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History Hit Story of England: Making of a Nation

How the Vikings Built Their Longships and Sailed Them to Far Away Lands

History Hit Podcast

19 sep 2018.

This article is an edited transcript of Vikings of Lofoten on Dan Snow’s History Hit , first broadcast 16 April 2016. You can listen to the full episode below or to the full podcast for free on Acast .

The Vikings are well known for their boat-building skills – without which they wouldn’t have been able to create the famed longships that helped them to reach far away lands . The largest preserved Viking boat to be found in Norway is the 9th century Gokstad longship, which was discovered in a burial mound in 1880. Today, it sits in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, but replicas continue to sail the seas.

In April 2016, Dan Snow visited one such replica in the Norwegian archipelago of Lofoten and discovered some of the secrets behind the Vikings’ extraordinary maritime capabilities.

The Gokstad

An earlier Viking boat , the Gokstad was a combination boat, meaning that she could be used   as both a warship and a trading ship. Measuring 23.5 metres long and 5.5m wide, the replica that Dan visited in Lofoten can take around 8 tonnes of ballast (heavy material placed in the bilge – lowest compartment – of a ship to ensure her stability).

The Gokstad on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Credit: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen  / CommonsThe Gokstad on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Credit: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen  / Commons

With the Gokstad capable of taking such a large amount of ballast, she could be used for journeys to the big markets in Europe. But if she was needed for a war, then there was enough room on board for her to be rowed by 32 men, while a large sail measuring 120 square metres could also be used to ensure good speed. A sail of that size would have allowed the Gokstad to sail at a speed of up to 50 knots.

Rowing a boat like the Gokstad for several hours would have been difficult and so crew members would have tried to sail her whenever possible.

But they would have also had two sets of rowers on board so that the men could switch every hour or two and rest a little bit in between.

If a boat like the Gokstad was just being sailed, then only   around 13 crew members would have been needed for short journeys – eight people to put up the sail and a few others to handle the ship. For long journeys, meanwhile, more crew members would have been preferable.

For example, it is thought that a boat like the Gokstad would have held around 20 people when being used for journeys up to the White Sea, a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located off the north-west coast of Russia.

To the White Sea and beyond

Journeys to the White Sea would have been taken in the spring when Norwegian Vikings – including those from the Lofoten archipelago – traded with the Sami people who lived there.   These hunters killed whales, seals and walruses, and the Vikings bought the skins of these animals from the Sami people and made   oil from the fat.

The Vikings of Lofoten would then sail south to the island group where they would   catch cod to be dried.

Even today, if you drive around the Lofoten Islands during springtime then you will see cod hung up everywhere, drying in the sun.

The Lofoten Vikings would then load up their boats with this dried cod   and head south to the big markets in Europe – to England and possibly Ireland, and to Denmark, Norway and North Germany. In May or June, it would have taken the Vikings of Lofoten around a week to travel to Scotland in a boat like the Gokstad.

Codfish heads hung up to dry in Lofoten in April 2015. Credit: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen)  / Commons

The Vikings of Lofoten had very good connections with the rest of the world. Archaeological discoveries made in the archipelago, such as drinking glass and certain types of jewellery, show that the islands’ residents had good connections with both England and France. Sagas about the Viking kings and lords in the northern part of Norway (Lofoten is located off Norway’s north-west coast) tell of these Nordic warriors and seafarers travelling all over.

One tells of them sailing directly to England from Lofoten and asking King Cnut for help in fighting King Olaf II of Norway in the Battle of Stiklestad.

These Vikings were powerful men in the Kingdom of Norway and had their own kind of parliament in Lofoten. The northern Vikings made decisions at this gathering, which was held once or twice a year, or more often if they were experiencing problems that needed to be discussed.

Navigating a Viking ship

Capable of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean and making accurate landfalls as far back as 1,000 years ago, the Vikings were one of the most remarkable maritime civilisations in history. The Vikings of Lofoten were sailing to Iceland to hunt for seals and whales as early as the start of the 800s, an extraordinary feat in itself given that Iceland is relatively small and not very easy to find.  

Much of the Vikings’ maritime achievements rested on their navigating abilities. They could use clouds as navigational aids – if they saw clouds then they would know that land was over the horizon; they wouldn’t even need to see the land itself to know which direction to sail in.

They also used the sun, following its shadows, and were experts on ocean currents.

They would look at seagrass to see whether it was old or fresh; which way the birds were flying in the morning and afternoon; and also look at the stars.  

Constructing a Viking ship

Viking Age mariners were not only phenomenal sailors and navigators but also phenomenal boat-builders; they had to know how to create their own vessels, as well as how to repair them. And each generation learnt new secrets of boat-building which they passed down to their children.

The excavation of the Gokstad in 1880.

Ships like the Gokstad would have been relatively easy for the Vikings to make (so long as they had the right skills) and could be made with materials that were more or less ready to hand. The Vikings of Lofoten, however, would have had to travel to the mainland to find wood to build such a ship.  

The sides of the replica that Dan visited are made of pine, while the ribs and keel are made of oak. The ropes, meanwhile, are made of hemp and horsetail, and oil, salt and paint are used to keep the sail from tearing in the wind.  

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The Viking Longship

The shallow draft of the longship opened up the interior of Europe to Viking raiders and enabled them to make swift getaways laden with plunder.

This article appears in: Fall 2021

By John Spindler

In the first week of October 844, Emir Abd ar-Rahman II of Cordoba learned disturbing news: Vikings had captured Seville. From the accounts he heard, the emir gleaned that they were the al-Madjus. The Moors described the western Vikings with that name, which translated to “fire worshippers.” A month earlier, the emir had received a dispatch from the governor of Lisbon about raiders from the sea who had seized that city, as well. The emir wondered if these were the same men.

The Vikings had sailed from their base at the mouth of the Loire River that summer to raid the northern coast of Iberia. Having plundered coastal towns and monasteries, the warriors continued pillaging along the Iberian coastline. They occupied Lisbon for 13 days in the late summer.

Keenly aware of the great wealth of the Muslims, the Viking raiders eventually sailed up the Guadalquivir River to Seville. They knew that the city’s great mosque would contain vast amount of treasure, much of which would be crafted from gold. For six weeks the Vikings occupied the city, but they eventually withdrew in the face of superior forces.

The key that enabled Vikings to be able to carry out swift raids was the longship. The longship made it possible for Vikings to navigate a wide range of maritime and riverine locations, including seaports, shallow coves, and navigable rivers. Strong, slender, and flexible, the longboat’s most crucial characteristic was its very shallow draft, even when fully laden with troops, equipment, and plunder. From the coasts of Europe to rivers across the continent, the longship became the feared symbol of the Vikings.

The Viking Age is generally considered to have begun with the raid on Lindisfarne in 793 and ended at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The development of the longship allowed for the accomplishments of the Northmen during this era. Until the mid-18th century, the longship was only known from literary sources, coins, pictures, and stones. One of the most elaborate depictions of it is on the Bayeux Tapestry, the 230-foot-long embroidered linen strip that depicts the Norman Conquest of England.

An early Viking ship was unearthed in a bog in 1920. Known as the Kvalsund ship and built around 700, the ship possessed a rudimentary keel, an important characteristic, for it improved the ship‘s strength and stability. The ship appears to mark the transition from a vessel propelled solely by rowing to one that had a keel and could also be powered by wind using a sail. At some unknown point in time, the Vikings began to build all of their ships with a mast and sail.

By the close of the 8th century, Viking longships could be used for raids beyond the Scandinavian littoral. Called karvi, these vessels had between six and 16 rowing benches and were between 55 and 75 feet long.

With a length-to-width ratio of 9:2, longships were multipurpose vessels used for trade, fishing, and raiding. At the Oseberg farm in the Vestfold, Norway, archeologists excavated a karvi from a burial mound in 1904. This ship was about 70 feet long and 16 feet wide and possessed a T-shaped keel that allowed for a sail.

Like its Kvalsund predecessor and its subsequent successors, the karvi used clinker-built construction. In this type of ship, the hull was built with a series of overlapping strakes; that is, the planks used for the vessel’s sides, which were fastened with iron nails. Viking shipbuilders hewed these planks by axe to provide maximum strength. By following the natural grain of the wood, the builders increased the flexibility needed to bend the plank during the ship’s final phase of construction.

The Vikings preferred oak for their longships. They used pine to for the mast and rowing oars needed for their longships. The Vikings perfected the art of having the hull, mast, and rigging function as a single unit. In addition to lumber and iron nails, the large square sail was made from wool. They used animal hair, hemp, or wool soaked in pine tar to stuff in the strakes’ overlaps to ensure water tightness.

The Vikings made efficient use of all available room aboard their narrow longships. Instead of rowing benches, Viking oarsmen sat upon their sea chests. They hung their shields on the ship’s sides so they did not take up precious room inside the vessel.

The Vikings did not establish formal standards for their construction techniques. Instead, master shipbuilders passed down to their apprentices by word of mouth the proper construction techniques for longships.

Viking longships used both sail and oars for propulsion. Under sail with a good wind, replica ships have reached 20 knots. When the weather did not cooperate or while they were in close-quarters in combat, the Vikings used oars. A good crew using its oars could sustain six knots for a short period of time. The Vikings lowered their masts and sails when approaching the coast to make them less visible to people on shore whose homes or villages might be the targets of a raid. When maneuvering in the shallows along the coast, they used their oars.

In contrast to the karvi, Viking shipbuilders in the 10th century constructed their longships with a length-to-breadth ratio of 7:1. This ratio furnished better speed, flexibility, and maneuverability than earlier designs. Among the class of ships that were constructed with the 7:1 length-to-breadth ratio was the snekkja (snake). Though they were among the smallest longships employed in warfare, they were the most common. With a minimum of 20 rowing benches, giving a crew of at least 41 men, a typical snekkja was around 56 feet long, slightly more than eight feet wide with a draught of just 18 inches.

A snekkja could be beached for the night instead of having to use a port. The light weight also allowed it to be portaged. Archeologists recovered a snekkja in 1962 near Skuldelev in Denmark’s Roskilde Harbor. Vikings had sunk that ship and four others to form a defensive barrier in Roskilde Fjord that made it possible for them to control the sea routes to what was one of Denmark’s great royal cities.

Regional differences existed among longships. A Danish-built ship tended to have shallower draught than those built in Norway, which was undoubtedly influenced by Norway’s deep bays and fjords. Swedish vessels generally were of smaller size due to their mainly being used on the major rivers in Russia.

Larger longships have been given their own classifications. While maintaining the 7:1 length-to-breadth ratio, one type of these, known as a skei or skeide, had at least 30 rowing stations. This enabled it to accommodate at least 61 men. A 120-foot-long skeide, estimated to have been build around 1025, was found in Roskilde Fjord in 1997 and had room for a crew of 100.

The massive drekar or drakkar (dragon) is known primarily from historical sources, given that only has never been found.

These enormous vessels were used only by the wealthiest Vikings. Modern historians and shipwrights calculate the snekkja found in Skuldelev took 27,000 man-hours to hew the planks, forge the metal components, weave the sail, and complete other time-consuming tasks. A drakkar or a skeide would have required an even higher quantity of man-hours. Though as large as the longest skeid, the drakkar has been described as more ornately decorated and possessing a dragon or serpent as a masthead.

Longships were ideally suited for the sea-faring needs of the Norse. Vikings could easily beach their vessels in order to conduct quick hit-and-run raids on vulnerable coastal trading centers and monasteries in search of slaves, gold, and other valuables. The vessels then could be launched quickly when the raid was finished or if the local defenses proved too strong. Major inland cities that otherwise normally felt safe from foreign invaders experienced the wrath of the Norsemen. Among such places were London on the Thames, Paris on the Seine, Dorestad on the Rhine, Seville on the Guadalquivir, and Pisa on the Arno.

Scandinavian Vikings, known as Varangians, traveled by land and up rivers into Russia in the 9th and 10th centuries. Rurik, a Varangian prince, founded the Rurik Dynasty in 862. The Varangians built a successful trade route using the river network from the Baltic Sea through Kiev to the Black Sea and the city of Constantinople. The light weight of Viking longships, including the snekkja, allowed them to be portaged between navigable rivers such as the Dnieper, Don, and Volga.

In addition to being a critical part of their success in raiding the coastlines of Europe, Vikings used the snekkja, skeid, and drakkars in naval battles against rival Vikings and foreign foes alike. Unlike the warships of the ancient Greeks and Romans, archeological evidence so far has shown the longship did not possess a ram to sink an enemy vessel, even though northern sagas speak of them. Rather, the Vikings used similar tactics in naval clashes to those they employed in land battles.

When the opposing fleets came within range, Vikings hurled spears and fired arrows at their enemy. Once the two sides closed for battle at sea, the two opposing sides lashed their ships together to form a floating platform. However, a few independent ships took up positions on the flanks. Typically, the flagship was placed in the middle of the floating platform. This was because it was taller, and its gunwales were higher than the other vessels.

The attacking fleet would then throw grappling hooks to secure to the enemy vessel, usually focusing on those with lower gunwales. Next, the Vikings would fight their way aboard the enemy ships. They would then form shield wall, as they would on land, and assail their enemies with their axes, spears, and swords. The attackers kept their assault going from ship to ship until the outcome was determined. Due to their value and construction cost, Vikings sought to capture ships of all types, not just longships, rather than trying to sink or burn them.

Figures specifying the types of ships, as well as the number of ships and men involved in sea battles, are scarce, as few contemporary accounts survive. In the largest naval battle in Norwegian history, the Battle of Nesjar in 1016, no primary source accounts exist, although it is believed to have been a severe fight with heavy casualties.

At the Battle of Svolder, fought in the western Baltic Sea on or about 1000 between Norway and an alliance of Denmark, Sweden, and the Jarls of Lade, the Norse sources report the Norwegian fleet at 11 ships arrayed against as many as 82 warships of the alliance. No exact losses are given for the alliance, but all Norwegian ships were captured and both sides suffered heavy casualties.

The Varangians were drawn to Constantinople by tales of that city’s wealth. They made several attempts to capture the city. In a naval engagement in 941 ad, for example, a Byzantine fleet of 15 Byzantine galleys, known as dromons, defeated a larger Rus fleet. In their encounters with the Byzantines, the Vikings were shocked by Greek fire, a weapon they had not encountered before, which used by the crews of the dromons.

The Vikings would not have been able to make their mark on lands outside Scandinavia without the longship. Taking careful note of the versatility of the longship, other kingdoms such Anglo-Saxons and Normans adopted it as a model for their fleets. The Viking longship design was so successful that it remained widely used until it was replaced by the cog beginning in the 13th century.

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Viking ships: 5 lesser-known facts

Why did the Vikings rely so heavily on their ships, and what made the longboat so terrifyingly effective? Plus, Professor Jan Bill, curator of the Viking Ship Collection at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, discusses five-lesser known facts about Viking ships

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One of the secrets behind the Vikings’ successful explorations, trading voyages and conquests was their skill in shipbuilding.

Across Scandinavia, the fjords and rivers proved more navigable than traversing the land, and so sailing became a cornerstone of life. The Viking world revolved around waterways, and the Vikings used their boats to move along coasts, up rivers and across seas.

Viking vessels varied according to their primary function – from little fishing boats to ferries and wide cargo boats – but the Vikings are primarily known for their longboats, or longships.

The international success of the Vikings as raiders, traders and explorers depended on these remarkable vessels, which would become the most sophisticated boats of the medieval period.

• Listen | Jan Bill gives us the lowdown on Viking ships, and offers updates on the Gjellestad Ship excavation, currently underway in Norway

Viking longships: an overview

How long is a Viking longship? | Viking longships were typically between 20 and 30 metres in length.

More like this

They were clinker-built | This means they were built with overlapping planks of wood to make up the hull, with the gaps in between stuffed with tar or tallow mixed with animal hair, wool and moss.

They were powered with muscle and wind | An average longship could accommodate up to 60 oarsmen and possessed a single square sail woven from wool. Steering was by a side rudder at the rear of the vessel.

Average speed? | Around ten knots by sail, half of that by oars.

They had a shallow draught | This allowed them to be taken close to shores and up rivers, to quickly deliver a raiding party and cause maximum devastation.

They sometimes had figureheads | The bows were sometimes decorated with a carving of a monstrous creature such as a dragon or a serpent, a device possibly more designed to ward off evil at sea than to instil fear as the Vikings approached their enemies.

Vikings ships: five lesser-known facts

For the first time in more than a century, a Viking ship burial is being excavated in Norway. The site is at Gjellestad, on the eastern side of Oslofjord, and was discovered after a ground-penetrating radar survey in 2018. Work started in September 2020 and is expected to run until December.

Here Jan Bill, professor of Viking Age Archaeology and curator of the Viking Ship Collection at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway – and also head of the steering group for the Gjellestad dig – explains five lesser-known facts about Viking ships. Listen to him in conversation with our content director, David Musgrove, on the HistoryExtra podcast .

Viking ships didn't appear from nowhere

They were the continuation of a long tradition, and they developed over time: a Viking ship that was built in 1050 did not necessarily look very much like one built in 800.

The earliest example that we would call a Viking ship is probably that from Salme in Estonia. It dates to around 750. Unfortunately, it is not very well preserved. Only the iron nails were still lying in the ground, in the pattern that they had been in the boat.

We would call it a Viking ship because it was obviously used in a Viking activity. It was filled with dead warriors who had been on a raiding party or some mission into the Baltic. They ended up on the island of Saaremaa, where they died and were buried in their ship.

• “Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets,” plus 7 more Viking myths busted

Viking ships were not all the same

Ships fulfilled different purposes. People went out fishing, so they needed very small boats for that. Then there were other vessels which were more suitable for travelling. Water was really the big mode of transportation in Scandinavia in those days because it was hard to travel over land with a lack of roads, combined with a lot of steep mountains and forests. So the water was the way. Then there were the longships, which were mostly for warfare.

Towards the end of the Viking age, we also get specialised cargo ships, designed to transport goods as economically as possible. It is important to realise that these were ships which could be built basically everywhere. If you had wood, and iron, and the know-how, then you could build a Viking ship.

• Global Vikings: how the impact of the raiders and traders went far beyond Britain

The big Viking ships were expensive objects of power

The owners of the big ships were wealthy and powerful. That is one of the key results of the experimental archaeological work that has been carried out on Viking ships over the last few decades.

We now know much more about the quantity of materials and the number of work hours that went into building these ships. That gives us a perspective on the Viking age that we didn't have before. It is really quite impressive amounts that were involved.

About 60 sheep were needed to produce enough wool for one sail for a large warship. They also required perhaps some 15 big oak trunks of about a metre in diameter in order to produce all the planks. They would have needed maybe a couple of hundred kilograms of iron, plus a lot of tar and a lot of rope.

These ships were really major investments and they were extremely carefully built. The shipbuilders had a very strong aesthetic sense, coupled with a very strong idea about quality.

• Ragnar Lothbrok : the legend of the immortal Viking and his sons

Viking ships were light and flexible

This was a key advantage over other ships of the period. The Scandinavian ships were built in a tradition that we can follow several centuries backwards in time. The early examples were specialised rowing ships, propelled only by oars rather than sails. This meant that there was a huge incentive to build them as light as possible so that they were easier to row.

Compared to ship remains from other parts of northern Europe, Viking ships were very lightly built and so very speedy. They were easy to pull up on shore. They didn’t need harbours. They could be taken up rivers and over land if need be. So that was the main secret behind the Viking ships, that they were so light that they could be used for a lot of things.

• Viking women: raiders, traders and settlers

Viking ships were not comfortable

When sailing in one, you would have been pretty exposed to the elements. It was not a holiday to try to cross the North Sea and definitely not to try to go to Iceland or Greenland.

The first thing that you would have experienced when you went on board was the smell. There would have been tar everywhere to conserve and protect the wood and parts of the rigging. If the ship was freshly tarred it would have been very sticky, and the tar would have got on your clothes and skin. You would also probably have smelt a rotten stench, from the fats that were used in the sails to make them more windproof.

• How the Vikings ruled the waves

You would have been outside all the time and exposed to the weather. You got wet when it rained and hot when the sun shone. It was pretty cramped on board because ships were expensive and, especially for warships, the whole idea was to try to transport as many people as possible in one unit, because that made it efficient as a weapon. It would have been a rather cramped, cold and smelly experience.

Jan Bill is professor of Viking Age Archaeology and curator of the Viking Ship Collection at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway, and also head of the steering group for the Gjellestad dig.

Jan Bill was speaking on the HistoryExtra podcast about the Gjellestad excavation and Viking ships in general , with HistoryExtra content director David Musgrove.

This content was first published by HistoryExtra in October 2020

More content from week one of the HistoryExtra Academy Vikings course:

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Crewmembers in the Viking Age

In addition to entertaining guests in the King's hall the scald probably also took part in longer expeditions. It was therefore important for him to be able to improvise and conjure up verses about heroes and battles won whenever the King or the chieftain wished – for example before an important battle: In AD 1230 Snorre Sturlasson wrote in  Olav the Holy's Saga  that early one morning, just before the battle of Stiklestad in AD 1030, scald Thormod Kolbrunsskjald narrated the Eddic poem  Bjarkemål . The poem was about the brave, legendary king Rolf Krake and his men's many battles, and it was intended to give courage to Olav's warriors before the battle.

"Long swords

sing strangely

split axles

and tear open chests".

The contents of the poems

Several poems contain  kenninger , which gave them their exciting and dramatic style, often by supplying bloody details.  Kenninger  consist of two words: a main word and a qualifying word. Some examples of  kenninger  are: " the wound's sea"  or " the sword's sweat",  which refer to the blood flowing from a battle wound, " horse of the waves"  where horse means a ship, and " flame of the Rhine"  which means the Rhine's gold.

Several poems also contained myths and legends about the Nordic gods, as the Vikings were of the opinion that the gods had a great influence on the outcome of a battle.

»  Egil Skallagrimson's " The Head Ransom"

»  Make your own epic poem

The ordinary crew members on board warships in the Viking Age were called  holumenn  and their most important task was to sail the ship. 

The Norwegian Gulating Law, dating from the 12th and 13th century, relates that the King would appoint a coxswain. The coxswain would then select the crew – as a rule these were young, unmarried men. If they did not turn up, of if they refused to sail with the ship, they were issued with a fine. In cases where there were not enough young farm hands, the farmers who employed the workmen had to join the ship for the voyage. Everybody was paid and, according to the Norwegian law text, the payment was 1  øre  per month.

Watches on board

The crew formed watches. The watchs  Bergvordr  by the oars,  Rávordr  by the sail,  Festavordr  by the mooring on land and  Strengvordr  by the cable when the ship lay at anchor. All of the watches were to be manned day and night. 

The tasks were to trim the sail, to keep the ship empty of water, to keep watch and steer the rudder. The helmsman was also called  Stjórnari.

There was also a lookout in the bow section of the vessel. In Viking times he was called  Stafnbúar or  Sundvordr.  Together with the skipper and the coxswains the lookout had a responsible position on board, especially when sailing along the coast where it was important to keep an eye out for distinctive landmarks. The lookout had to have a strong voice so that he could shout his observations to the rest of the ship and to the skipper, who stood either by the mast or at the stern of the ship. According to Helge Hundingsbane's story warships had a special watch for looking out for the enemy.

Personal equipment 

Icelandic sources indicate that the crew brought along some kind of sleeping bag. There were no berths – instead the spaces between each thwart constituted their sleeping places. The sleeping bag was called a  Húdfat;  it was a large hide stitched together along the sides and with room for two persons. 

Sea chests were part of the general equipment on warships and these could probably be moved around. E yrbyggernes Saga  relates that the men occupying a rum (or section of the ship) had to share a chest for storing their supplies, clothes and weapons .

Women on board

Normally there were no women on board ships in the Viking Age. But sometimes there were women slaves or prisoners of war on board, or women of high rank were carried as passengers. The fact that the presence on the ships of women was quite exceptional is evident from a few written sources. These recount that the women had to be protected against various dangers and from rain. 

Fact:  The Icelandic Flateyjarbok from the 14th century relates how Leif and his men, during a voyage to Østerø on the Faroe Islands, all were soaked because they had to make sure that Thora remained dry.

Life on board

Today it is hard to tell what the crew did on board the ships when not on duty. In the rich ship burial of Oseberg and on a reused deck plank found in Aarhus a gaming board has been found which could be used for the games of morris and  nefatavl . Many graves also contain gaming pieces and dice made of glass, bone, antler, tooth or horn. On the Isle of Lewis 93 chessmen mede of walrus ivory were found in 1831. The sagas speak of games such as  halatavl ,  nefatavl  and chess. Though not stating the rules of the games the sagas indicate that the ability to play, for example, chess was part of a noble education. For example a certain man Grymer who was courting a beautiful maid had to prove his worth through weapons exercises, climbing of icebergs, performing trials of strength, play chess well, interpret the stars and other sports.

»  Games

»  Stories on board

Weapons and Equipment

In the Viking Age, the weapons to be carried on board a warship were decreed by law. Norwegian laws relates that it was the crew’s task to provide weapons for the ship.

 On board the smaller warships each free man of age was to present a broad-axe, a sword, a spear and a shield, and he would be fined 3  øre  for each missing weapon.  The farmers were to bring two quivers of arrows and a bow for each thwart in the ship, and they also paid 3  øre  per missing bow. Helmets and chain mail are not mentioned.

Fact :  The law texts also recount that it was the coxswain’s job to bring the ship’s rudder. 

For chieftains’ ships, such as Skuldelev 2 with a crew of 60-70 men, the equipment was more comprehensive and more defensive/protective equipment was taken along.

A ship of Skuldelev 2’s size would presumably have had:

• 34 bows, with 48 arrows per bow
• 60 light axes
• 30 battle axes
• as well as throwing stones and slings. 

Further to this, the warriors protected themselves with:

•  20 sets of chain mail
•  20 helmets
•  60 sets of leather armour
•  60 leather hoods
•  80 round shields 
•  as well as shin and wrist guards.

»  Warrior and warfare

»  Make your own sword

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• Expeditions
• Complimentary Brochures

The Viking Fleet

Viking longships.

• Mississippi
• 360 Ship Tours

Our award-winning Viking Longships® showcase innovative engineering, streamlined Scandinavian design and understated elegance. Thoughtfully engineered to get you closer to your destination, they provide unprecedented levels of comfort, including spacious staterooms with full-size verandas, the largest suites on Europe’s rivers and the most al fresco dining.

Viking Longships 360° Tour

Step inside our award-winning, state-of-the-art sister ships.

All Longships

• Viking Aegir
• Viking Alruna
• Viking Alsvin
• Viking Atla
• Viking Baldur
• Viking Bragi
• Viking Buri
• Viking Delling
• Viking Egdir
• Viking Egil
• Viking Einar
• Viking Embla
• Viking Forseti
• Viking Freya
• Viking Gefjon
• Viking Gersemi
• Viking Gullveig
• Viking Gymir
• Viking Heimdal
• Viking Herja
• Viking Hermod
• Viking Hervor
• Viking Hild
• Viking Hlin
• Viking Idun
• Viking Ingvi
• Viking Jarl
• Viking Kadlin
• Viking Kara
• Viking Kvasir
• Viking Lofn
• Viking Magni
• Viking Mani
• Viking Mimir
• Viking Modi
• Viking Njord
• Viking Rinda
• Viking Rolf
• Viking Sigrun
• Viking Sigyn
• Viking Skadi
• Viking Skirnir
• Viking Tialfi
• Viking Ullur
• Viking Vali
• Viking Vidar
• Viking Vilhjalm
• Viking Vili

Ship Videos

Viking Longships Tour

With their innovative patented design, al fresco Aquavit Terrace and understated elegance, Viking Longships provide the most rewarding way to explore Europe. Find out more on this short tour.

Viking Onboard Experience

Tour our stylish ships, designed with understated elegance and comfort in mind. Spacious staterooms, indoor and outdoor dining venues and panoramic views enrich your travel experience.

The Original Longships

Delve into the past for a look into the art of building a Viking longship. Meet a master boatbuilder and learn about the role these vessels played in Viking society centuries ago.

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Viking River Cruises

Viking ocean cruises.

• Scandinavia
• British Isles & Ireland
• North America
• Caribbean & Central America
• South America
• Mediterranean
• Quiet Season Mediterranean
• Australia & New Zealand
• World Cruises
• Grand Journeys

Viking Expeditions

• Great Lakes
• Longitudinal World Cruises

2024-2027 RIVER CRUISE AND AIR FARES:  Offer applies to bookings made from September 1-30, 2024. Terms & conditions for select promotions may vary. $25 deposit is applicable to all River itineraries. Special fares plus up to FREE International airfare valid on select departures of Grand European Tour, Lyon Provence & the Rhineland, European Sojourn and Capitals of Eastern Europe, Paris to the Swiss Alps, Cities of Light, London, Paris & D-Day, Rhine & Main Explorer . Airfares may vary on other gateways & departures. Airfare does not have to be purchased to get cruise\cruisetour offer. All prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Additional restrictions may apply. 2024 : Pay in full by September 30, 2024 or at time of booking if within 120 days of departure. 2025 : Pay in full by October 31, 2024. 2026 : Pay in full by April 30, 2025. 2027 : Pay in full by January 15, 2026. Offers expires September 30, 2024.

$25 DEPOSIT:  For itineraries 35 days or less, a $25 deposit applies to February 2025 & onward departures; for itineraries greater than 35 days, a $25 deposit applies to April 2025 & onward departures; World Cruise products excluded; call for details.

AIR UPGRADE:  Upgrade to Premium Economy air from $799 per person or Business Class air from $3,499 per person based on select gateways and dates. Additional airline-imposed baggage charges may apply; for more information visit  Airline Luggage Restrictions  . Air prices are per person based on cruise/cruisetour check-in date and include transfers plus all government taxes/fees of approximately $160 and air fuel surcharges. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change and are not guaranteed until full payment of air is received. For more information about customized air services and US gateways, visit the Viking Air Plus page.

GENERAL RESTRICTIONS:  Cruise fares listed are cruise only in U.S. dollars, per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement savings are off applicable rates. Cruise fares listed are valid for U.S. residents only. All fares and offers are for new bookings only and are subject to availability, may not combinable with other offers except Viking Explorer Society Travel Credits and Viking Referral Rewards, are capacity-controlled and may be withdrawn at any time without prior notice. Special fares are based upon published full brochure fares; cruise fares do not include pre-paid charges, optional facilities, and personal charges, as defined in the terms and conditions of the  Passenger Ticket Contract  which may be viewed elsewhere on this website. Full brochure fares may not have resulted in actual sales in all stateroom categories and may not have been in effect during the last 90 days. Promotional fares may remain in effect after the expiration date. Air promotion applies to roundtrip flights only from select Viking Cruises U.S. gateways and includes airport-to-ship or hotel transfers, air taxes and air fuel surcharges. Roundtrip airport transfers are included when air is purchased with a cruise or cruisetour package; if air is not purchased from Viking, transfers may be purchased separately. All transfers must be in conjunction with a Viking-purchased cruise, cruisetour, land extension or extra hotel nights. Viking reserves the right to correct errors or omissions and to change any and all fares at any time. For up-to-date prices, please call Viking or your Travel Agent. Additional terms and conditions may apply. Complete terms and conditions may be found in the  Passenger Ticket Contract .

AIR OFFER RESTRICTIONS:  Offer expires September 30, 2024.

NOTE: U.S. flights depart one day prior to check-in date. Paid Business or Premium Economy Class may require travel in economy on flights within North America or Europe. Premium economy is limited to specific airlines and we may not be able to accommodate based on aircraft type and availability. Roundtrip airport transfers are included when air is purchased with a cruise or cruisetour package; if air is not purchased from Viking, transfers may be purchased separately. All transfers must be in conjunction with a Viking-purchased cruise, cruisetour, land extension or extra hotel nights. Air prices are per person based on cruise/cruisetour check-in date and include transfers plus all government taxes/fees of approximately $160 and air fuel surcharges. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change and are not guaranteed until full payment of air is received.