Margaret Leijonhufvud

What people wore

Belts as Everyday Tool Storage

Both men and women carried belts, which served as essential storage for household items like keys, leather pouches, and knives. Married women used their belts to keep keys to the farm.

Daily life

Shared meals and open cooking

Cooking was done using an open hearth or a separate cooking building, and for meals, families ate porridge together from the same bowl.

Work

Structure of the daily working life

A working day began with communal morning prayers and meals, followed by labor-intensive tasks such as crafting, tending livestock, or fieldwork. By the late 16th century, the number of religious holidays that provided mandatory work breaks was halved from approximately 60, significantly extending the required working year.

Music

The status and role of minstrels

Traveling minstrels or players were often social outcasts who played for food or money, though some later became employed as official town musicians.

At the table

Beaver as a fast-day fish

People believed that the beaver was a fish because it swam with its tail, which allowed it to be eaten on fast days when meat was forbidden.

Getting around

Speed and daily distances

A day's journey varied by terrain: 30 to 40 km on foot, 50 km by horse in summer, 70 to 80 km by sled in winter, or up to 200 km by boat. Winter paths over frozen lakes were often significantly faster and easier than summer roads.

What it cost

Carpenter daily wages in 1516

In 1516, a carpenter earned 5 örtugar per day if he provided his own food, or 3 örtugar if the guild provided it.