Helmets: Spartan, Viking and Roman

A steel helmet is the fastest way to put a period on a wall or bring a kit to life. This collection covers the classical and medieval worlds: the Spartan and Corinthian helmets of Greece, the Roman galea and the gladiator's arena helm, the Viking Gjermundbu in steel and in leather, the Norman nasal helmet, and the great helm of the crusader knight. All are hammered steel or leather, wearable, and as much at home on a display stand as over a padded arming cap. The bundles pair a helmet with the matching sword and shield.

Choosing a helmet

Greek and Roman

The Corinthian helmet covers the whole head and face, leaving a T-shaped opening for the eyes and mouth; the Spartan helmet is the same pattern with the horsehair crest, the profile everyone knows from Thermopylae. The Roman galea is the legionary's helmet with the wide neck guard and hinged cheek pieces. The gladiator helmet is the arena piece with the full face grille and crest, built to be seen from the stands. The wider set of classical armor, shields included, is in Greek and Roman armor.

Viking and Norman

The Gjermundbu helmet is the only complete Viking helmet ever found: a rounded cap with a spectacle guard over the eyes, here in steel and in a black leather version. The Norman nasal helmet is the conical helm with the single nose bar that the Normans wore at Hastings and that most of Europe wore for the two centuries after. Both pair with the Viking weapons and armor collection and the round shields there.

Medieval knight

The great helm, or crusader helm, is the flat-topped bucket helmet of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, worn over a mail coif and marked with the cross. The nasal helmet covers the earlier medieval period. Either completes a suit of armor; the Knight and Crusader bundles pair the helm with a sword, shield and stand.

Wearing and display

If the helmet is to be worn, check the interior measurements on the listing and add a padded arming cap; every helmet here is sized for an adult head. For the wall or shelf, a helmet stands on its own or on a display head. Steel helmets want a wipe of oil now and then; leather ones want to stay dry.

Frequently asked questions

Are these real steel?
Yes. The steel helmets are hammered steel, not costume plastic, and take the knocks of reenactment as well as the years of a shelf. The two Gjermundbu leather helmets are marked as leather on their listings.

Did Vikings wear horned helmets?
No. No Viking helmet with horns has ever been found. The Gjermundbu pattern, a rounded steel cap with a spectacle guard, is the only complete example we have.

What is the difference between a Spartan and a Corinthian helmet?
The Corinthian is the type: full face, narrow opening. Spartan usually means a Corinthian helmet with the horsehair crest, the version associated with Sparta.

What is a great helm?
The large, flat-topped helmet of the crusading knight, worn over a mail coif and often a smaller steel cap, with eye slits and breathing holes. It is the helm with the cross on it.

Can I wear one?
Yes. Check the interior measurements on the product page, and use a padded arming cap underneath, which is how they were worn historically.