Osebergskipet. Photo courtesy of Eivind Lindseth at Flickr (CC License).
Har du noen gang drømt om å seile med vikingene? (Have you ever dreamt about sailing with the Vikings?) In Oslo you can, at least in your fantasi [fantahSEE] (imagination). Take bus number 30 to the Bygdøy peninsula to the west of central Oslo. Here you’ll find many famous museums, and at Huk aveny 35 Vikingskipshuset (the Viking ship house) is awaiting you…
Even if you’ve never been interested in historie (history), chances are that you’ve seen photos of the beatiful, upwards-curling stem of Osebergskipet (the Oseberg ship). This old vikingskip [VEEkingsheep] has become like Norway’s Mona Lisa! 🙂 You’ll find it on postcards, leaflets, magnets, shopping-bags…
Thanks to their slim and mobile langskip (”long ships”), the Scandinavian Vikings were able to loot and terrorize huge parts of Europe during the so-called Viking Age (793-1066). They even sailed all the way to Iceland, Greenland and Canada (Newfoundland) to settle down! (The colonies in Greenland and Canada didn’t last long. Modern Iceland, however, still boasts a strong Viking heritage.)
When scientists freed the Oseberg ship from a mound (in 1904), it was a huge sensasjon [sehnsahSHAWN]. The pressure of the mound had crushed the inside skatter (treasures) to tusen biter (a thousand pieces). It was like a puzzle from your worst nightmare! Fortunately, people were able to piece it all together. An amazing story emerged:
Once upon a time (in 834), to kvinner (two women) were buried in a long, beautiful ship. With such an expensive burial, they must have been VIPs such as dronninger (queens). All kinds of things were stuffed into the grave, so that the two ladies would have a nice and comfy voyage to dødsriket (realm of the dead – remember, the Vikings were heathens and believed in gods like Thor and Odin): elaborate craftworks, kitchen utensils, sledges… People even killed a number of hester (horses) and put them next to the ship!
If you’re in ”museum mood”, standing in front of the Oseberg ship can be a really great experience. Vikingskipshuset also has two other ships for you to discover – take a trip to find out more! 🙂
Comments:
LuNell Eriksen:
Always enjoy your posts. I did want to share a theory with you that I heard about. A historian theorized one reason that the viking settlements in the Americas may not have lasted may have been due to dairy products. Northern Europeans are the most lactose tolerant, while Native Americans are among the least lactose tolerant. The theory is that while the different cultures were getting acquainted and sharing things and foods, that dairy products were among those shared. The Native Americans would probably have become very ill- thinking they were poisoned, which may have led to bad relations.
LuNell Eriksen
Bjørn A. Bojesen:
@LuNell Eriksen @LuNell Eriksen
Tusen takk for sharing! That is one of the most interesting theories I’ve heard in a long while. Have you got a link or something? I’m really intrigued! 🙂