Going Viking
The term 'going viking' means 'to go raiding'. The Vikings would go out to sea on their longboats for up to years at a time. Some of them never came back. They would raid and settle in different lands, bringing back the items they stole or trading them. While they were away their wives would take care of the farm.
Ships:
The Vikings were masters at ship building. They were the most skilled seamen for their time.
They had 2 types of boat that were commonly used- the knarr and the longship.
The Knarr
The knarr (sometimes spelled knorr) was used as a trading ship to carry bulky or heavy goods. They had a relatively round hull and fewer oars than a longship. The sail was the main source of power because the boat was usually too heavy to move with the oars alone. The oars were mainly at the front and back of the boat, leaving the middle area for cargo. The knarr had a large loading capacity and good sailing abilities.
The Vikings were masters at ship building. They were the most skilled seamen for their time.
They had 2 types of boat that were commonly used- the knarr and the longship.
The Knarr
The knarr (sometimes spelled knorr) was used as a trading ship to carry bulky or heavy goods. They had a relatively round hull and fewer oars than a longship. The sail was the main source of power because the boat was usually too heavy to move with the oars alone. The oars were mainly at the front and back of the boat, leaving the middle area for cargo. The knarr had a large loading capacity and good sailing abilities.
The Knarr - Gokstad
The Longship
The longship (or longboat) was designed for raiding and sea battles. It was long, shallow and narrow so that it could fit down rivers and be carried over land. They sat low in the water which made them hard to see from a distance. For sea battles the Vikings could tie the longboats together to make a large platform.
Before the 8th century longships were essentially giant row boats. A sail, keel and rudder were then added. Several of these boats have been found in burial mounds in Scandinavia.
The main source of power was the oars that were all along the sides of the ship, though it also had a sail. The boat would be double sided so that they wouldn't have to turn the boat around when leaving.
The ships were mainly made out of oak, with the wooden planks overlapping each other. Unlike other ships, the outer shell of planks was made before the ribs. The whole ship could be made by using only 1 tool - the axe and the workers would make the ship by memory. The sails were made out of wool and would be waterproofed with animal fats. The boats were light and fairly flexible. There was often a dragon head on each end of the ship, its point was to drive fear into the people they were attacking.
Navigation
The Vikings mainly used the sun to determine their direction. A skilled seaman would
look at the position of the sun and the stars; the direction of the wind; the angle and
colour of the waves; the clouds and sea birds. He would taste the water and could
smell if he was approaching land. In Viking society there weren't many written records so they mainly used memory. (Teachers Notes 3)
There was a legend of the 'sunstone,' this mineral was able to locate the sun in a completely overcast sky. Many scientists believe that this was actually true.
You can read more at
http://celestial-reflections.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/viking-sunstone-discovered.html
Sunstone
The Oseberg ship was found in 1904. It was found in a burial mound containing the remains of 2 women and an assortment of other goods. It is 21m long and 5m wide and made out of oak wood. Each side had 15 oars, meaing up to 30 people could be rowing at one time. For more information go to:
http://irisharchaeology.ie/2012/09/the-oseberg-viking-ship-burial/
http://irisharchaeology.ie/2012/09/the-oseberg-viking-ship-burial/
Vikings originally came from Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden). They were mainly farmers and tradesmen, however only 3% of the land was suitable for farming. One theory as to why the Vikings went on voyages to raid and conquer other lands was that they couldn't farm enough food to feed their growing population.
In 793 AD the Vikings attacked a monestry at Lindsfarne, killing all of the monks. They took silver and gold as well as many other valuables. This was the first recorded Viking raid.
What made these attacks work well was the element of surprise. Nobody knew when or where they were going to attack. The Viking longship was shallow enough to go up small rivers and could land on any sandy beach without needing a harbour. This meant that they could land virtually anywhere, including places where an attack was normally considered impossible. (Joax 2005)
In 793 AD the Vikings attacked a monestry at Lindsfarne, killing all of the monks. They took silver and gold as well as many other valuables. This was the first recorded Viking raid.
What made these attacks work well was the element of surprise. Nobody knew when or where they were going to attack. The Viking longship was shallow enough to go up small rivers and could land on any sandy beach without needing a harbour. This meant that they could land virtually anywhere, including places where an attack was normally considered impossible. (Joax 2005)
More information and photos at http://home.online.no/~joeolavl/viking/gokstadskipet.htm
Vikings settled in Britain, but also sailed out into the north Atlantic Ocean and south to the Mediterranean Sea. They sailed to the Faeroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland.
(BBC Primary History)
(BBC Primary History)