A Viking Kilt!

[Dreadbelly]

I don't know, several of the Viking raders in the Capitol One comercials look like they're wearing a kilt like garmet. Surely a credit card company wouldn't portray history inaccurately.

Adam

They are Pillagers. And they wear a bit of everything, from Greco Roman, to Hunnish, to Norse and Celtic.

And now, sadly, most are out of work.

[motorman4life]

Not wanting to rekindle an old debate, I do not find it logical to believe the Scottish Highlanders developed the kilt it a total vacuum of thought and experience and without regard for any garments introduced to their (mixed) culture in the preceding 900 odd years.

If that were the case, the fact that the Vikings and other Nordic tribes had settled and assimilated with the Anglo-Saxons many generations previous would have to be seen as irrelevant. The fact is, prior to the Jacobite Rebellion, the kilt and other Highland garb was widely distained by lowlanders, considered barbaric and a throwback to the conquering hordes that had come from the north, centuries prior. This well documented and prolific bias against the kilt and other Highland garb would tend to support the premise that the kjilt (“pleated or folded fabric” in Old Norse) or kilte (“to tuck up or a fabric tucked up under a belt” in Danish) or kjalta ("to tuck up garment or to secure hanging fabric with a belt" in Old Scandinavian) has its roots in Viking or Old Norse fashion and possibily had some influence on the Scots that were borne of their loins.

Scottland was at a crossroads in Northern European trade and commerce. The Vikings were as much as part of early Scottish history as the Saxons were a part of English history.

[Ranald]

Not wanting to rekindle an old debate, I do not find it logical to believe the Scottish Highlanders developed the kilt it a total vacuum of thought and experience and without regard for any garments introduced to their (mixed) culture in the preceding 1300 odd years.

If that were the case, the fact that the Vikings and other Nordic tribes had settled and assimilated with the Anglo-Saxons over a century before would have to be seen as irrelevant. The fact is, prior to the Jacobite Rebellion, the kilt and other Highland garb was widely distained by lowlanders, considered barbaric and a throwback to the conquering hordes that had come from the north, centuries prior. This well documented bias against the kilt and other Higholand garb would tend to support the premise that the kjilt (“pleated or folded fabric” in Old Norse) or kilte (“to tuck up or a fabric tucked up under a belt” in Danish) or kjalta ("to tuck up garment or to secure hanging fabric with a belt" in Old Scandinavian) has its roots in Viking or Old Norse fashion and possibily had some influence on the Scots that were borne of their loins.

Scottland was at a crossroads in Northern European trade and commerce. The Vikings were as much as part of early Scottish history as the Saxons were a part of English history.

PLEASE get in touch with a viking group or re-enactment society or the SCA for that matter and put this same question to them.
Your idea will not be affirmed I assure you ,but I do take your point about origins.
I say again dig one up get it carbon dated (to the viking age) and thousands will kiss your feet.

[Ranald]

Oh yes I just remembered, you forgot to mention the film the 13th Warrior (there's a kilted warrior in it ).
Now everybody know that's factual, right.
About the only thing they got right in there was the name of the arab (number 13), he was fact and yes there is evidence.

[Archangel]

Not wanting to rekindle an old debate, I do not find it logical to believe the Scottish Highlanders developed the kilt it a total vacuum of thought and experience and without regard for any garments introduced to their (mixed) culture in the preceding 900 odd years.

If that were the case, the fact that the Vikings and other Nordic tribes had settled and assimilated with the Anglo-Saxons many generations previous would have to be seen as irrelevant. The fact is, prior to the Jacobite Rebellion, the kilt and other Highland garb was widely distained by lowlanders, considered barbaric and a throwback to the conquering hordes that had come from the north, centuries prior. This well documented and prolific bias against the kilt and other Highland garb would tend to support the premise that the kjilt (“pleated or folded fabric” in Old Norse) or kilte (“to tuck up or a fabric tucked up under a belt” in Danish) or kjalta ("to tuck up garment or to secure hanging fabric with a belt" in Old Scandinavian) has its roots in Viking or Old Norse fashion and possibily had some influence on the Scots that were borne of their loins.

Scottland was at a crossroads in Northern European trade and commerce. The Vikings were as much as part of early Scottish history as the Saxons were a part of English history.

To take a phrase from Lynch in Scotland, it would not be the first time that modern Scottish history has been created from a mythological past.
There is no argument against belted tunics, no argument against barelegged tunics, none against other cultures' skirt-like clothing, nor against assimilation of foreign words. It's just going to have to be accepted that, yes, out of the blue, a kilt was designed (I'm referring to the standard military design, just so's were talking about the same sort of thing). Many things, discussed many times by many people, had to be in place for that to come about. That was the earliest in history that it could have come about. The English mythologized and the Scots bought into, mainly because most English didn't know the myth, and the Scots scared them. There was many other cultural/legal reasons that come into it.

We have to accept that there is a mythology that we're buying into which is at odds with history. Me, I'm quite willing to lift my kilt at history and carry on.

[Brother Falldown]

They are Pillagers. And they wear a bit of everything, from Greco Roman, to Hunnish, to Norse and Celtic.

And now, sadly, most are out of work.

NO! NO! NO! I am certain most of them are now on Capital Hill.