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Above are some rock
carvings of ships from about 3000 years ago. Ship symbols appear
frequently in ancient Scandinavian rock art from the Bronze age,
and remained a common motif through the Viking Age. It is clear
that ships were also thought of as vessels of the dead, bearing
them into the afterlife. In the Viking age important people were
buried or burned in real ships, and there was a tradition in
Scandinavia of making an outline of a ship with stones around
graves. The God Frej is said to possess the Dwarf-made treasure Skidbladnir (or Skiðblaðnir; see Grimnismál, st. 42), a ship which he could fold up and put in his purse. Odin appears as a Ferry man in the Edda, and this seems appropriate to His Godly function of psychopompos (guide of the dead). In some places, like Iceland, Oðinn had a strong sea-association. In the complex language of Skaldic poetry the poet was metaphorically the 'steersman' of the 'ship' (the poem), which rode the 'waves' of Odroerir (poetic inspiration, the holy Mead): the sea. Therefore Oðinn as the mighty Thulr (poet) is also the mighty Steersman of Ships. The Mead of inspiration, with its ability to produce profoundly affecting poetry, was referred to as "the waves of Odin's breast'. Of course Odin has the connection to the mead, which He won and carried off in eagle form, spilling a bit along the way. Mead also is described metaphorically as frothy waves. The ship was essential to to Northern civilisation. It represented swift travel and was called 'horse of the waves' and 'brine steed' by the Skaldic poets. The Scandinavian people have always been master shipbuilders and navigators, making ocean-going vessels capable of reaching North America as early as 1000 CE. The shallow draft of the Viking ships allowed them to penetrate the continent on river ways, leading to the eventual settlements of the Rus to the east--the founders of modern Russia. If you would like to see a large collection of Swedish rock art photos visit Vitlycke Museum. The Oseberg ship burial is the richest Viking age ship burial ever found. For more, visit The Oseberg Find. For information on another magnificent ship burial, the greatest treasure trove ever found in the British Isles visit The Sutton Hoo Society. |
