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Skol! Surprising Facts About Viking Hygiene

The Vikings had a very unique culture that could be harsh at times, but also emphasized practices in hygiene that many people might find surprising.

One of these personal bathrooms was discovered at the ruins of Stöng, which featured a latrine with trenches that carried the waste away from the home and to a distant location outdoors. Of course, many of these were made from animal bones and antlers, as Vikings didn't have the benefits of driving to the nearest drug store after losing their favorite pair of tweezers. John of Wallingford commented on this, saying that the Vikings were so focused on how they looked that they would "change their clothes frequently to draw attention to themselves by means of many such frivolous whims."

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