Tablet Weaving in the Viking Age

A wood bow loom made by Yarema shown with bone cards being used for tablet weaving.

Long before looms became large pieces of furniture and weaving became something most people associated with mills and factories, a remarkably simple tool was being used to create some of the most intricate textiles of the Viking Age. That tool was the weaving tablet.

Tablet weaving—sometimes called card weaving or bone weaving—is created using a series of small, usually square tablets with holes near their corners. Threads are passed through those holes, and by turning the tablets, the weaver changes the position of the warp threads to create a shed for the weft. The basic idea is simple, the possibilities however are not. With only a handful of tablets, a weaver can create a strong and beautiful band. With dozens of tablets, different colors, carefully planned threading, and changes in the direction each tablet is turned, those narrow bands can become surprisingly complex.

More Than Decoration

Tablet-woven bands were part of the textile world of the Viking Age. Archaeological finds from Scandinavia show bands ranging from relatively simple pieces to remarkably elaborate examples incorporating intricate patterns, fine yarns, silk, and even precious-metal threads, some surviving bands were even woven with gold or silver thread and were likely powerful displays of wealth and status. At Birka in Sweden, tablet-woven bands have been found in numerous graves, including examples associated with clothing and other personal objects.

The famous Oseberg burial in Norway, dated to 834 AD, produced one of the most extraordinary collections of Viking Age textiles ever discovered. Among those finds were numerous tablet-woven bands representing a remarkable variety of techniques, patterns, and materials. One unfinished band was discovered still threaded through 52 tablets—a rare glimpse of the craft itself, seemingly paused in the middle of its work.

These surviving fragments remind us that Viking Age textiles were not simply practical. They could also be expressions of skill, identity, wealth, and artistry.

A Small Tool With Endless Possibilities

The beauty of tablet weaving is that the tools themselves are wonderfully simple. A set of tablets, yarn, and a way to hold the warp under tension are enough to begin. Yet from those simple materials, a patient weaver can create borders, geometric designs, repeating patterns, letters, animals, and intricate motifs. The width of a band is largely determined by the thickness of thread and number of tablets being used. Each tablet controls a small group of warp threads, and together they form the foundation of the pattern. As the tablets turn, the threads twist around one another and that twisting action gives tablet weaving one of its distinctive qualities: the bands can be strong, dense, and durable while still carrying remarkably detailed designs.

For people living in the Viking Age, such bands could serve practical purposes, finishing the edges of textiles or strengthening garments. They could also be used as decorative trim, adding color and pattern to clothing, accessories, and other objects. The finest examples, however, demonstrate something more. They reveal generations of passed down knowledge.

The Weaver's Skill

When we look at an intricate Viking Age tablet-woven band today, it is easy to admire the finished pattern without thinking about the person who made it. Every band began with decisions. Which fibers would be used? How would the tablets be threaded? Which colors belonged where? How many tablets were needed? When should a tablet turn forward, and when should it turn backward? The finished band was the visible result of all of those choices.

Some Viking Age bands were woven using relatively straightforward techniques. Others required considerable planning and technical skill, with individual tablets manipulated to create increasingly complex patterns. The Oseberg finds, in particular, show just how sophisticated this craft could become. These were not crude attempts at decoration. They were the work of skilled craftspeople who understood their materials and possessed techniques that still challenge modern weavers attempting to study and reconstruct them.

Keeping an Old Craft Alive

Tablet weaving is one of those crafts that makes the past feel surprisingly close. The materials may have changed. Modern weavers have access to different fibers and tools, and we cannot know every detail of how every Viking Age band was produced, however the fundamental act remains familiar. Threads are measured and the tablets are threaded, then the warp is tensioned. The weaver begins turning the cards and passing the weft. One row at a time, a pattern begins to emerge.

At Clan Rúnda, tablet weaving is one of the traditional crafts we continue to explore, practice, and share. We weave our own bands and also build the tools that allow others to begin the craft themselves. If you have ever wanted to try tablet weaving, it requires far less equipment than many people imagine. A simple set of weaving tablets and a properly prepared warp are enough to open the door to a craft with roots stretching back thousands of years

. The patterns may become complicated; but the beginning is beautifully simple.

Explore our handmade weaving tablets, looms, and other tools for beginning your own journey into the craft or register for a beginner’s class held right here on The Viking Farm in Western Wisconsin.