The Purpose of the tapestry-then and now

The purpose of the tapestry then and now.

Viking age.

It has long been known that what is going on on the Bayeux tapestry is not objective, but, as in every story, it has a purpose.

The purpose is to show Vilhelm’s power and to legitimate his demand of the English Throne.

The main characters in the Tapestry are Edward, Harold, Vilhelm and Odo.

Edward: King of England, he is an old and ill man in the tapestry. He dies january 5th 1066.

Harold : Shown as a brave warrior in the scenes from Normandie where he joins in Vilhelm’s battle with his neighbours.
Harold took the oath to Edward, but breaks the oath when he is crowned as the King in London.

Vilhelm: The powerful and upright. You do not break an oath without the risk of being punished. In the tapestry, Harold’s betrayal of the Normanns is displayed which justifies Vilhelm’s decision to conquer England.

Odo: Odo is shown as a very powerful person in the scenes he’s in on the tapestry. Odo is Vilhelm’s partner and maybe the person who had the last word when decisions were made.

 Present time.

The Viking group, Vikingegruppen Lindholm Høje, was formed with the purpose of making reconstructions of crafts and handwork from the Viking Age.

The purpose of the Bayeux group is very similar and it is described in the group’s convention:

• To make a copy of the Bayeux tapestry and to preserve the result.
• To lecture about and display the tapestry and to demonstrate the techniques of embroidering at schools and institutions.
• To pass on knowledge about the Viking age from the Bayeux tapestry which tells about what life, clothes, handwork, ship building, hunting, and wars were like 1000 years ago.
• To pass on to the members knowledge of the Bayeux tapestry and the Viking Age by visiting historical places and by connecting to other experts.
• To work to achieve a permanent exhibition for the Bayeux tapestry.