This helmet is based upon several helmets found in Vendel and Valsgarde in Sweden, all dating to the mid-7th century AD. All are from royal graves - this helmet is not what a commoner would have worn at this time - in fact it is debateable whether a commoner would have worn a helmet at all.
While this is similar to all the Vendel and Valsgarde helmets, (and the Sutton Hoo helmet from England, for that matter) it is not an exact copy of any of them. It has features of several - the "spectacles, the head of a man on the nasal, the crest in the form of a dragon, and dragon-heads on the "eyebrows", and the applique' embossed metal plates. I made these of copper, planning to gild them later, but was never able to do so. They should look golden, not coppery.
The decorative plates were in fact much easier to make than I expected - they only took about an hour each, and they make the helmet look much better. They are copied from ones that have been found in graves in Sweden during the Vendel period, or from ones actually found on the helmets themselves. They were made of very thin metal "shim" (next time I'd probably use brass not copper - it's a little harder to work, but doesn't need to be gilded to look as though it has been. However, it does need to be polished once in a while.
Making this helmet was quite an education. I learnt a lot, and this was despite a serious lack of resources - I made it while I lived in a small apartment without a workshop. I don't think my neighbours were too happy with me.
I have since recycled this helmet - I'm no longer really interested in the Vendel period - into a 14th century cervelliere.
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