Berserker Tote Bag

This design is based on one of the rook, or warder figures found with the hoard of chess pieces found on the Isle of Lewis in the outer Hebrides of Scotland in 1831. The pieces were all carved in walrus ivory, and date to the 12th century.

The place of the rook, or warder, in chess, was represented by standing warrior figures holding shields and swords, four of which were depicted biting their shields, which is mentioned by the Icelandic writer, Snorri Sturluson as the classic behaviour of the Norse berserkers.

This makes the Lewis chess men warders one of the few depictions of berserkers in Norse material culture. Of course, given that they date from the 12th century, these pieces are rather later than we might expect for a representation of this type of warrior. But the pieces themselves are thought to have been carved in Scandinavia before making their way to the West of Scotland, so it is very likely that even if actual berserkers were a thing of the past by the 12th century, traditional ideas of the behaviour of Scandinavian warriors on the battlefield could easily have influenced the carved design seen here.

Designed by Jim from Asgard, and hand printed on a cotton tote by us in Argyll, Scotland.