There are many theories about how the Vikings were able to sail so much farther beyond other nations and tribes of their day. One such theory was made popular by the modern T.V. series, “Vikings.” This is the theory of the floating nautical compass and the sun-stone.
There are many theories about how the Vikings were able to sail so much farther beyond other nations and tribes of their day. One such theory was made popular by the modern T.V. series, “Vikings.” This is the theory of the floating nautical compass and the sun-stone.
There are many theories about how the Vikings were able to sail so much farther beyond other nations and tribes of their day. One such theory was made popular by the modern T.V. series, “Vikings.” This is the theory of the floating nautical compass and the sun-stone.
The Vikings were reputed to have sailed clear across the world, and according to the belief systems of the day, possibly well past the boarders of the natural world. We’ve all heard tales of Vikings making conquests all the way out to the eastern edge of the United States, and legends of the Vikings swapping the names of “Greenland” and “Iceland” are hilarious proof of their seamanship… but how much of that is really true? How far did the Vikings really sail on their mysterious and deadly Drakkar longships?
The Vikings were reputed to have sailed clear across the world, and according to the belief systems of the day, possibly well past the boarders of the natural world. We’ve all heard tales of Vikings making conquests all the way out to the eastern edge of the United States, and legends of the Vikings swapping the names of “Greenland” and “Iceland” are hilarious proof of their seamanship… but how much of that is really true? How far did the Vikings really sail on their mysterious and deadly Drakkar longships?
The Vikings were reputed to have sailed clear across the world, and according to the belief systems of the day, possibly well past the boarders of the natural world.
We’ve all heard tales of Vikings making conquests all the way out to the eastern edge of the United States, and legends of the Vikings swapping the names of “Greenland” and “Iceland” are hilarious proof of their seamanship… but how much of that is really true? How far did the Vikings really sail on their mysterious and deadly Drakkar longships?
There is a lot more to the stories of trade and world-level rampaging than a handful of epics and poems, and for any who doubt, there is actual archaeological evidence to support the incredible extent of Viking travel and trade.
There is a lot more to the stories of trade and world-level rampaging than a handful of epics and poems, and for any who doubt, there is actual archaeological evidence to support the incredible extent of Viking travel and trade.
There is a lot more to the stories of trade and world-level rampaging than a handful of epics and poems, and for any who doubt, there is actual archaeological evidence to support the incredible extent of Viking travel and trade.
To be buried honorably in Muslim burial garbs most certainly shows at least a mutual respect among the two peoples.
To be buried honorably in Muslim burial garbs most certainly shows at least a mutual respect among the two peoples. Jewelry as well has been found in many Viking sites, either emblazoned with intricate non-European designs, or bearing intricately carved stones inscribed in Arabic script. While many may doubt that the Vikings could read Arabic script, it is likely that they found the words (more like pictures) to be very enticing. Swooping curve of their letters were after all, as stark contrast to the harsh, linear runes they were used to. One Arabian poet notes that the Vikings he had encountered were marked like their temples (likely referencing the symmetry of their ceremonial paints and runes.
To be buried honorably in Muslim burial garbs most certainly shows at least a mutual respect among the two peoples. Jewelry as well has been found in many Viking sites, either emblazoned with intricate non-European designs, or bearing intricately carved stones inscribed in Arabic script. While many may doubt that the Vikings could read Arabic script, it is likely that they found the words (more like pictures) to be very enticing. Swooping curve of their letters were after all, as stark contrast to the harsh, linear runes they were used to. One Arabian poet notes that the Vikings he had encountered were marked like their temples (likely referencing the symmetry of their ceremonial paints and runes.
Jewelry as well has been found in many Viking sites, either emblazoned with intricate non-European designs, or bearing intricately carved stones inscribed in Arabic script. While many may doubt that the Vikings could read Arabic script, it is likely that they found the words (more like pictures) to be very enticing. Swooping curve of their letters were after all, as stark contrast to the harsh, linear runes they were used to. One Arabian poet notes that the Vikings he had encountered were marked like their temples (likely referencing the symmetry of their ceremonial paints and runes.
While many may doubt that the Vikings could read Arabic script, it is likely that they found the words (more like pictures) to be very enticing. Swooping curve of their letters were after all, as stark contrast to the harsh, linear runes they were used to. One Arabian poet notes that the Vikings he had encountered were marked like their temples (likely referencing the symmetry of their ceremonial paints and runes.
While many may doubt that the Vikings could read Arabic script, it is likely that they found the words (more like pictures) to be very enticing. Swooping curve of their letters were after all, as stark contrast to the harsh, linear runes they were used to. One Arabian poet notes that the Vikings he had encountered were marked like their temples (likely referencing the symmetry of their ceremonial paints and runes.
While many may doubt that the Vikings could read Arabic script, it is likely that they found the words (more like pictures) to be very enticing. Swooping curve of their letters were after all, as stark contrast to the harsh, linear runes they were used to. One Arabian poet notes that the Vikings he had encountered were marked like their temples (likely referencing the symmetry of their ceremonial paints and runes.
Legends about the Vikings meeting the Crusaders and Knights Templar are far and wide, and with some evidence to support such ideas (modified Norse runes engraved into Templar sites), what cannot be argued is the appearance of Norse trade outposts on the continent of North America!
Legends about the Vikings meeting the Crusaders and Knights Templar are far and wide, and with some evidence to support such ideas (modified Norse runes engraved into Templar sites), what cannot be argued is the appearance of Norse trade outposts on the continent of North America! Evidence of the roasting of bog iron has been found in what appears to be a Viking settlement at Point Rosee, Newfound Land.
Legends about the Vikings meeting the Crusaders and Knights Templar are far and wide, and with some evidence to support such ideas (modified Norse runes engraved into Templar sites), what cannot be argued is the appearance of Norse trade outposts on the continent of North America!
Evidence of the roasting of bog iron has been found in what appears to be a Viking settlement at Point Rosee, Newfound Land. The kicker is, Vikings traveled light and left little to waist on their voyages, so there is rarely evidence to support their travels, but there is some, and the roasting of bog iron tells a pretty compelling story. Basically, you have to roast iron found in the bogs, in order to drive out enough impurities that it will be able to be smelted. That means, whatever this settlement was, it was big enough to need to farm its own iron and had the technology to do it. Researchers are now speculating that Viking settlements may exist as far south in the Americas as New York!
The kicker is, Vikings traveled light and left little to waist on their voyages, so there is rarely evidence to support their travels, but there is some, and the roasting of bog iron tells a pretty compelling story. Basically, you have to roast iron found in the bogs, in order to drive out enough impurities that it will be able to be smelted. That means, whatever this settlement was, it was big enough to need to farm its own iron and had the technology to do it. Researchers are now speculating that Viking settlements may exist as far south in the Americas as New York!
Evidence of the roasting of bog iron has been found in what appears to be a Viking settlement at Point Rosee, Newfound Land. The kicker is, Vikings traveled light and left little to waist on their voyages, so there is rarely evidence to support their travels, but there is some, and the roasting of bog iron tells a pretty compelling story. Basically, you have to roast iron found in the bogs, in order to drive out enough impurities that it will be able to be smelted. That means, whatever this settlement was, it was big enough to need to farm its own iron and had the technology to do it. Researchers are now speculating that Viking settlements may exist as far south in the Americas as New York!
Travel from some random Viking encampment to New York or to India seems really cool, sure, but if you are like me and have no concept of how big the globe really is, then you may not really understand exactly how far the Vikings were travelling on their little wooden ships and fermented herring.
Travel from some random Viking encampment to New York or to India seems really cool, sure, but if you are like me and have no concept of how big the globe really is, then you may not really understand exactly how far the Vikings were travelling on their little wooden ships and fermented herring.
Travel from some random Viking encampment to New York or to India seems really cool, sure, but if you are like me and have no concept of how big the globe really is, then you may not really understand exactly how far the Vikings were travelling on their little wooden ships and fermented herring.
From Norway to New York is nearly a 3,600 mile trip… one way! And from Norway to India is even further, at nearly 4,300 miles. Please keep in mind though, that these are the distances a modern aircraft would fly, guided by GPS, and not being restricted by mountains, rivers, or ocean currents.
The entire United States presents a coast to coast distance of roughly 3,500 miles, and it took Americans nearly 100 years to cross from the east coast to the west with guns, food, and modern compasses. So, you have to wonder, how could the Vikings manage to not only travel thousands of miles over rolling seas, but how in the name of all that is holy did they find their way back again?
From Norway to New York is nearly a 3,600 mile trip… one way! And from Norway to India is even further, at nearly 4,300 miles. Please keep in mind though, that these are the distances a modern aircraft would fly, guided by GPS, and not being restricted by mountains, rivers, or ocean currents.
The entire United States presents a coast to coast distance of roughly 3,500 miles, and it took Americans nearly 100 years to cross from the east coast to the west with guns, food, and modern compasses. So, you have to wonder, how could the Vikings manage to not only travel thousands of miles over rolling seas, but how in the name of all that is holy did they find their way back again?
From Norway to New York is nearly a 3,600 mile trip… one way! And from Norway to India is even further, at nearly 4,300 miles. Please keep in mind though, that these are the distances a modern aircraft would fly, guided by GPS, and not being restricted by mountains, rivers, or ocean currents.
The entire United States presents a coast to coast distance of roughly 3,500 miles, and it took Americans nearly 100 years to cross from the east coast to the west with guns, food, and modern compasses. So, you have to wonder, how could the Vikings manage to not only travel thousands of miles over rolling seas, but how in the name of all that is holy did they find their way back again?
The Vikings may not have had much to work with other than wood and animal hair, to make it across the oceans, but they apparently didn’t require much more than that to get to where they were going and make it back again. In 1948 a (partial) wooden artifact was found in Greenland (called the Uunartoq disk), which was assumed to be some form of compass.
The Vikings may not have had much to work with other than wood and animal hair, to make it across the oceans, but they apparently didn’t require much more than that to get to where they were going and make it back again. In 1948 a (partial) wooden artifact was found in Greenland (called the Uunartoq disk), which was assumed to be some form of compass.
Only representing a portion of a wheel or ‘disk,’ the partial device had notches carved around the perimeter and scratch marks at a few distinct intervals across the face. Upon further inspection, these scratches were determined to have been made intentionally which convinced many that they must have indicated solar alignment.
Only representing a portion of a wheel or ‘disk,’ the partial device had notches carved around the perimeter and scratch marks at a few distinct intervals across the face. Upon further inspection, these scratches were determined to have been made intentionally which convinced many that they must have indicated solar alignment.
Assuming there were a peg, or ‘spindle,’ protruding through the hole at the center of the disc, many assumed that the disk would act a bit like a sundial in reverse.
Even ancient sundials used a properly aligned wedge in the center of the dial, in order to demarcate time as the sun moved across the sky, in relation to the stable position of the dial. This took precise positioning and leveling of the face of dial in order to be accurate. However, being sailors, the Vikings were always moving. Being in motion made it impossible to track anything in relation to their own position, like the traditional sundial. Instead, the Vikings decided to measure their own position as it tracked across the sun!
Having a round peg protruding from the center of the dial allowed the Vikings to measure the sun no matter where it may be in the sky, but the real trick was in measuring the sun at the exact same time each day, and monitoring the changes in the shadow it cast. Image if you were far north of the equator, the measurement at noon may cast a shadow to the north. But, if you started to get closer to the equator, at noon, the shadow would grow shorter and shorter, until crossed under the sun, causing the shadow to grow longer on the south side of the compass the further south you sailed.
Having a round peg protruding from the center of the dial allowed the Vikings to measure the sun no matter where it may be in the sky, but the real trick was in measuring the sun at the exact same time each day, and monitoring the changes in the shadow it cast. Image if you were far north of the equator, the measurement at noon may cast a shadow to the north. But, if you started to get closer to the equator, at noon, the shadow would grow shorter and shorter, until crossed under the sun, causing the shadow to grow longer on the south side of the compass the further south you sailed.
Having a round peg protruding from the center of the dial allowed the Vikings to measure the sun no matter where it may be in the sky, but the real trick was in measuring the sun at the exact same time each day, and monitoring the changes in the shadow it cast. Image if you were far north of the equator, the measurement at noon may cast a shadow to the north. But, if you started to get closer to the equator, at noon, the shadow would grow shorter and shorter, until crossed under the sun, causing the shadow to grow longer on the south side of the compass the further south you sailed.
It was by marking the position of the sun’s shadow noon before the voyage started and by using ‘relative noon’ wherever they were currently at, that they were able to track their latitudes as they traversed east to west and north to south. But… there is still one problem with this theory… knowing “relative noon.”
It was by marking the position of the sun’s shadow noon before the voyage started and by using ‘relative noon’ wherever they were currently at, that they were able to track their latitudes as they traversed east to west and north to south. But… there is still one problem with this theory… knowing “relative noon.”
It was by marking the position of the sun’s shadow noon before the voyage started and by using ‘relative noon’ wherever they were currently at, that they were able to track their latitudes as they traversed east to west and north to south. But… there is still one problem with this theory… knowing “relative noon.”
The problem with relying on the sun for anything is that you need it to be there. While the Vikings obviously knew the sun was around, not many of them really knew where it was at any given time. Many believe that prior to ‘international’ oceanic voyages, the sun itself may have been a bit of a myth to the Vikings. After all, legends of Fenrir the great wolf being able to swallow the sun implies that they had little concept of its relative size or position in relation to the rest of the nine realms. But then one day… there came a miracle that had been resting in the dirt the whole time.
The problem with relying on the sun for anything is that you need it to be there. While the Vikings obviously knew the sun was around, not many of them really knew where it was at any given time. Many believe that prior to ‘international’ oceanic voyages, the sun itself may have been a bit of a myth to the Vikings. After all, legends of Fenrir the great wolf being able to swallow the sun implies that they had little concept of its relative size or position in relation to the rest of the nine realms. But then one day… there came a miracle that had been resting in the dirt the whole time.
The problem with relying on the sun for anything is that you need it to be there. While the Vikings obviously knew the sun was around, not many of them really knew where it was at any given time. Many believe that prior to ‘international’ oceanic voyages, the sun itself may have been a bit of a myth to the Vikings. After all, legends of Fenrir the great wolf being able to swallow the sun implies that they had little concept of its relative size or position in relation to the rest of the nine realms. But then one day… there came a miracle that had been resting in the dirt the whole time.
Icelandic Spar, as it is known, is a type of transparent calcite that is near native to the Viking homeland. It isn’t completely transparent, but this is exactly why it is so magical. Have you ever wondered why only sunrises and sunsets seem to have those magical hues of pinks, purples, and reds? Well, to put it simply, it’s because it is really hard to diffuse red light, in contrast to blue light which diffuses easily in our atmosphere (spoiler: that’s why the sky is blue). During sunrise and sunset, the red light from the sun has to travel through thousands more miles of atmosphere before making it to our eyes, so, we get to see it as it bounces off all the molecules that make up our air.
Icelandic Spar, as it is known, is a type of transparent calcite that is near native to the Viking homeland. It isn’t completely transparent, but this is exactly why it is so magical. Have you ever wondered why only sunrises and sunsets seem to have those magical hues of pinks, purples, and reds?
Well, to put it simply, it’s because it is really hard to diffuse red light, in contrast to blue light which diffuses easily in our atmosphere (spoiler: that’s why the sky is blue). During sunrise and sunset, the red light from the sun has to travel through thousands more miles of atmosphere before making it to our eyes, so, we get to see it as it bounces off all the molecules that make up our air.
Icelandic Spar, as it is known, is a type of transparent calcite that is near native to the Viking homeland. It isn’t completely transparent, but this is exactly why it is so magical. Have you ever wondered why only sunrises and sunsets seem to have those magical hues of pinks, purples, and reds?
Well, to put it simply, it’s because it is really hard to diffuse red light, in contrast to blue light which diffuses easily in our atmosphere (spoiler: that’s why the sky is blue). During sunrise and sunset, the red light from the sun has to travel through thousands more miles of atmosphere before making it to our eyes, so, we get to see it as it bounces off all the molecules that make up our air.
If you know much about lighting, “soft light” doesn’t cast shadows, which makes a sundial pretty useless. In Norway and other similar climates, the cloud cover never really breaks and casts soft light all day long. Enter Icelandic Spar. Not being fully transparent, spar makes it much more difficult for light to pass all the way through it.
If you know much about lighting, “soft light” doesn’t cast shadows, which makes a sundial pretty useless. In Norway and other similar climates, the cloud cover never really breaks and casts soft light all day long. Enter Icelandic Spar. Not being fully transparent, spar makes it much more difficult for light to pass all the way through it.
If you know much about lighting, “soft light” doesn’t cast shadows, which makes a sundial pretty useless.
While it will let even soft light through, spar really lights up with it is directly inline with the sun. Using spar as a “Sun-Stone” the Vikings could use it to show them exactly where the sun was, even through thick clouds. Collecting all that diffused light would also let it shine a little of its own, which would even cast a shadow across their compasses. It may not have been magic, but it probably seemed like it.
Between the Sun-Stone and the compass, the Vikings had found a way to isolate the rays of the sun, find relative noon, read their position in relation to the sun, track their latitude and longitude across an ever-changing sea, and in effect touch every corner of the map with the most basic of materials and supplies. …all with these two devices.
While it will let even soft light through, spar really lights up with it is directly inline with the sun. Using spar as a “Sun-Stone” the Vikings could use it to show them exactly where the sun was, even through thick clouds. Collecting all that diffused light would also let it shine a little of its own, which would even cast a shadow across their compasses. It may not have been magic, but it probably seemed like it.
In Norway and other similar climates, the cloud cover never really breaks and casts soft light all day long. Enter Icelandic Spar. Not being fully transparent, spar makes it much more difficult for light to pass all the way through it.
While it will let even soft light through, spar really lights up with it is directly inline with the sun. Using spar as a “Sun-Stone” the Vikings could use it to show them exactly where the sun was, even through thick clouds. Collecting all that diffused light would also let it shine a little of its own, which would even cast a shadow across their compasses. It may not have been magic, but it probably seemed like it.
Between the Sun-Stone and the compass, the Vikings had found a way to isolate the rays of the sun, find relative noon, read their position in relation to the sun, track their latitude and longitude across an ever-changing sea, and in effect touch every corner of the map with the most basic of materials and supplies. …all with these two devices.
Between the Sun-Stone and the compass, the Vikings had found a way to isolate the rays of the sun, find relative noon, read their position in relation to the sun, track their latitude and longitude across an ever-changing sea, and in effect touch every corner of the map with the most basic of materials and supplies. …all with these two devices.
There are of course many other theories out there including some that say the Uunartoq disk was not a compass at all, but a means of identifying relative noon. This may sound confusing at first, but basically, because of the distance from the central point to the points on the outer edge, there is little likelihood that the points would really be useful for tracking directional changes in Lat/Long position. Well, that and the fact that there are really big imperfections in the spacing of the points around the edge of the disk. If these really were being used to navigate as the only compass on a ship, the Vikings could have been off of their mark by hundreds of nautical miles and likely never would have reached their destination, or ever made it back home.
There are of course many other theories out there including some that say the Uunartoq disk was not a compass at all, but a means of identifying relative noon. This may sound confusing at first, but basically, because of the distance from the central point to the points on the outer edge, there is little likelihood that the points would really be useful for tracking directional changes in Lat/Long position. Well, that and the fact that there are really big imperfections in the spacing of the points around the edge of the disk. If these really were being used to navigate as the only compass on a ship, the Vikings could have been off of their mark by hundreds of nautical miles and likely never would have reached their destination, or ever made it back home.
There are of course many other theories out there including some that say the Uunartoq disk was not a compass at all, but a means of identifying relative noon. This may sound confusing at first, but basically, because of the distance from the central point to the points on the outer edge, there is little likelihood that the points would really be useful for tracking directional changes in Lat/Long position. Well, that and the fact that there are really big imperfections in the spacing of the points around the edge of the disk. If these really were being used to navigate as the only compass on a ship, the Vikings could have been off of their mark by hundreds of nautical miles and likely never would have reached their destination, or ever made it back home.
However, if we assume, as many archeologists have, that the Uunartoq disk was not the compass, but only the device used to find relative noon, then the inconsistencies and differences in point spacing really don’t matter all that much. All that would matter is that Vikings could mark the face of the disk with the position of the sun’s (sun-stone’s) shadow before, during, and after the completion of the voyage. We do see many lines etched into the face of the Uunartoq disk, so there does seem to be at least some physical evidence to support this idea. The other evidence, of course, is the fact that the Vikings were excellent navigators.
However, if we assume, as many archeologists have, that the Uunartoq disk was not the compass, but only the device used to find relative noon, then the inconsistencies and differences in point spacing really don’t matter all that much. All that would matter is that Vikings could mark the face of the disk with the position of the sun’s (sun-stone’s) shadow before, during, and after the completion of the voyage.
We do see many lines etched into the face of the Uunartoq disk, so there does seem to be at least some physical evidence to support this idea. The other evidence, of course, is the fact that the Vikings were excellent navigators.
However, if we assume, as many archeologists have, that the Uunartoq disk was not the compass, but only the device used to find relative noon, then the inconsistencies and differences in point spacing really don’t matter all that much.
All that would matter is that Vikings could mark the face of the disk with the position of the sun’s (sun-stone’s) shadow before, during, and after the completion of the voyage. We do see many lines etched into the face of the Uunartoq disk, so there does seem to be at least some physical evidence to support this idea. The other evidence, of course, is the fact that the Vikings were excellent navigators.
Much like the entirety of the Viking civilization, there is little trace of how they lived or the exact extent of their travel. It is unfortunate that one of the only civilizations in the history of the world to invent their own alphabet, never really used it for writing, or maybe we would know much more about how they lived from their own perspective.
Much like the entirety of the Viking civilization, there is little trace of how they lived or the exact extent of their travel. It is unfortunate that one of the only civilizations in the history of the world to invent their own alphabet, never really used it for writing, or maybe we would know much more about how they lived from their own perspective.
Much like the entirety of the Viking civilization, there is little trace of how they lived or the exact extent of their travel. It is unfortunate that one of the only civilizations in the history of the world to invent their own alphabet, never really used it for writing, or maybe we would know much more about how they lived from their own perspective.
Other than their lack of focus on writing there is one other factor that prevents us from knowing much more about how the Vikings lived and sailed, and that is that their life was a natural one. Many people today strive to create a smaller carbon footprint, but the Vikings had a negative one! This is hyperbole, of course, but in reality, everything the life of the Viking people had not just one use or purpose, but several, and everything was recycled over and over. Living at one with nature, the Vikings used their resources wisely, building ships from wood and animal hair (as a sealant against water, and upon arriving at a permanent destination, the ribs of the ship would be used as rafters for the roofs of houses, and the oil-soaked animal hair, likely as convenient fire starters for the hearth.
Other than their lack of focus on writing there is one other factor that prevents us from knowing much more about how the Vikings lived and sailed, and that is that their life was a natural one. Many people today strive to create a smaller carbon footprint, but the Vikings had a negative one! This is hyperbole, of course, but in reality, everything the life of the Viking people had not just one use or purpose, but several, and everything was recycled over and over.
Living at one with nature, the Vikings used their resources wisely, building ships from wood and animal hair (as a sealant against water, and upon arriving at a permanent destination, the ribs of the ship would be used as rafters for the roofs of houses, and the oil-soaked animal hair, likely as convenient fire starters for the hearth.
Other than their lack of focus on writing there is one other factor that prevents us from knowing much more about how the Vikings lived and sailed, and that is that their life was a natural one. Many people today strive to create a smaller carbon footprint, but the Vikings had a negative one! This is hyperbole, of course, but in reality, everything the life of the Viking people had not just one use or purpose, but several, and everything was recycled over and over. Living at one with nature, the Vikings used their resources wisely, building ships from wood and animal hair (as a sealant against water, and upon arriving at a permanent destination, the ribs of the ship would be used as rafters for the roofs of houses, and the oil-soaked animal hair, likely as convenient fire starters for the hearth.
Using wood, grass, leather, and twine, it is hard to make a lasting impression on the history of the world, but the tails told of the Vikings and how they lived and what they lived for… those are the marks on history that will never fade.
Using wood, grass, leather, and twine, it is hard to make a lasting impression on the history of the world, but the tails told of the Vikings and how they lived and what they lived for… those are the marks on history that will never fade.
Using wood, grass, leather, and twine, it is hard to make a lasting impression on the history of the world, but the tails told of the Vikings and how they lived and what they lived for… those are the marks on history that will never fade.
Today, we remember their legends, tell their tales, and speak of the great deeds of this forgotten people that they, like their gods, they will live forever be truly immortal. Their lives were so simple, but so magical, not only because of their beliefs, but because of their ingenuity.
Today, we remember their legends, tell their tales, and speak of the great deeds of this forgotten people that they, like their gods, they will live forever be truly immortal. Their lives were so simple, but so magical, not only because of their beliefs, but because of their ingenuity.
Today, we remember their legends, tell their tales, and speak of the great deeds of this forgotten people that they, like their gods, they will live forever be truly immortal. Their lives were so simple, but so magical, not only because of their beliefs, but because of their ingenuity.
Can you imagine being the first person in history to pick up a sunstone, and for the first time in the entire world, realize that you, out of everyone alive, had just pinpointed the location of the sun… the thing that no one had ever seen? Truly, the Vikings lived in their own world of myths and legends.
Live long and live strong, my fellow Vikings.
Dr. Cody J. Dees, Ph.D
Resident Viking,
Norse Tradesman
Can you imagine being the first person in history to pick up a sunstone, and for the first time in the entire world, realize that you, out of everyone alive, had just pinpointed the location of the sun… the thing that no one had ever seen? Truly, the Vikings lived in their own world of myths and legends.
Live long and live strong, my fellow Vikings.
Dr. Cody J. Dees, Ph.D
Resident Viking,
Norse Tradesman
Can you imagine being the first person in history to pick up a sunstone, and for the first time in the entire world, realize that you, out of everyone alive, had just pinpointed the location of the sun… the thing that no one had ever seen? Truly, the Vikings lived in their own world of myths and legends.
Live long and live strong, my fellow Vikings.
Dr. Cody J. Dees, Ph.D
Resident Viking,
Norse Tradesman
