Historians have revealed that the famous Bayeux Tapestry is not actually a tapestry but an embroidery. Made from sheets of linen with pictures added using individual stitches, it would have taken at least 45kg of wool in ten colours derived from plant dyes. The fabric was stretched in a wooden frame, with eight to ten nuns gathered around to do the stitching—no loom was used.
The artwork was almost certainly made in Canterbury, England, in the 11th century by nuns from Barking Abbey. It was commissioned to mark William the Conqueror's victory over Harold Godwinson. Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William's half-brother, is considered the most likely patron, as the tapestry gives him a more prominent role than contemporary written sources.
The tapestry features 93 penises, 88 of which belong to horses. The largest penis belongs to William the Conqueror's horse. However, some phalluses were later 'photoshopped' out and underpants were added. This censored version is now at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and a replica with the added underpants can be seen at Reading Museum.
Despite the famous scene showing Harold with an arrow in his eye, the caption 'Harold Rex Interfectus Est' (King Harold is killed) probably refers to a different image showing a man being cut down with a sword. Historians believe this is how Harold actually died.
The tapestry depicts only three women: Queen Edith, an anonymous woman fleeing a burning building, and the mysterious Aelfgyva. Aelfgyva is shown being touched on the face by a cleric and is named on the tapestry, but historians have no idea who she is.
