The Bernuthsfeld man

"We give you back to the water. Be with the gods..."

The Bernuthsfeld Man is a bog body, best known for his clothing. Because it has been so well preserved, we know a great deal about what people wore in the past and how they worked with materials. For example, wood and fabric were often reused rather than thrown away; clothing in particular was frequently repaired in this culture. The various patches of fabric in the Bernuthsfeld Man’s clothing therefore do not necessarily indicate that he came from a poor background.

MythWatch

What perhaps makes the Bernuthsfeld Man even more intriguing is what we do not know about him: who he really was and how he died. These are exactly the kinds of questions that are perfect to explore in MythWatch. Was he a bog sacrifice? Or was he buried in the bog after his death? Was he a penniless wanderer, or someone disguised as one to protect himself from robbers? Or was he actually wealthy and accidentally died in the treacherous landscape? Who do you think the Bernuthsfeld Man was?

An extra fun fact: the clothes visible on the shepherd origin are based completely on the Bernuthsfeld Man's clothes; could he have been a shepherd?