One of man’s natural desires is to seek comfort and that is why pillows are one of the oldest decorating tools we know of. Although there is little evidence of old textiles, several old fragments that have been found to be pillows have been discovered in the Oseberg ship, a well-preserved Viking ship happened upon in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg, Norway. Haakon Shetelig wrote, “in the tomb there must have been a fine bed with ample supply of duvets, pillows and blankets”, when he opened the tomb in 1904. There were remains of wool, linen and silk and examples of complex woven fabrics and impressive embroidery art. The textiles had been underground for more than 1000 years, yet many of them were surprisingly well-preserved and remarkably fresh.
Large amounts of down and feathers that were found in the ship have been said to be, among other things, filling in pillows and duvets. But down was rare and probably a sign of high social status. As early as the 800s, down and feathers were used as means of payment, and material from the 1700s shows that one and a half kilos of down could be worth about as much as a cow.
Pillows were primarily used in the beds, which were made in several ways. Both economic and geographical factors played a role. For mattresses, they used straw or feathers, but also animal fur. The pillows were filled with the finest and softest material they had. To use as a cover, besides duvets, they had pelts and weaved rugs. Many wonder why the beds in the past were so short, but it was common to sleep in a half upright position under the pelt, well-supported by pillows. Many people also slept on the same bed, which made it easier to keep warm in the winter.
For special occasions, when the finest fabrics were hung on the walls, they probably also used pillows on the benches.
The most luxurious material you can use to fill a duvet or a pillow with is light eiderdown. Its insulation is remarkable, which is reflected in its price. One duvet can cost from about four thousand pounds. From one nest you can only obtain about 16g (1⁄2oz) of fully cleaned down. To fill an entire duvet you would need down from about 64 nests. For a pillow you would need maybe a quarter of that.
Eiderdown is currently a rare commodity. The collection and cleansing of it is very time-consuming. It takes two to three weeks to clean 1kg (2lb 4oz) of eiderdown by hand. Cleaning the down by hand preserves its main qualities and fine resilience.
The tradition of building nests and houses for the eider duck and gathering the valuable down is still being kept up in Vega in Norway, even though mink have reduced the stock substantially. The bird houses are being built for the ducks to have a place where they can be dry and warm, and if they settle there, they often return year after year. The female plucks down from her breast and to line the nest. The exclusive fibres are gathered when the ducklings are hatched.