I understand that the show takes liberties with history (even more liberties than were taken by the sagas from which it was drawn) but it seems to have a far different depiction of Scandinavian hairstyles during the early Viking age than most.
Is it accurate? If not, how would have a Scandanavian of this time have worn their hair? Also, if I were a Scandanavian in that timeframe, who did my hair? Were barbers a thing back then or was it just my wife/mother?
For those of you who haven't seen the show, it follows Ragnar Lodbrok in the timeline before and after the first Viking raid on Lindisfarne.
Here is their Ragnar Lodbrok: Imgur
Their Bjorn: Imgur
Their Lagertha: Imgur
There are no paintings or detailed descriptions that survive regarding the hairstyle of vikings.
However, archeological findings can tell us some things - razors are uncommon, while long-toothed combs and lice combs are among the most common archeological finds around viking settlements. Combs were used until too many teeth had broken, and then discarded into piles with the rest of the trash. We can assume from these findings that at least some (perhaps most) of the vikings wore their hair and beard long enough to need regular combing.
In one of the Icelandic sagas, the lawman Njal is descibed as "the beardless" indicating that it was uncommon enough that he got a nickname for it.
However, Scandinavians serving in the Varangian Guard in Constantinople have been desribed as wearing hair "not flowing over their shoulders but cut off at the ears" (probably half-long) and "chins smoother than plaster" - the description is by Anna Komnena.
Idols are often depicted with long beards. The Danish King Sven Tveskägg (two-beard) wore his long beard parted into two.
The bottom line? We don't know for certain.
According to the series' creator Michael Hirst & stylist Dee Corcoran, Ragnar's style was invented on the spot, when the actor arrived for shooting with shorter hair than expected. Solution: add extensions to the top & shave the rest off! You'll find comments in the linked interviews regarding the other two.
Beyond that, I'll give you a few related posts & leave the rest to the experts in Norse culture / archaeology
Bjorn's hairstyle is loosely based on what some Norman knights wore in the 11th Century. Other than that, we don't know for sure. However, Icelandic law required thralls (slaves) to keep their hair cropped short, so it is generally though that free men wore their hair shoulder-length or more. In addition, washing a man's hair was a sign of affection from women.
