The Viking Way of Naviagtion

The Vikings used to sail mainly along the shores of Scandinavia. They sailed during the day while at night, they took the boat to the shore, put up some tents and slept in them. The ships were also hauled by the crew when navigating up the larger rivers and arriving at a waterfall or at shallow water. When traveling at a greater distance from the shore, they slept inside the ship. The ship had to be large enough to carry provisions for the days the crew was at sea. Each man on board had a chest where he kept his owing and which was used for sitting on when rowing.

According to the distance from the shore at which the Vikings sailed, there were two ways of sailing:

The first way was along the shore. The sailors used natural landmarks such as mountain tops, rivers or islets for finding the way. They had lots of primitive ways of orientation. For example: sailing from Norway to Denmark along the coast you navigated by natural landmarks like mountain tops reefs, and islets, when sailing along the German Baltic coast in the fog and bad weather you could keep a safe distance from land by sounding the depth with a pole as the bottom slid there evenly down from land. When sailing from Denmark west it was natural to follow the German coast to Friesland and then to Normandy. Another mean for orientation was provided by the burial mounds which could be found along the shore. In Olav's saga we hear that the burial mound at Tjernagl was used as a navigational aid. After the arrival of Christianity many churches and stone crosses were built way out on the coast, these became natural navigational aids for seafarers. Also, towns could be sometimes farther from the shore so the place of a town was sometimes marked with a kind of lighthouse.

Sailing away from the shore was much harder. The Vikings sailed from Norway to Greenland and even to North America. This required lots of navigational skills and the use of every sign the nature offered as well as instruments which, although primitive represented great achievements for that time. First of all, the sailors had to make sure that they have enough provisions for the time spent on sea. The provisions consisted of water and salted fish and meat. Then they had to wait for the weather to be favorable for sailing. Then, when on sea, they had to take care for every sign. So, they used the North Star, the Sun, the clouds, the seabirds, the seaweed. They could tell the latitude (the distance North-South) with good precision and longitude (the West-East position) with less.

The North Star was the main help for sailing on clear nights. The North Star is seen at different heights depending on the latitude of the observer. So, at the North Pole, it is seen at the zenith while at the equator, it is seen at the horizon level. Experienced sailors knew their position from the angle which the North Star made with the horizon. The Sun, was used in the same way. When the weather was cloudy, the sailors used a special a crystal of Iceland spar or andulacite which polarizes light. It was called the sunstone and the sailors could tell the exact position of the sun even on cloudy days. For measuring exactly the angle which the sun made with the horizon line, the sailors used a special device called sol-skuggjáfjöl. It consisted of a wooden semi-disc with a handle. The disc had marks on it and had the appearance of a sundial. The sailors measured with it the distance from the horizon line to the bottom of the sun's disc. The technique was called comparative latitude. They measured the angle of the sun when they left home and in other important points on their way. Then, when coming back, they made sure that the sun made the same angle with the horizon line. Then they knew that they are approaching home.

The Vikings also relied on clouds. When approaching land, some cloudy formations like a fog can be seen. Also, the clouds have different colors and forms above sea or above land. This is due to the difference between the way in which clouds are formed and the evaporation of water. Another help for sailors was represented by the seabirds. Birds like the Gannet which live on the shore, leave their nests to hunt fish during the day. In the evening they return home and the direction of their flight meant for sailors that there is land. Seaweed and the color of the sand which could be learnt by attaching a piece of wax to the pole used for sounding the depth, could also tell the position of the ship to an experienced sailor.

An important landmark for sailors was the coast of Norway. Because it stretches from North to South in a straight line, the sailors could follow this coast to a landmark and then sail due west till reaching Greenland or another destination. An example of sailing instructions is the description of the way to travel from Norway to Greenland:

From the west country sail west but keep far enough north of the Shetlands so that these islands are barely visible in clear weather. One should stay far enough south of the Faeroes so that their steep and high mountains are just halfway up over the horizon. In addition one should stay far enough south of Iceland so that you can't see land but just the coast-bound birds. When you reached the east coast of Greenland you should keep a lookout for landmarks and follow the current west around Cape Farvel to the villages on the southwest point.

The sailors relied much on their experience. It was common to pass the knowledge from father to son. An example is the fragment of the work called Konungs skuggsjá cited below:

About 7 November the east wind breathes heavily and violently, as if mourning a recent loss. The southeast wind knits his brows under the hiding clouds and blows the froth violently about him. The south wind blows vigorously. The southwester sobs forth the grief of his soul in heavy showers, leads forth very heavy winds, wide-breasted waves, and breakers that yearn for ships.

The tides vary in accordance with the phases of the moon. When the moon is full or new the tide is greatest; when at its quarter phases it is weakest. Every seven days the tide changes, for the tide rises approximately one seventh part daily from the time when the rise begins (when the moon waxes from first quarter to full); and after it turns and begins to diminish (when the moon wanes from full to third quarter), it ebbs in the same way during the next seven days. Merchants are scarcely able to notice these changes because the course of the moon is so swift; for the moon takes such long steps both in waxing and waning that for that reason few men can determine the divisions of its course.

The way in which Vikings sailed was a very dangerous one. Once far from land, it was very hard to know your position. That's why, sailors usually didn't change course when being far from land. They maintained a straight line so all they had to do if not reaching the destination was to turn around. Distances were measured in days needed for a ship traveling at an average speed (this means that the wind is not to strong and not to weak) to reach from one point to another. The Vikings' sailing skills were although remarkable for that time. This constituted one of the most important elements which assured their success in battles.