Author Topic: Vikings  (Read 1063 times)

Offline Gman

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Vikings
« on: March 24, 2014, 10:04:42 PM »
Anyone else watching season 2 and liking it?  This is one of the better new shows on TV, an interesting period of history and warfare I'd never really read about or had much interest in until now.  Navies being my primary interest, I've started reading everything I can get my hands on about the 9th and 10th and even later century boats and ships the Scandinavians used.  It's impressive and almost amazing that these people built ships that could withstand storms up there in those rough Northern waters, and also travel easily at 5 to 10 knots.  There are historians that are adamant that 15 knots was possible with well built and handled ships under perfect conditions.  Incredible to me, thinking of these ships over 1000 years old in technology moving at 30 km/h filled with 6ft tall plus Vikings and all their gear and such. 

Gsholz, I was wondering if you and others here that live in the area have ever seen the Viking ships and boats in the museums, and what you've thought of them after inspecting them up close?

Offline DREDIOCK

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2014, 11:34:33 PM »
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Offline lengro

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2014, 03:56:32 AM »
Gsholz, I was wondering if you and others here that live in the area have ever seen the Viking ships and boats in the museums, and what you've thought of them after inspecting them up close?

I live close to Roskilde Vikingeskibsmuseeum - they were the ones who build the Sea Stallion in Drediock's youtube link.
They build their ships as replicas of archaeological findings with copies of the original tools in a public area - I went there several time to follow the progress of the Sea Stallion. I'm no expert, but to me, looking up close, this is woodwork as good as it gets.

About 10 years ago I went with some colleagues out in Roskilde Fjord (one of those company arrangements) - we were in two of their smaller viking ships - and of course, on the way back to the harbour, we started to race each other. It was a bit windy, and with sails and oars (once we found the rhythm!), we moved faster, than I would have expected from a ship of this size and weight.
It was a good day.



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Offline GScholz

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2014, 04:03:01 AM »
We have the Oseberg longboat in its own museum. It is a very well preserved 30-oar ship. I visited the museum in the '90s and was very impressed with the workmanship and graceful design.




However, we still have "Viking" ships today; although they stopped making longboats for war fighting as naval technology evolved, they never stopped making them for civilian uses. Today the larger trade ships are mostly gone, but the smaller fishing boats are still used for recreational purposes.

These are "åttring" or eight-oar and "fembøring" five-pairs-of-oars. Aka "Nordlandsbåt" or Northland-boat. They were perhaps the most used fishing boats up til the late 19th century/early 20th when motorboats started taking over. They were also used for local trade and general communication in Norway (which has a coastline more than three times the length of the equator). Most of them are of course of a more modern design with a proper rudder and straight bow, but the Viking heritage is obvious.




And we race them! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T940ApjZJs4

Important to keep those skills up in case we need to raid and pillage Europe again...
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Offline GScholz

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2014, 04:11:43 AM »
Btw. the Oseberg longboat is from 834 AD. So right around Ragnar Lodbrok's time.
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

Offline Shifty

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2014, 07:35:14 AM »
Love the program Gman, I never miss it.  :aok

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Offline Reaper90

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2014, 08:14:47 AM »
Love the program Gman, I never miss it.  :aok

This.

Vikings, Walking Dead, Hell on Wheels, Game of Thrones.....

A few good things on TV these days, oddly nothing worth a crap on the major networks, not in years that I can remember...
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Offline Curval

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2014, 09:10:32 AM »
Yea, Vikings is like Game of Thrones without dragons and magic.  Great show.
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Offline Rogue9Volt

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2014, 10:45:23 AM »
My grandfather on my dad's side is Swedish, and though I know very very little about our background there; I find that watching shows bout vikings and their ships kind of carries my head away in a sense.  I wish I knew more, and I very much wish I could visit the Scandinavian countries.  My wife wants us to move to Norway some day, though I doubt we could afford that.   :uhoh
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Offline mechanic

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2014, 11:08:20 AM »
My favourite show at the moment, I actually want to be Ragnar.
And I don't know much, but I do know this. With a golden heart comes a rebel fist.

Offline ink

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2014, 12:26:11 PM »
I enjoy it.... :aok


durrrrr :D

Offline BluBerry

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #11 on: March 25, 2014, 12:30:12 PM »
I hadn't even heard of it till now. I'm going to look into it.

Offline wpeters

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #12 on: March 25, 2014, 01:52:21 PM »
Where can you find it online? The show I mean
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Offline Reaper90

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #13 on: March 25, 2014, 02:08:45 PM »
Comes on History Channel, but I'm sure season one is on Netflix now.
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Offline wpeters

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Re: Vikings
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2014, 02:12:45 PM »
Comes on History Channel, but I'm sure season one is on Netflix now.

I'll look
LtCondor
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Fighter pilots are either high, or in the process of getting high.🙊
The difference between Dweebs and non dweebs... Dweebs have kills