen with wild, tangled face-moss and zero concept of hygiene. Hollywood loves this image. But like most things pop culture mangles, the reality is way more interesting.


In reality Vikings were clean, intentional, and we could even say, stylish. Their beards weren’t accidents of neglect. They were symbolic and shaped by status, culture, and utility.


Let’s take a real look at Viking beards, their history and culture.

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What Viking Beards Actually Looked Like

Historical texts and archaeological finds tell a clear story: Vikings cared about grooming. Take Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, the 10th-century Arab diplomat who encountered the Rus (likely Swedish Vikings). He described them as tall, blond, heavily bearded, and surprisingly clean. He was simultaneously impressed and a little weirded out by how often they bathed.

Ahmad Ibn Fadhlan in Northern Europe

There is also a lot of the archaeological evidence. Beard combs, grooming kits, and tweezers were extremely common in Norse graves. These weren’t status items. Even regular farmers had them. In fact, Viking combs are among the most frequently found Norse personal items. This shows how much Vikings cared about their grooming.


Some Vikings even carved their names into their beard combs using runes, as confirmed by archaeological discoveries.

Royal Ontario Museum, Viking Exhibition, 2017-2018. Toronto, Canada

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A carved head found in the Oseberg ship burial also shows a carefully groomed moustache and beard, a rare surviving artistic depiction that backs up the textual sources.

Man's head from the Oseberg burial, Norway 10th century CE

Even in England, people noticed. A 10th-century Anglo-Saxon letter mocks English youth for copying the Danish fashion: long bangs, short back hair, and well-trimmed beards. They called it vanity, but it clearly meant the Vikings had a distinct and maintained look.

The choirs of angels, prophets and the Apostles showing a range of hairstyles in the 9th-century Athelstan Psalter. © The British Library, Cotton Galba A.xviii, fol. 2v.

Beard styles varied depending on social class and occupation:

Jarls (nobles): Longer, often styled or braided. As an example, the first king of Norway was often described in sagas with long, flowing hair and a noble appearance. While the sagas don’t detail his beard specifically, the association with hair pride and status implies a styled, possibly braided beard to match his social rank.

Harald Hårfagre Statue, Haugesund, Norway

Warriors: Shorter, square-cut for practicality. Let's take a look at the carvings on the Tängelgårda runestone (Gotland). This stone shows armed men with short, squared-off beards — practical and minimal, matching what would be expected in battle.

Carvings on the Tängelgårda runestone (Gotland)

Farmers: Moderate length, shaped but functional. The image of Egil Skallagrímsson below supports this. His beard is short, thick, and plainly kept. No braids, no beads, just a practical style that fits a man who worked the land and fought when needed.

Picture of Egil in a 17th-century manuscript of Egils Saga

Types of Viking Beards

Short and Square
Popular with fighters. Doesn’t get in the way when you’re burying an axe in someone.

Long and Braided
Chieftains, elders, or high-status men might wear long beards, sometimes divided into braids. There are some theories that it was meant as a status symbol.

Mustache + Chin Beard Combo:
Seen in some stone carvings and hinted in sagas.

Tapered or Pointed:
This style is seen in Norse drawings, especially in depictions of gods like Odin.

Some of the most common types of Viking bear

Did Vikings Actually Wear Beard Beads?

The image of Vikings with braided beards and beads isn’t just fantasy — it’s definitely possible. Vikings wore plenty of jewelry. Rings, pins, brooches, arm bands, and decorative gear have been found in graves all across Scandinavia. So the idea that some of them added ornaments to their beards isn’t far-fetched.

What’s missing is direct proof. Hair doesn’t preserve well, so even if someone was buried with beard beads in place, we wouldn’t see it today. Some small beads and metal tubes have been found in male graves, but their exact purpose isn’t clear. They could’ve been for hair, clothing, or beard decoration.

No sagas or historical texts describe beard beads specifically. Most of what we imagine comes from modern interpretations. But based on what we do know about Viking style and grooming, it wouldn’t be surprising if some men added beads to a beard braid. It just hasn’t been confirmed yet.

The Viking Age hoard, which contains more than 5kg of gold, silver and other materials that was discovered in Balmaghie, near Kirkcudbright, in 2014

Beard Care in the Viking Age

Let’s talk maintenance. Vikings didn’t just grow it and forget it. Their toolkit included:

  • Combs: Usually made from bone or antler.
  • Tweezers & razors: Found in burial kits.
  • Soapstone & lye soaps: Used for washing hair and beards. Harsh by today’s standards (alkaline), but it worked.
  • Herbs and oils: While we can’t confirm beard oils, we can confirm Norse herbal knowledge. Juniper, nettle, and birch sap may have been used for skin or hair.

Bone Combs, Pins and Spindle Whorls from Coppergate, York

How to Grow a Viking Beard Today (Modern Guide)

Here’s where we bridge heritage with modern grooming science.

Step 1: Genetics
Be honest. Not everyone can grow a Ragnar-tier beard. If you’re patchy at month 5, don’t despair. Viking men weren’t all beard gods either.

Step 2: Let It Grow

Don’t trim too soon. Let your beard do its thing for at least 8 to 12 weeks before shaping.


Step 3: Choose Your Historical Style

Want that warrior square-cut or chieftain braid? Match your face shape and commit.

  • Short and Square: Best for round or oval faces – sharpens the jaw.
  • Long and Braided: Best for narrow, rectangular, or diamond faces – adds fullness.
  • Mustache + Chin Beard: Best for square or triangular faces – defines the chin.
  • Tapered or Pointed: Best for heart-shaped or triangular faces – balances the jaw.

We dug in and found the three most informative YouTube videos to help you choose the right beard style and give you the most important tips for your beard journey. Check them out below:

How To Grow A Beard - 7 tips for beard growth

Never Do These Things When You’re Growing A Beard

Choosing the Perfect Beard for Your Face Shape

modern Viking Beard grooming Routine

If you’re growing it, own it. Beard care isn’t about looking pretty. It’s about not smelling like a dead seal and not looking like you crawled out of a bog.

Clean Your Beard
Wash your beard 2 to 3 times a week with a proper beard wash. If you wash your beard too often it can damage your hair by removing natural oils and drying out your hair fibers. After washing, apply beard oil or balm to lock in moisture and prevent itching or breakage.

Use a Comb or Brush
Brush your beard daily. It trains the hair to grow in the right direction, untangles knots, spreads oil evenly, and helps cover thinner spots. Use a bone comb or bristle brush — not cheap plastic. Plastic causes static and damage.

Trim occasionally to keep things under control
At some point during growth, your beard will start looking uneven or scruffy — that’s normal. The fix isn’t a full reshape, just small trims to manage the edges.

Use a decent trimmer or sharp scissors to clean up stray hairs. It helps define the outline, keeps the overall shape looking intentional, and stops it from turning into a patchy mess.

Proper Diet
Your beard is built from what you eat. If your diet’s trash, don’t expect great results. Hair growth depends on protein, healthy fats, and essential nutrients.

Stick to whole foods — things like fish, eggs, beans, vegetables, and fruit. Keep it balanced and consistent. And if you’re not getting enough from meals, supplements can help — especially biotin, zinc, vitamin D, and B-complex.

The Myth vs the Beard

So where did the messy Viking beard myth even come from?

It didn’t start in the Viking Age. It came centuries later — from medieval propaganda, Victorian-era fiction, and lazy costume design. Early Christian writers often exaggerated Norse savagery to paint pagans as uncivilized. Over time, those stories stuck, especially once Hollywood got involved.

The image of the unwashed brute with a tangled beard was easier to sell than the reality: that Norse men carried grooming tools, styled their hair, and cared about how they looked.

And modern media kept it going. Movies, shows, and games favor chaos over accuracy, because it’s visually louder. However that version of the beard is built on fiction, not fact.

The real Viking beard wasn’t the result of neglect. It was a controlled, cultural choice. What survives in the ground — tools, carvings, written records — says more than any costume ever could.

Final thoughts

Whether you go with a short, squared-off look or grow it long and braided, there’s no single way to wear a Viking beard. Style it the way that works best for you. Add braids and beads or keep it plain. What matters is that it looks intentional. It should look like a choice, not an accident.

The key is maintenance. A beard isn’t something you just grow and forget. Keep it clean. Keep it hydrated. Use proper products that won’t dry out your skin or wreck the hair.

We’ve pulled together beard oils, combs, balms, and tools designed to help you get there. Check out our beard care collection if you’re ready to build something worthy.

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