How to wear Viking leg wraps

Leg wraps, or Winingas, are a staple to any Viking outfit. Leg wraps were worn around the lower leg, over the trousers. The main function of these leg wraps are a guess, as they seem to have been multi-functional. They kept the legs warm, protected the legs in daily activities and preventented wide trouser legs from becoming a hindrance, among other things.

Leg wraps can be a bit confusing at first, but once you know the right way to put them on, it’s really not that difficult. 

You start wrapping from your foot and work your way up. Some leg wraps have a straight end and a pointed end. If this is the case, the straight end goes around the foot.

Keep the main length of the wrap on the outside of your foot. Move the end of the wrap underneath your foot and make sure you have enough length to go underneath and over. The end of the wrap should be tucked underneath the main length, on the outside of your foot. 

Move the main length of the wrap diagonally over your foot towards the inside of the ankle. Make sure it’s pulled snuggly against your foot so it’ll keep the end in place and won’t be too bulky.

From this point on, continue to wrap the fabric around your leg, slowly moving higher up your leg. At first, it’ll be tricky to figure out how much you need to overlap each rotation to end in the right spot, but this’ll come more naturally the more you wear them. 

The pointed end (or other straight end if both ends are straight) should line up on the outside of your leg, just below the knee. Some leg wraps have a little hook attached to the point, which you can use to secure the end to the wrap. If your wrap doesn’t have a hook, you can secure it with a small fibula, or tuck it under itself like a bandage.

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