HOWTO make Viking shoes

Crafty Therese made her own "Viking/Iron Age" shoes in 1997 and has been enjoying them ever since. Now she's brought us a tutorial explaining how you can make your own styling Viking kicks.

the picture above is of my own, good old shoes, made in 1997. i always use them with these thick, felted socks inside; to me, they're part of the shoe. they are soft, comfy and i simply love them. based on my original 11 year old, several times altered, water damaged drawing,

earth and living: viking shoes: a tutorial, sort of (via Neatorama)

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Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I live in an area of Canada where this design will prove to be very useful.
Thanks again!
Ushao

My wife and son both had a pair of these made for our wedding recently. There’s a lady who lives near us in San Marcos, Tx who makes these custom sized and also sells them at many Ren Faires and Highland Games. Wonderful quality and my wife tells me they’re very comfortable as the entire shoe is made from one piece of leather. My wife’s actually go up to just below the knee, though.
Robert

? How would one keep the sloshing water from over-enthusiastic Viking rowers out of my socks?
- travtastic
  
  Vikings have no need for socks.
  - Ito Kagehisa
    
    I know you were just kidding, travtastic, but it’s actually an interesting subject!
    
    There are three kinds of native European shoe linings. Socks, which are knitted or felted; shoe-hay, which is stems of very specific plants, usually just stuffed between the foot and shoe; and portyanki, those odd napkin-type things Dutchmen and Russian soldiers used to fold around their feet.
    
    Of the three, wool socks in fairly open shoes seem to cope best with water. Wool stays warm when wet (notice I didn’t say comfortable, just warm) and does not promote blisters and foot odor when soaked the way portyanki are said to do. I wear hand-knitted wool socks whenever I go a-viking, and they’ve never failed me yet!
    
    Mad shoutz to Cpt. Atli of the Sea Hrafn and Sir Richard of the Fydraca. Don’t catch a crab, me hearties, keep yer socks dry!
Anonymous

I’ sorry, those are not “viking” but “roman”, and also known as “Carbatinae”. They cease to appear somewhere in the late antiquity around the 3rd century A.D.

Viking Shoes look like this:
http://www.knieriem.net/typo3temp/pics/314d7ac154.jpg
or this:
http://www.knieriem.net/typo3temp/pics/2d74fd7b9f.jpg
japester

Most medieval shoes are way more comfortable than the modern lumps we tie to our feet.
They are thin enough that you can still feel the ground through them, but protective enough to keep the rocks, bitumen, gravel and needles out of your feet.

The socks are an integral part of the design! Once you’ve worn them a few times – and filled them with sweat, or water, they felt into something amazingly comfortable.
Slizzered

The basic design for viking shoes would be a passable design – or at least a good conceptual starting point – for a baby shoe that expands along with lengthening/widening feet. Sure would beat buying the sprightly one new shoes every other day.
beslayed

These would go nicely with the Beowulf socks.
Ito Kagehisa

I very strongly recommend the book “Primitive Shoes” by Margrethe Hald.
aperson

Would go great with this: http://redd.it/ffgbu
Anonymous

i’m fond of the tarahumara sandals myself. made from an old tire tread. i suppose it depends on if you do your walking closer to iceland or closer to mexico.