Norrelag Styleguide

This is the style guide of Norrelag, a themed camp at Epic Empires.

What does Norrelag represent?

Norrelag represents an early medieval camp that integrates various peoples of that time. It includes typical Vikings (Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, Icelanders, etc.), peoples from the East (Rus, Slavs, Balts, etc.), as well as Germanic peoples like the Frisians, Saxons, Normans, and other tribes.
An important aspect is the visually historical orientation. Horned helmets, drinking horns on belts, peculiar facial paintings, and similar poor Viking clichés will definitely not be found among us.

To dispel rumors directly: To participate with us, one does not need to create a grave representation, nor implement everything with hand stitching, nor use solely plant-based dyes, or adhere to similar exaggerated demands.
We also just cook with water, offer beginner-friendly entry options, and are forgiving if things aren't perfect as long as the overall concept fits into the camp.

How does the style check work?

The style check is implemented in our forum, and you can find instructions for it here.
The style check is private, and only our style checkers and the Norga have access to your style check. Furthermore, you can specify whether you want consultation or just a go/no-go for Norrelag.

Where can I find further information and consultation?

Your first point of contact is the website of the Great Army, where you can find a lexicon with lots of information, as well as a forum where many players are happy to provide advice (including in English). Additionally, we have a Discord server as an alternative to the forum.
Please note that information in the lexicon may become outdated over the years, as it is a community-maintained project. However, specific sections that we link to here are regularly updated by us to ensure accuracy.
Therefore, especially for inexperienced individuals, it is advisable to seek support in the forum or Discord to ensure that you get everything right from the start when approaching your first projects.

Styleguide pictures

These examples reflect an optimal generic representation. If you orient yourselves according to these, you will immediately receive a big thumbs-up during the style check, as there will be nothing to criticize.
Above all objects in the pictures, links are placed that lead to our lexicon. There you will find detailed information, patterns, purchase recommendations, further links, and everything else we could gather in terms of information.

Roles from our community

To show you the diversity of representations present in our community, we have compiled a few pictures for you here. Piercings, tattoos, inconspicuous glasses, and many other things are not a problem for us, contrary to persistent rumors.
Please note that there may be things in these pictures that do not perfectly adhere to the style guide! It's not a big deal, but don't take these pictures as perfect role models across the board.
If you want to avoid making mistakes, simply orient yourselves based on the above pictures + links. For anything else: feel free to ask in Discord or in the forum.

image gallery

No-Gos and Edge Cases

To help you better understand what we expect visually, we have put together a no-go list that also includes various edge cases. You can click each point for an explanation.
Our style checkers are happy to help well before the event if you have questions or anything is unclear.
Especially for edge cases, we want to set the bar a bit more gently for newcomers to the camp, as long as those edge cases stay within reason.

No matter the variant or whether it can be justified historically.
We do not want to see these symbols in our camp in any form.
A list of all symbols that fall under this category can be found in this document by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
We want a clearly historical look, but we are not overly strict, because we know everyone has different standards and different budgets.
So not everything has to be based exactly on archaeological finds. Concepts that fit us are regionally and chronologically diverse, so it is quite easy to create a historically early medieval appearance without following finds and similar references 100%.
Linen tends to lose color intensity much faster than, for example, wool. So while a dye may have been historically possible, it can still be unrealistic because the color would not have stayed that vivid for long.
We therefore clearly recommend pale tones for linen, but we allow some room in the overall context of your portrayal and generally want to avoid banning your "favorite tunic".
Our color guide gives you a good orientation for which tones are not edge cases at all.
There is little to no historical evidence for leather armor, so we want to avoid it entirely.
The classic shoulder fur may feel fitting for many "Norseman" portrayals, but it has nothing to do with historical reality.
"If it is long, let it hang long" may be a common LARP saying, but it does not match early medieval reality.
We therefore clearly recommend short belts or at least a visually short way of wearing them.
You can find more information on this topic in our lexicon.
Drinking horns were ritual and ceremonial objects.
Therefore, we do not use them as everyday drinking vessels, and naturally this also means no horn holders on belts or similar items.
We completely avoid polyester fabrics in Norrelag.
This of course does not apply to underwear and similar items. ;-)
Cotton fabrics should not be a prominent part of your clothing. As a simple natural-colored under-tunic they are allowed, as long as the tunic matches an early medieval look in all other aspects.
In general, there is no evidence for short sleeves in our portrayal.
However, we do make exceptions as long as the garments otherwise fully meet all requirements.
From long-term Norrelag members, however, we do expect a full transition away from short-sleeved clothing at some point.
There is a wide range of artistic styles for motifs, ornamentation, and similar elements in the early medieval period.
As long as you orient yourselves toward real historical styles, feel free to be creative. The goal for your creativity should be that only hardcore nerds can identify it as an original creation.
Contrary to common belief, the Vegvisir and its variants are not early medieval symbols, but modern creations from the 19th century.
Fundamentally, we aim for a clear historical look, so heavy fantasy gear, horned helmets, and similar items are clear no-gos.
However, we will not reject a group if a light fantasy influence is part of their group concept, and especially for newcomers in camp, we will not cut half their combat gear just because it has a slight fantasy influence.
Historically, anyone who could afford a blade also had a sheath for it.
Since both swords and knives are generally status symbols with us, historically fitting sheaths are a clear requirement.
Fundamentally, this is a look we want to avoid entirely, but here as well we want to be lenient at first, especially with newcomers to camp, as long as the overall concept otherwise fits visually.
Fundamentally, this is a look we want to avoid entirely, but since it is a very common variant for comfort reasons, we are generally lenient as long as the chainmail otherwise meets high standards.
For fitting concepts we are lenient here, but we do not want these to become a dominant part of our overall look.
Allowed for nighttime trips to the toilet, but definitely not an everyday shoe.
There is no evidence for the typical gambeson in our portrayal, but we will not generally ban well-made garments with an early medieval look.

Roles from our community

To show you the diversity of portrayals represented in our community, we have put together a few pictures for you here. Piercings, tattoos, discreet glasses, and many other things are not a problem for us, despite persistent rumors.
Please note that there may be things in these pictures that do not perfectly follow the style guide. It is not a big deal, but do not treat these images as universally perfect examples.
If you want to avoid mistakes, simply use the pictures and links above as your reference. For anything else, feel free to ask on Discord or in the forum.