![\"Osebergskipet](\"https:\/\/avaldsnes.info\/content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Osebergskipet-Foto-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg\")
<\/a>The Oseberg ship in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. The ship was built around 820. The burial took place in 834. Dendrochronological studies carried out in 2009 tell that the Oseberg ship was built of oak from the area around the Avaldsnes. See: Arkeologi i nord: Osebergskipet fra S\u00f8vestlandet.<\/a> (Foto Wikimedia commons)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Text: Marit Synn\u00f8ve Vea<\/span><\/p>\n THE LEGENDARY VIKING SHIPS<\/strong> – The Viking ships had flexible, clinker-built hulls that followed the waves as living beings. When Magnus the Good (1047) put his ships to sea, it was as if a swarm of angels from the King of heaven – soared over the waves<\/em>.\u00a0 (The skald Arnorr)<\/p>\n The Vikings sailed over vast distances with these ships, from America in the west to Asia Minor in the east, and perhaps even farther. This suggests that the written sources are right: Viking ships were unique for their time.<\/p>\n It was the seaworthiness of the Viking ships, together with the Norsemen\u2019s knowledge of navigation and seamanship, which made it possible for them to conquer the ocean. The Vikings\u2019 understanding of the sea is also reflected in the Old Norse language that has about 150 words for waves.<\/p>\n Excavations of the Oseberg ship, 1904. Photo Oldsaksamlingen<\/p><\/div>\n VERY FEW VIKING SHIPS HAVE BEEN FOUND<\/strong> The ships that have been found are in many pieces. Often large parts are missing. We have to rely on different interpretations when the ships are put together, and when reconstructions are made.<\/p>\n Therefore we must admit that we still don’t know much about how the Viking ships were built, how they were sailed, how they were rowed or how they were navigated. Nor do we know a lot about the different ship types that the Norse literature describes.<\/p>\n What we write here can change subject to new findings and new research methods.<\/p>\n Skuldelev II. Ship wreck excavated in Roskilde fiord in 1962. Was built in the Dublin area ca. 1042. . (Foto Wikimedia Commons)<\/p><\/div>\n THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS (N ROM<\/em>) OF THE SHIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIKING SHIPS<\/strong> Some ships were pure cargo vessels designed for sailing over large ocean areas. These were sturdy and broad and had only a few oars that were used during maneuvering in harbor. The typical warship was long and narrow, designed both for rowing and sailing, but there were also sturdy warships called \u201cgreat ships<\/em>\u201d or \u201cbusser<\/em>\u201d, like Olav Tryggvason\u2019s fabled Long Serpent<\/em> and Harald Harraade\u2019s Serpent.<\/em><\/p>\n Sea Stallion. Replica of Skuldelev II. 30 m long og 3.8 m wide. Is probably what the sagas call a skei\u00f0.<\/em> (Photo Terje Andreassen)<\/p><\/div>\n It looks like the Danish longships in general were narrower than the more sturdy Norwegian longships that were designed for rougher seas. This also applies to the warships as they are described in the sagas.<\/p>\n Generally, we can say that a vessel under 15 meters is called a boat; a vessel of 15 meters and more is a ship.<\/p>\n 1. LONGSHIPS – WARSHIPS:<\/strong> From the 1100’s large and sturdy ships were used both as war vessels and merchant vessels.<\/p>\n Longships over 30 meters that is known from the sagas<\/strong>. (After Br\u00f8gger and Shetelig: “Vikingeskipene”, Dreyer 1950)<\/p><\/div>\n Draken Harald \u00a0H\u00e5rfagre<\/a>(Dragon Harald Fairhair).<\/strong> About 35 m long and 7.5 m wide. A recreation of the ship types the sagas call “great ships”. King Harald Fairhair is said to have had several such “great ships”. These ships were more sturdy than the “regular” leidang ship. Ships like Dragon Harald Fairhair can also have been called busser<\/em>. (Photo Dag Sj\u00f8vold)<\/p><\/div>\n 2. MERCHANT SHIPS:<\/strong> Knarrs as warships in the battle of Hafrsfjord<\/strong> Holmrygr<\/strong>, reconstruction of the largest of the three boats found in the Gokstad ship burial. (Photo. Marit Synn\u00f8ve Vea)<\/p><\/div>\n 3.\u00a0BOATS (vessels less than 15m)<\/strong> THE LEVY FLEET (LEIDANG)<\/strong> The leidang divided the coastal districts into different regions called skiprei\u00f0a<\/em>. In times of strife, those living in these\u00a0regions had to provide a certain number of ships and also equip themselves with men and weapons.The law required every man to arm himself, at a minimum, with an axe or a sword in addition to spear and shield, and for every rowing bench to have a bow and 24 arrows. Ancient Norse sources reveal that this Norwegian defence fleet could mobilise at least 310 ships when danger threatened. We do not know whether the full quota of ships was ever mobilised.<\/p>\n In addition, a warning system consisting of hilltop cairns was created and when enemies approached, these cairns were lit one after the other to warn the people so that they could prepare themselves. In this way the levy fleet along the Norwegian coast could gather in a few days.<\/p>\n Haakon the Good gets the honor of having formed the leidang system around 950, but similar arrangements may have existed long before this time as a defense of petty kingdoms.<\/p>\n Number and size of ships that the Norwegian counties were obliged to contribute with in the lei\u00f0angr:<\/strong> As far as we know full mobilization of the lei\u00f0angr<\/em> (= 310 ships) was never implemented.<\/p>\n Read more about the lei\u00f0angr<\/em> in the Law of Gulating” (only in Norwegian):\u00a0Utgjerdsbolken i Gulatingsloven om leidangen<\/a><\/p>\n Battle in Hafrsfjord.( Ill. E. Werenskiold)<\/p><\/div>\n GLIMPSES FROM THE SAGAS ABOUT VIKING FLEETS AND THE LEIDANG<\/strong><\/p>\n Saga of Harald Fairhair:\u00a0<\/strong>Harald had a large dragon and many large ships in the leidang.<\/strong> From the stem to the mid-hold was called rausn, or the fore-defence; and there were the berserks. Such men only were received into King Harald’s house-troop as were remarkable for strength, courage, and all kinds of dexterity; and they alone got place in his ship, for he had a good choice of house-troops from the best men of every district. King Harald had a great army, many large ships <\/em>(ON st\u00f3rskip), and many men of might followed him<\/em>. (English translation by Samuel Laing)<\/p>\n Thorbjorn Hornklove speak about Harald Fairhair\u2019s ships<\/strong>: Saga of Haakon Haakonssons. Haakon prepares his fleet<\/strong> Later he <\/em>(Haakon) launched his largest ships: Hugroa, Olavssuden, Fitjabranden, Gullbringa and Rygjabranden. But when Hugroa was launched, the lower part of the ship was destroyed. They then immediately took the ship on land again, and repaired it. But the other ships were launched without any incidents. The King’s ships lay along the docks all the way inwards \u00a0towards the town. Afterwards the King’s lendermen and sheriffs came with large herds og men.<\/em><\/p>\n Saga of Olav Tryggvasons: Olav summons the leidang to seil abroad<\/strong> Moreover had King Olaf eleven great ships from Throndhjem, ships of twenty benches, two smaller ships and victuallers. (English translation: Ethel Harriet Hearn)<\/p>\n
\nWithout the Viking ships, there would be no Viking Age. Norse sagas, skaldic poems and contemporary foreign sources describe the Viking ships as marvelous at sea:<\/p>\n
\n– The best ships are compared with dragons, birds and sea serpents.
\n– The Viking ships could easily be drawn up on a beach.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nAccording to the Old Norse laws, the Norwegian lei\u00f0dang<\/em> (defence fleet) could mobilize at least 310 ships when danger threatened. In addition to these came all of the “private” Viking ships. Based on this, there must have been built several thousand Viking ships during the Viking Age. However; very few burial ships and ship wrecks have been found.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n
\nThe Norse sagas have a variety of names for different vessels, like b\u00e1tr, skip, fer\u00e6ringr, fley, byr\u00f0ingr, sk\u00fata,\u00a0st\u00f3rskip<\/i>, <\/i>dreki,<\/i>\u00a0karfi, kn\u00f3rr, snekkja, langskip,landvarnarskip, herskip, b\u00fassa, hafskip, s\u00fa\u00f0<\/em>. These various designations must describe differences in appearance, size, construction techniques, use etc.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nShips with many oars that could be both rowed and sailed. Some warships were long, narrow and flat-bottomed, first and foremost meant to be good rowing ships. We believe that the typical Danish “skeids” were such ships. Others were large and sturdy, first and foremost meant to be sailed, but they could also be rowed. These ships had high freeboard and were easier to defend. They also managed better than the “skeids” in heavy seas.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n
\nProbably the ships with 25 sections were best suited as warships. Shetelig and Br\u00f8gger writes in their book: “Vikingeskipene”: “It seems that the ship of 25 sections (halft \u00feritugt skip) has been the most suitable and most effective “.<\/li>\n<\/a>
\nWide vessels designed for sailing, a few oars for maneuvering in port, stuck deep in the sea.\u00a0An exception was the karves which were flat-bottomed and could have from 13 to 16 pairs of oars.<\/p>\n\n
\nHeard hast how the high-born one
\nin the Hafrsfjord fought,
\nthe keen-eyed king\u2019s son,
\n\u2018gainst Kjotvi the Wealthy.
\nCame their knarrs from the east,
\neager for combat,
\nwith gaping figureheads
\nand graven ship-prows.<\/em>
\n(Skaldic poem about Harald Fairhair. By Thorbj\u00f8rn Hornklove)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nShips were vessels for the few, while boats seem to have been common for most people. This is reflected in that only 13 ship burials have been found in Northern Europe, while there are found many boat burials. Three smaller boats were also found together with the Gokstad ship. The largest was about 9.75m long, the smallest about 6.5m.<\/p>\n
\nThe leidang (lei\u00f0angr<\/em>) was a system that organized a coastal fleet with the aim of defense, coerced trade, or aggressive wars. All free men were obliged to take part in or contribute to the leidang. The entire leidang\u00a0was called to arms when invading forces threatened the land. The leidang could also be called out to participate abroad.<\/p>\n
\nVikverjene: 60 ships 20-sesser
\nGrenene: 1 ship
\nEgdene: 16 ships 25-sesser
\nRygene: 24 ships 25-sesser
\nHordene: 24 ships 25-sesser
\nSygnene: 16 ships 25-sesser
\nFirdene: 20 ships 25-sesser
\nM\u00f8rene: 16 ships 25-sesser
\nRomsd\u00f8lene: 10 ships 20-sesser
\nNordm\u00f8ringene:20 ships 20-sesser
\nTr\u00f8nderne: 80 ships 20-sesser
\nNamd\u00f8lene: 9 ships 20-sesser
\nH\u00e5l\u00f8ygene: 13 ships 20-sesser + 1 ships 30-sesse
\n(After: Br\u00f8gger og Shetelig: Vikingeskipene, Dreyer 1950)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nIn winter he had caused a great frigate <\/em>(ON dreka mikinn) (a dragon) to be built, and had it fitted-out in the most splendid way, and brought his house-troops and his berserks on board. The forecastle men were picked men, for they had the king’s banner.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nThat king thou knowest,
\nhim who at Kvinnar dwelleth,
\nthe hoard-warder of North men,
\nwho has hollow war-ships
\nwith reddish ribs
\nand with reddened war-shields,
\nwith tarred oar-blades
\nand with tents foam-besprinkled<\/em> \u00a0 ( THE LAY OF HAROLD<\/a>\u00a0)<\/p>\n<\/a>
Carving found in Bergen<\/strong>
The carving probably shows Haakon Haakonsson\u2019s fleet in 1233. Here you see ships with dragon heads and other large leidang ships. In the middle you also see ships with gilted banners, a kind of wind vanes, that adorn the prow.<\/p><\/div>\n
\nWhen he (Haakon) <\/em>came to Bergen, he laid his ship in the royal ground, and the othes placed their longships alongside the bridges in the town.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nNot long after these things summoned King Olaf a Thing in the town, and made known to all the people that in the summer would he send an host out of the country, and that it was his will to levy ships & men from each county, & therewith 106 did he make it known how many ships he should require from the fjord there. \u00a4 Then sent he messengers inland both northwards and southwards, and along the coast on the outside of the islands and inside them along the land, and called men to arms. Thereafter did King Olaf launch the \u2018Long Serpent\u2019 & all his other ships great & small; (\u2026.)<\/em><\/p>\n