The Navigation of the Vikings

Posted on by Hanna

My creation of a longboat aided by AI

I am thrilled by the Vikings’ remarkable ability to navigate without the aid of modern technology. They didn’t even have watches!

The Vikings relied solely on the sun, the moon, the stars, and the wind for navigation. They honed their skills by listening to sounds, observing the shapes of clouds, feeling the wind on their skin, and scanning the horizon during sea voyages.

In situations where land was obscured by fog or distance, they utilized other sensory cues such as scents or the presence of birds to guide them.

Their navigation techniques were truly unmatched! Moreover, they accomplished astonishing feats like sailing 5000 km across the North Atlantic in their open boats. It’s truly awe-inspiring!

Note

Lately, I have been fascinated by Vikings and their sailing. It inspired me to create an image of a longboat navigating through rough seas with the majestic mountains of Lofoten in the background. I’m not very good at painting, so I have teamed up with AI 🎁😊

6 thoughts on “The Navigation of the Vikings”

  1. Hanna, that’s some drawing! 🙏AI🙏 I read a book back in the 80’s called Topsail & Battleaxe by Tom Cunliffe in which the crew sailed in a pilot cutter from Norway to Iceland & on to America. The boat was called Hirta. I need to read it again as I think there was in the book about the Vikings using something called a sun stone. I’ll let you know what I find. 🤗😊

    • Hey Ashley! Thank you so much for your support! 😎😊
      Here is my answer to all the stuff you found:
      In the Danish TV documentary series “Togtet,” three travel companions trace the footsteps of the Vikings. Rane Willerslev, the director of the National Museum, explores the land routes, while Jeanette Varberg, an archaeologist, and Viking expert together with Nikolaj Kirk, a popular TV chef, Captain Karin Steen Steffensen, and a team of skilled sailors undertake a risky voyage on a sailboat across the North Atlantic. The journey covers over 5,000 kilometers, giving the crew a firsthand experience of the challenges and adventures faced by the Vikings.
      The route: Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland in Canada.
      Happy Easter 🐣🐤🐣🦙

      • Cunliffe is a magnificent storyteller, Ashley. I was very amused!! I might even buy some of his books 😊
        Along the way, he mentions Helge Ingstad as a Danish historian. He was Norwegian! Helge Ingstad lived to be 101 years old and lived an adventurous life. Pretty much in line with any decent Viking. Helge Ingstad is like the story within the story 😎

        “The discovery of the Vikings’ Vinland
        In the years 1961-1968, Helge Ingstad assisted his wife, the archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, who as an excavation manager carried out a series of excavations on the northern tip of Newfoundland, Canada. Here the couple succeeded in identifying the Viking settlement L’Anse-aux-Meadows, where a series of carbon-14 dating determined the site’s age to be around the year 1000.

        Thus it was scientifically and internationally proven that the stories of the sagas were true: Scandinavian Vikings had arrived in America 500 years before Christopher Columbus. L’Anse-aux-Meadows is today on the UNESCO World Heritage List.”
        lex.dk

      • And we like a good storyteller! Thank you for the additional information, Much appreciated. Wishing you a happy Easter. 🐇🐇🐇

Comments are closed.