THE EVOLUTION OF VIKING SHIPS
First off, if you like the paintings of Anders Kvåle Rue, see here for more: www.galleristraume.no/anders-...
This page also covers him along with some good books on the Viking Age: sagaheritage.com/akrue
Did you know that the roots of the Viking Ships can be found in ancient times of both the Bronze and so-called Stone Ages? Especially when it comes to the long keel, the clinker build and the bows which gave them the ability to sail with the waves instead of through them. In older times it was the forked bow which "broke the waves" and we can see in the evolution of the ships throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages that this feature was very important and was copied in the bows of the later Viking Ships. Hope you'll like this video!
():::::[]::::::::::::::::::::)
If you want to help support this channel:
Patreon: / vikingstories
Paypal: paypal.me/VikingStories
www.buymeacoffee.com/vikingst...
And many thanks for subscribing!
Viking Greetings and Skål!
Links and for further reading:
The Hjortspring Boat, northern Europe’s oldest plank-built vessel, built circa 400-300 BC: en.natmus.dk/historical-knowl...
Ormen Lange ship: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormen_L...)
Gokstad ship: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gokstad...
Oseberg ship: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oseberg...
Kvalsund ship: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvalsun...
Skuldelev ships: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skuldel...
The Roskilde Viking Ship Museum: www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/...
Other ship links:
naval-encyclopedia.com/mediev...
www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/...
www.britishmuseum.org/collect...
Aleutian kayaks and their forked bows: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutia...
Rakni's Mound: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakni's...
Sutton Hoo burial site: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Hoo
The Royal Mounds in Uppsala: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamla_U...
Some modern Viking ships:
Draken Harald Harfagre Vikingship: / 277020215675452
The Oseberg Viking Ship: / osebergvikingskip
The Sagastad Viking Centre: www.nordfjord.no/en/sagastad-...
Secrets of the Viking Stone - The American Runestone: / secretsofthevikingstone
Music: [Daudir] by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
They had great ships mate for sure
The Hjortspring boat, built circa 400-300 BC and excavated from the bog of Hjortspring Mose on the island of Als in Sønderjylland, southern Denmark, is a good example that closely resembles the thousands of petroglyph images of Nordic Bronze Age ships found throughout Scandinavia. Takk for den interessante videoen, Sturla ! :)
Very tough and hardy people. Imagine sailing such distances in an open boat in the cold north Atlantic. Thanks for another video.
Well done Sturla! One day we'll have to row on one of those ships! Hail Odin!
always enjoy
Let's not forget that some of these ships ventured in really difficult and dangerous seas. That shows their quality. A friendly but a bit crazy Norwegian, or maybe I should say a bit crazy person but a normal Norwegian, Erik Aanderaa, sails the North Atlantic, solo sailing, and he has experienced, among other difficulties, treacherous seas. Immensely strong tidal currents, overpowering whirlpools, and successions of very steep waves that can easily sink a ship.The seas of the North Atlantic command respect. Thank you for bringing up this much beloved topic and presenting really interesting aspects of the subject. Vi ses senere.
Another crazy, but normal Norwegian are the two Norwegian American lads who were the first to row across the Atlantic. They even capsized once, and could barely walk when they reached the shore.
Thank you Sturla!! Awesome I love it! Im going to come see the ships very soon with my family.
Thanks!
I would like to see Sturla and some good friends sailing a Viking ship amongst the fjords and upon the open sea!
Uurrrrgh... just what I needed... working on a fiction tale set in 536 CE... the beginning of the First FimbulWinter 🐻
Looking forward to it 👍🏻
I live close to both the Nydam boat and the Hjortspring boat, two of the oldest examples of the clinker technique. I have gone rowing in the replica of the Nydam boat. Great time:)
Very cool. I wish to try that some time
@@VikingStoriesFor sure, feel free to visit at the "nydamselskabet" sometime:)
Next video is part II, by the way, and will include both the Nydam and Hjortspring boats (and some others)
@@VikingStories sounds great Sturla
I have a belief I cannot prove that the desire to travel and explore is deep in the DNA of those whose ancestors were Vikings - just from witnessing the restlessness of close family members- Maybe it’s romantic thinking however, ha!! Thank you for talking about the amazing ships that stir the imagination Of so many would be explorers ✌🏼🥰
There are also 3 Viking Ship copies in Vestfold: Saga Oseberg (built in Tønsberg), Saga Farmann (a copy of the Klåstad ship, built in Tønsberg) & Gaia (a copy of the Gokstad ship, built in Bjørkedal), as well as a new copy of the Gokstad being now built to replace the ageing Gaia. I'm on the crew of Gaia, and have also sailed and rowed on Saga Oseberg and Saga Farmann. There's also a copy of the Oseberg ship in Telemark, Åsa (named for the Queen mother of Harald Fairhair, though the ship was built in Lithuania). There are 2 copies of the Gokstad up at Borg in Lofoten, Lofotr, a full-scale copy (also built in Bjørkedal... sister ship to Gaia) and Vargfotr, a 2/3 scale copy (built in Poland). This summer we had 9 Viking Ships sailing around Rogaland to celebrate the 1150th anniversary of the Battle of Hafrsfjord (872), where Harald Fairhair became king of all Norway. 2 of the Vestfold ships, Gaia and Saga Farmann took part. Sunnmøring Ragnar Thorseth sailed Saga Siglar, a copy of the Knarr from Roskilde (Skuldelev 1) around the world, and then he sailed Gaia (a copy of the Gokstad ship... same one that is in Vestfold now) across the Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland, Canada, New York, Cuba, Venezuela, up the Amazon and then down to Rio de Janiero. I beieve this is a testament to the seaworthiness of these ships.
Thanks, Daithí. I agree with you. Ragnar Thorseth is actually in my family:) Do you know if there's a youtube-clip or video of the 9 Viking ships in Rogaland from last year?
Excellent video & education on Longships! I have Swedish, Norwegian & Germanic roots 🪓
My great grand parents came from the Trondheim area. G.grandmother from Hitra, and Hemne area. A ship burial I believe was found on the farm Vinje were she was from. My G.grandfather was from the Aure area and a Viking ship burial was found on a small island there. This discovery happened in the last 3 years. I'm from Minnesota and yes I lived in the Fargo/Moorhead area.
Interesting! Greetings from the Old Country
Sturla, two small wishes if you would be so kind 🙂 First. I was listening in to your podcast with Wolfgang Wee and made a request in the comments section there for some elaboration on the proliferation of runes amongst the norse. From what I understand the knowledge in how to read and write runes was very widely spread. It was a thing many, if not most, could do. That is very very interesting considering the later problems where knowledge was guarded, hidden and made unavailable. Latin as the religious language, and the inability to read. It seems as if the norse were quite literate and shared both the skills and knowledge to an amazing extent even measured against todays standards. Perhaps you could say something about this as the implications are quite severe. Second. It is so strange that sails did not emerge earlier. The ancients, our ancestors, were clever people. Surely they realized the benefits the wind could bring in helping with propulsion. Now considering that the rock carvings are stylized and dramatic - could it be that they depicted their ships in "war mode" without masts? The norse used to take down their masts routinely, which was part of their menace as they could row under bridges over the rivers in Europe. If I remember correctly they often did this before major naval engagements according to the sagas. Is it ruled out that primitive sails were used far earlier than believed? Perhaps topics for future videos? :-) The cliffhanger you posted here about the lost history of Ormen Lange and Erik Jarl really got my interest :-) Thanks for another thought provoking video.
Cleopatra had sails back in the days. An earlier. BUT not that fast designs.. And designe for harsh sailing.
@@modernvikingnorway They had sails much further back than Cleopatra. Consider the ships described in the illiad :) It is not about the speed per se. It is the time of development of sailing at these latitudes. Because it means so much for the logistics and trade routes. Same about runes and that skill. Literacy have a profound value in a society.
@@rolfnilsen6385 absolutly. BUT in the past it was more like paper, and No boats could rise seils if it was some Power in the wind😎 most import ant is the woman doing 1 years 1 sail... Nobody ever before us had so Power ful designes ships or sails. Nobody ever ride the storms.. Trojans had to put down sails an wait like a duck for bretter weather..
@@modernvikingnorway These boats had internal ballast and were dependent on the hull shape for stability. That was more of a limiting factor than the materials. Even sailing only downwind in suitable windstrengths is far better than going overland carrying tradegoods. Noe as then the winds along the Norwegian coast is quite predictable. The blow southwards in the spring and northwards in the summer and fall. We know for a fact that this was used extensively later and the ancient ones were probably aware of this as well. From memory the Viking sails were wowen from wool or flax. I might be wrong about that. But the ancient ones could have used bark or other fibers in a coarse weave. I speculate about the ancient ones of course but it would be very interesting to hear from Sturla on both topics.
@@rolfnilsen6385 yess. We need his words on it. And yess, the cargo and balast thing down in "Syden" cant really be spoken about with same glasses. BUT bouth tec for the times was gamechangers for their different times🏴☠️
Excellent video and very well showcased big like on the video ✔
Fascinating, I had no idea longships could go as fast as 50 knots! The seas truly must have been highways to those who knew how to master them as the Vikings did.
+15 knots.. Please excuse me for my bad English;) But yes, still highways nevertheless!
@@VikingStories Ah, that makes more sense, but still extremely fast! Much faster than most people at full sprint. And you don't need to stop for food and rest like a horse.
The Bronze Age ships were built from planks I believe and were paddled rather than sailed but they were able to travel huge distances perhaps even down to the Mediterranean. They sailed to what is now the British Isles and no doubt left a genetic signature of Bronze Age Scandinavia there including some I1 prior to Anglo-Saxon and later still Viking incursion.
Agreed. Thanks, Peter 👍🏻
I find your... I'm not sure what to call it... project? fascinating, Sturla. There's a lot of forbidden knowledge that we're all deeply curious about that you are trying to uncover. I've been more interested in prehistoric times than the Viking age (although I don't know much about either), but what you've taught me has piqued my interest in the Vikings too. I watched your interview with Wolfgang (I'm writing in English here to include your audience), and I'm left wondering how you think we should combine conformity and "rawness" (råskap). I'd also like to learn more about what you mean by rawness. How can we support diversity in thought while continuing to reap the benefits of conformity? How do you think this played out in the past? Also, less on point... Why do you sound like you're from northern Norway when you speak English, and west Oslo when you speak Norwegian?
Shoutout til Bussen til Harald Hardråde! En av båtene med samtidsbeskrivelse, dog i sagaform, av antall årer, 70. derav 35 rom i båten. :)
Long history at sea.
Thank you , something educational and enjoyable to watch on you tube .l hope you consider opening a channel on Rumble as well.
I second the motion. It's good to support free speech. I was under the impression that the Myceans may have come to the Baltic to trade in Amber. Rock carvings along the S.E. Swedish coast show some images that look quite similar to their Ships.
I found you through Bjorn Andreas Bull-Hansen.
12-03-24 Happy holidays to all, may our Lord bless you. I like your channel, lots of information, keep up the good work.
Wasn't Sutton Hoo an Angle burial specifically, and therefore basically a Scandinavian style burial? That seems to be suggested by the extreme similarity to the Swedish Vendel period burials at Valsgärde. I mean the similarity is really astonishing, the only difference is that the Sutton Hoo burial was much richer. Otherwise they are as identical as they could possibly be. They may be different from Viking ships, but they are not really different from contemporary boats from Sweden, in my opinion. Sadly, here in Denmark, lots of burial mounds were deliberately destroyed over time by farming, so it's possible there were similar mounds here. I believe we have 22,000 burial mounds still existing from all ages including stone age, but about 85,000 has been detected to have existed in the past. That's quite a lot of mounds. We did have the Nydam boat, though. It's an older clinker built boat which is like a very narrow viking ship but without mast. It's earlier than the Vendel period. The development of the intricate mast and sail system must have been quite late and really fast. Ps This is just my opinion, but I don't consider Draken Harald Hårfagre as a realistic Viking _longship_ as it is not based on any actual ship ever found. It's just too wide, like a giant karve, in my opinion. It is a late Viking ship (as it is supposed to be based on Ormen Lange's size, even though Ormen Lange was probably longer) but it uses a design like earlier viking ships such as the Gokstad ship. Best evidence against this wide late Viking age design is the Roskilde 6 ship, as it is the longest viking ship found at 37 m, it is very narrow, but it was _built in Norway_ !!!! So the slenderness of longships was not a just Danish phenomenon, more likely it was a later Viking age development, a specialized "Drakkar" longship, a ship specialízed for warfare. Ormen Lange was suppose to have higher freeboard than normal, but there's nothing to suggest that it was particularly wide, or that true longships were ever wide like that. I could very well be wrong, but there has to be evidence, or it is just highly speculative, in my opinion.
Hello. I was wondering if you had any recommendations for reading on the jofurr or if you would have interest in making a video on them. Thanks for the years of information you have dedicated your self to and the sharing of it. Truly.
Thank, Leon. Which Jofurr are you thinking of, this one? old-icelandic.vercel.app/word/jofurr
@@VikingStories "Jöfurr" or boar warriors. I was having trouble finding literature or much at all but can only find references in mentions around berserkers that wore boar heads.
The nordic refugees saved many english valuables from a great fire.
Du burde ha en ledende rådgiverstilling i flere institusjoner i Norge. Kan starte med UD.
Do you think Roman galleys from the Rhine Fleet had any influence on North Germanic or Scandinavian ship designs?
I am sure they got inspiration both from there and through the huge number of Germanic mercenaries further south, and perhaps even from Germanic slaves. Especially from the port of Mainz, which were sacked atleast twice in the later Roman period. I am sure they got a lot of inspirations from there.
Should visit the hjemkomst in Moorhead
Hi Sturla,I'm trying to look for your online shop?and can't find it? I wanted to buy something to support your channel. Thanks.
6:30 - I don't think he did it. I think he was railroaded. He denies it.
Could have been several actually..
Your video started out good BUT!!!!!! Than showing the Sutton Hoo boat. and state i think its different because its from the south!!!! That is JUST stupid!! Its different be cause it doesn't have a Keel and Mast. It has nothing to do with it being more southern than the later VIKING ships. it's be cause its 300 years older than the Viking area ships. The Keel and Mast hadn't come to Scandinavia at that point yet. they didn't know how to build that yet. Look up the Nydam Båd. its a pre Viking ship from around 320 A.D. it was found in southern Denmark in 1863 a year before that part of Denmark was lost to Prussia in the war of 1864. That why its on display in Schloss Gottorf in North Germany today. Its from the same time as the Sutton Hoo boat. But unlike the Sutton hoo boat The Nydam boat survived in the bog it was Burried.
I hope you'll appreciate more my next video which will be part II of this and include both the Nydam and Hjortspring boats (and some others). Thanks for your comment in any case. All best
@@VikingStories Your video wasn't bad or Wrong. Only when you stated an opinion. that wasn't fact. The reason i said Stupid ( a bit harsh of me ) Is that people watching that video. Now belive that there was a difference in Viking area ships /boats. depending on if they where from southern or northern Scandinavia. When its a question of When they where build. Are there differences between viking area ships Yes of cause there is. But they are not so much in witch region there are build. but for what purpose they are build. The largest viking ship ever found was build in Ireland ( or it was the largest one found at that time.) Thanks for replaying and i will be looking forward to your video. Also do you consider making a video about what the viking ships evolved in to after the viking age. ( klinker build trading and fishing vessels. ) Don't think i ever have seen a video on youtube about that. Or a video about the last sea battle where longships where used in combat. (and lost)
@@torbenjohansen6955 point taken.. Reg. your first question, yes.. I'm waiting for some nice weather to record and will include that in the video. Reg. the latter, are you thinking of Kristsuden and Håkon Håkonssons defeat in Scotland? We know of several ships, of course, between this and Harald Hardrade's Ormen.
The ships depicted in the rock carvings of Alta in Northern Norway had a keel, and they are several thousands of years old, so apparantly there was a difference between Northern and Southern ships. The keel was used in the North earlier than in the South, then. Makes sense, since stronger ships were needed in the rougher seas.
@@acenname look up hjortespringsbåden thats the boat from the rock carvings. Its build way different and is over 1200 years older than the Sutton Ho boats. So yes its different just as a Viking ship is different to a modern container ship.
and then there were better ships who kicked our butts!!😅🤣😂