Viking Longship Design ?

[svrodeorm]

Originally Posted by SvenG

I've read (but can't confirm) that Swedes own enough boats so that the whole population could set to sea at one time ... a fun claim even if it may not be true.

-Sven

That would make an interesting sight too.

[Viking Sailor]

Originally Posted by SvenG

Thanks for that. I should have known to go looking there

So it was originally (?) a verb which then later also referred to the one participating in the activity and finally included anyone living in the area at the time.

So, I stand corrected.

Maybe we need a viking subforum here on CF (joke).



-Sven

Sven,

Did you look up the reference? The very first line clearly states that in Old Norse Viking is a noun.

The Old Norse feminine noun víking refers to an expedition overseas. It occurs in Viking Age runic inscriptions and in later medieval writings in set expressions such as the phrasal verb fara í víking "to go on an expedition". In later texts such as the Icelandic sagas, the phrase "to go viking" implies participation in raiding activity or piracy, and not simply seaborne missions of trade and commerce. The related Old Norse masculine noun víkingr appears in Viking Age skaldic poetry and on several rune stones found in Scandinavia, where it refers to a seaman or warrior who takes part in an expedition overseas.[4] The form also occurs as a personal name on some Swedish rune stones. There is little indication of any negative connotation in the term before the end of the Viking Age. Regardless of its possible origins, the word was used to indicate an activity and those who participated in it, and not to any ethnic or cultural group.

Not until later medieval writings was it used as a verb.

Paul

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by Viking Sailor

Did you look up the reference? The very first line clearly states that in Old Norse Viking is a noun.

Yes, I did see that but it was still the expedition rather than the person that was first referred to as a viking. So technically it was wrong to say that it was a verb first but I was technically wrong in assuming that the first "viking" was an individual



-Sven

[MichaelC]

It is undeniably true that many of the Norse who traveled abroad went to settle, farm, raise families, etc. They likely did not go in the dreaded longship. My ancestors had a prayer that went something like - protect us from bad weather and the dragonships. Part of the success of the raiders was their size. Those guys were big for Norsemen. 6 feet tall in a world where the average size was 5'. They could swing a sword that some poor schmuck at 5' could not defend against. None of this detracts from their incredible ability as boat builders, sailors, navigators. None of this detracts from the fact that the boats they designed and built are still being built today all over the fjords of Scandinavia. Hardanger faerings [I think that is the right term - I am not Norske] are the same boat that one can find in the Oslo museum with the big longship. As I said earlier on this thread, the abilities of that boat [I have 2] are awesome. It is silly to propose that Norse boatbuilding was a copy of some river locked Egyptian. Those Egyptians would get lost between the Nile and the Bosphorus. Those longships crossed the Atlantic. Beauty is as beauty does. The longship still rules. Take away your motors and your fiberglas and your steel and what is the best boat possible? You got it.

[SvenG]

A work of art, from Iceland. You'll have to buy a copy of På Kryss to get a legible copy of the article, or just join the Swedish Cruising Club (sxk.se) but these snaps give you an idea


Picasa Web Albums - Sven - Vikingaskepp




-Sven

[MichaelC]

Yo, Sven. That looks like a tahiti ketch. Way too much freeboard, now where near enough grace and power. Pretty enough, but no comparison to a nice faering or viking longship.

[SvenG]

Michael,

Originally Posted by MichaelC

Yo, Sven. That looks like a tahiti ketch. Way too much freeboard, now where near enough grace and power. Pretty enough, but no comparison to a nice faering or viking longship.

True enough, but still pretty in a comfortable way.



-Sven

[svrodeorm]

Originally Posted by SvenG

Michael,



True enough, but still pretty in a comfortable way.



-Sven

Sure is pretty. I would reckon the sail area a bit smallish....

My guess is the Longships had a wider/lower sail considering no external ballast. due to stability issues

[markpierce]

Iceland is wonderful. Lots of blonds and warm swimming pools. Most everyone is friendly and speaks English. Huge dandelions. Good-natured horses. Good restaurants too.

One of two locomotives used in constructing Reykjavik's harbor:

[bobsadler]

seen in cherbourg, france, a couple of weeks ago

[svrodeorm]

Originally Posted by bobsadler

seen in cherbourg, france, a couple of weeks ago

That's the proper looks!

[Astrid]

She seems to have the lines of the Viking Age knarr, rather than the long ship, and some amenities for the modern sailor and his family. Still she is quite the lovely lady.

[Dan Mosby]

Awesome thread...

[fenris]

This vessel is a beautiful imagining of a longship as a cruiser. you can see more pictures at langskip.com and on the builders facebook page. It is even decorated with 'viking' armor and swords in the cabin...

Originally Posted by SvenG

A work of art, from Iceland. You'll have to buy a copy of På Kryss to get a legible copy of the article, or just join the Swedish Cruising Club (sxk.se) but these snaps give you an idea


Picasa Web Albums - Sven - Vikingaskepp




-Sven

[Ben M-P]

Great thread I don't know much about the Norse boats (other than the caving and construction) but I do know a fair bit about their material culture for my work.

Here is how I (try to) make a living:

Ben Potter, Bladesmith

Bladesmith blog

Hope you enjoy it.