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| light show detail, Vikingskipshuset Oslo |
"I see a dark sail on the horizon
Set under a black cloud that hides the sun.
Bring me my broadsword and clear understanding.
Bring me my cross of gold as a talisman.."
from Broadsword by Jethro Tull
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| light show detail, Vikingskipshuset Oslo |
"The hardy Norseman's house of yore
Was on the foaming wave!
And there he gathered bright renown,
The bravest of the brave.
Oh! ne'er should we forget our sires,
Wherever we may be;
They bravely won a gallant name,
And rul'd the stormy sea.
What tho our pow'r be weaker now
Than it was wont to be,
When boldly forth our fathers sail'd,
And conquer'd Normandie!
We still may sing their deeds of fame,
In thrilling harmony;
For they did win a gallant name
And rul'd the stormy sea."
The Hardy Norseman, Norse Traditional
The seeds of our journey to Oslo, were planted in London in 2014 - when we attended the exhibition Vikings: Life and Legend at The British Museum. The preserved hull of the Roskilde 6 skeid being the finale of the show, along with a personal highlight of seeing the Lewis Chessman.
Travelling to Shetland in May 2016 we encountered more Viking artefacts and archaeology in situ. - amongst others at the mind-blowing Jarlshof Museum on Mainland; and the Viking longhouse at Hamar, Unst.
En route to the latter site, we inadvertently flushed a common crane (Grus grus) from Ca. 20m away - it had been hidden in a small fold of the slope, and probably feeding which had reduced its presence even further in such a bare landscape. Needless to say it gave crippling views as it circled to gain height before heading east then south over the coastline.
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| (Rems.) 9th Century Viking long house, Jarlshof - May 2016 |
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| (Rems.) Viking longhouse, Hamar, Unst - May 2016 |
At Haroldswick, Unst we visited the Unst Boat Haven - a very lovely and laid back museum - which charts the history of Shetland boats including the clinker built styles of the Ness Yoal, and the Shetland Sixareen - the latter a small fishing boat whose origins are thought to date to the 9th Century viking period (citing Unst Boat Haven interpretation panel).
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| exhibits at Unst Boat Haven - May 2016 |
The Viking Unst Project located just a short stroll away from the boat museum, comprises a reconstructed Viking longhouse - itself based on the excavation of the nearby Hamar longhouse.
It's an impressive building and displays some fine workmanship in the woodworking - although at the time of the visit we didn't realise that the timber frame joints were cut in such a way that they did not require nails as part of the construction.
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| Viking Unst Project - replica longhouse - May 2016 |
Alongside the longhouse is a stunning exhibit - the Skipbaldner - a full size modern replica of the Gokstad ship - the original being a viking ship burial excavated in 1880 by Nicolay Nicolayson - and which sits as one of the star attractions in the Vikingskipshuset, Oslo.
The Skipbaldner was built and sailed from Norway to Shetland on an ill-fated and fore-shortened voyage, which according to local gossip - ended due to either sickness or a falling out amongst the crew Or perhaps both?
Accepting the open invitation to explore the boat we climbed aboard and spent a happy time in the company of this fine ship.
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| the Skipbaldner - Haraldswick, Unst - May 2016 |
It was some two years after the Shetland adventure, and our dear friends M & A were abroad in Oslo. Knowing our interest in this period of European history, they were kind enough to send us some evocative photos of the Oseberg ship which dominates the B gallery at the Vikingskipshuset.
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| Oseberg ship detail, Vikingskipshuset (courtesy M & A - Sept 2018) |
By the time we met up with M & A over dinner, we had already decided to prioritise a trip to Oslo, to visit the museum. A pleasant evening was spent listening to both their travel tales as well as quizzing them on logistics to help us plan our own trip.
So the following February we find ourselves standing in the snow, outside the Vikingskipshuset - waiting for it to open, in excited anticipation. A few other tourist couples arrived and we exchanged greetings, and waited together, in an disorderly unqueue.
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| Vikingskipshuset, Feb 2019 |
As the museum doors opened - there was a mutual acknowledgement for us to enter first. It is a generous act, as it meant that we two alone got to spend some private time, albeit brief, with the Oseberg ship - before other visitors began to fill the gallery.
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| alone with the Oseberg ship, Feb 2019 |
The Oseberg ship was part of a rich and elaborate burial for two, clearly important women, whose bodies were interred upon a bed within it - the burial dating to 840AD. A detailed and informative description of the burial is located here on the University of Oslo website at:
University of Oslo: Museum of Cultural History - The Oseberg Ship
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| the Gokstad ship, Feb 2019 |
The Gokstad ship felt a little more familiar to us - due to our Shetland experience. However, it did nothing to lessen the awe felt at seeing the original boat in its full splendour. Note that unlike the Oseberg ship - the Gokstad has two additional strakes above the oar-holes - the museum interpretation noting that this indicated that the boat had probably been a working sea-going vessel prior to its burial along with the inhumed Norse man - for whom it honoured.
University of Oslo: Museum of Cultural History - The Gokstad Grave
Song lyrics
Ian Scott Anderson (1982) Broadsword from the album Broadsword and the Beast by Jethro Tull, Available at: any good music store!
Norse Traditional (19th Century) The Hardy Norseman song lyrics & historical details can be found ONLINE at: Odin's Gift, Norse Mythology and Asatru Poetry and Music, Available at: Odin's Gift, The Hardy Norseman Accessed 6th February 2020
References
Fojut, N., (1993) A Guide to Prehistoric and Viking Shetland Shetland Times Press ltd., Lerwick, Shetland
Historic Scotland (2011) Jarlshof Official Souvenir Guide Historic Scotland
Shetland Amenity Trust (2020) [Online] Viking Unst Available at: Shetland Amenity Trust, Viking Unst Accessed 25th January 2020
Sjovold, T., (2016) The Viking Ships in Oslo Universitetets Oldsaksamling, Oslo (1985)
The British Museum (2014) Eds: Williams, G., Pentz, P. & Wemhoff, M., Vikings life and legend The British Museum Press, London
Turner, V., (1998) Ancient Shetland B.T. Batsford Ltd / Historic Scotland, London
