Has anyone in history ever used Armour made of human skin and if so how effective was it?

how effectively does your skin stop cuts?

While it was not necessarily worn as armor per se, the Aztecs were documented to have worn the flayed skins of sacrificial victims. Either or both of the Osprey books pertaining to Aztecs will talk to this subject (going from memory, one title was "Aztec, Mixtec, and Zapotec Warriors" and the other was simply "The Aztec Warrior").

Also not armour-related, but there is a historical interlude from the aftermath of the battle of Stirling Bridge. Sir Hugh Cressingham was a representative of Edward I who was particularly hated by the Scots (not that they liked the other English nobles, but they really, REALLY hated this guy). Sir Hugh fell in the battle. So the Scots took Cressingham's corpse (he being rather large in girth, giving plenty of material to work with), flayed the skin from the body, treated it, and made it into a baldric for the Scottish hero, Sir WIlliam Wallace.

See? Not armour-related, but certainly sword-related, in a way.... :eek:

and the skin yelled.

"FREEDOM!!!!!!!!"

I'd always wondered what human leather would be like. Came up in a fictional work on human parchment.

M.

I can't imagine that human skin would have any defensive value beyond that of say, pigskin, which is to say none at all. It might keep you safe from abrasion but that's about it.

I'm going to conclude that only a sick twist (either by cultural inculcation or by mental disorder) would attempt to wear body parts. I can imangine that certain cultures would make human armor as a sort of mystical protection, that's pretty feasible for a lot of bronze age or stone age cultures.

(In response to Mr. Eversberg's post above)
Sorry for veering away from the "armor" part of the equation, but there is a parish church in York with a "Daneskin" on the West-end door, nailed over the oak planks and under the wrought-iron hinges and strap-work. It has been tanned, if I recall correctly, and the tattoos are still visible. The hide itself was considerably darkened with age, didn't really look like what I would expect a Nordic fellow's skin to look like (since I see it in the mirror - still "in situ", of course), but the pores were still fairly visible and, well, kinda human looking... like a modern cowhide jacket, but softer in appearance, I guess. Didn't touch it, 'tho...

This is a strange topic indeed.

M.

Well, what about using human remains/parts as prominently displayed trophies - particularly for intimidation? What evidence of that do we have?

Didn't the 'Celts' (Keltoi?) have a cult/s devoted to the head, like the head of Bran(?) or somthing? Armour wise, as a primary defence (like a berzerks bear/wolf pelt [or at least to my knowledge :( ]) I don't believe that anyone would, if you've ever skined an animal (like a wallaby[and yes we ate the whole thing]) then one gets a sense of how time consuming it is and, well, pointless.

wasnt one of the foes of Arthur (as in king arthur) said to have worn a cloak made of the beards of his victims.
and in beowulf they nailed up grendels arm on the wall