15th December 2025 17th December 2025 By Victor Rouă In

How Did The Vikings Navigate With Their Ships?

The Norse (commonly known as the Vikings, though the term Viking denotes an occupation or profession rather than an ethnicity) were very skilled navigators and merchants, in addition to being feared warriors (many of which were hired as mercenaries in the armies of Frankish kings, in Anglo-Saxon England as well as in the famous Varangian Guard, the elite group of bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperor and his family). They ventured to previously either unknown or rather obscure islands and lands to the then average medieval Europeans, such as the Faroe Islands (i.e. the sheep islands), Iceland, Greenland as well as, ultimately, Vínland in North America (as well several adjacent territories prior to reaching Vinland, as described in the well-known Icelandic sagas, namely Helluland and Markland). It must be mentioned that the vast majority of the Norse were either farmers or merchants (as well as other professions such as fishermen, hunters, blacksmiths, carpenters, or craftsmen) and only a minority of them went a Viking (in other words, only a relative minority of them were truly Vikings).

Viking ships off a rocky coast (or Wikingerschiffe vor Felsenküste in German) by German painter Michael Zeno Diemer. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Historical background

The Norse were early medieval pioneers in terms of navigation and the masterpiece or pinnacle of their navigational skills was represented by the sturdy, fearsome, and legendary longship. Without the longships we cannot talk about any such thing as the Viking Age because this historical period wouldn’t have happened otherwise in the absence of these vessels (in other words, they defined this tumultuous period of time in European medieval history and the many voyages for varying purposes made by the Norse to various faraway lands). The Norse ships were made of either oak or pine wood. The oak was the strongest type of material out of the two. These ships were clinker-built and the spaces between the wooden planks were covered with wool, moss, or animal hair or fur to ensure better insulation (while being mixed with tar or tallow). As per Heimskringla (i.e. a chronicle on the history of the Kings of Norway written by Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson), many people were involved in the construction process of a Norse ship. Also, there were different types of Norse ships, the most famous being the drakkar (i.e. the longship). Another important Norse ship was the knarr (a cargo ship used for trade) which was wider and deeper but also shorter than the drakkar. The Norse ships were also decorated with dragon or serpent heads at the bow and the stern. Famous examples of Norse ships which were discovered by archaeologists are the Oseberg Ship (certainly the most iconic and popular of all Norse ships discovered so far), the Gokstad Ship (essentially a warship), the Tune ship, and the Skuldelev ships. The Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune ships were discovered in Norway and are housed at the Viking Ship Museum (which was renamed to the Museum of the Viking Age) in Oslo, Norway and the Skuldelev ships in Denmark (at least two of them were built in Sognefjord in Norway), housed at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark. The Norse ships were constructed for different purposes, namely: war or quick hit-and-run attacks on monasteries for plundering, trade, exploration, transportation in order to settle new lands, and burials.

Black and white photograph from 1957 depicting the Oseberg ship (one of the most, if not the most, famous of all Norse ships discovered to date) and the wooden cart (the only well-preserved one discovered to date) which belongs to it, found in the same burial mound and used for a ceremonial purpose. These two archaeological artefacts are important historical and cultural symbols of Norway and are housed at the Viking Age Museum (formerly known as the Viking Ship Museum), part of the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo (UiO) on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo. The famous Oseberg ship was discovered between 1903 (initially noticed by a farmer) and 1904 respectively 1905 (unearthed by a team of archaeologists led by professor Gabriel Gustafson) in a burial mound near the city of Tønsberg (the oldest city of Norway), Vestfold county (or fylke) in the south of the country. Image source: Wikimedia Commons (author: Jac Brun via the National Library of Norway)

Side view of the magnificent Oseberg ship from Norway, a masterpiece of early medieval Norwegian and European navigation, on display at the Viking Ship Museum (now renamed to Viking Age Museum or Vikingtidsmuseet in Norwegian; the museum will reopen in 2027 as it is currently undergoing a major expansion), Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo (UiO). Image source: Wikimedia Commons (author: Jac Brun via the National Library of Norway, photograph taken in 1957)

Navigation

Navigation was crucial for the early medieval Scandinavians as all three countries forming Scandinavia (i.e. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) had either vast coastlines or were (and still are) vastly insular (or both, come to really think of it). Therefore it was far more convenient and safe for the Norse to travel by boat than by land (especially across the Scandinavian peninsula with its high mountains and deep river valleys). Navigation on sea or the ocean was quite common but it was perilous during the winter. The other seasons were preferred by the Norse for sailing on open waters, that is especially spring and summer but, to a certain extent, also autumn. The reasons were quite simple: they avoided harsh winter storms, treacherous waters, sea ice, and potential maelstroms. During the spring and summer seasons, the Norse preferred to sail thanks to milder winds and an entire series of advantages, ranging from extended daylight to better visibility. Other notable advantages were represented by two tools they used, more specifically quite likely the sun compass (essentially early types of shadow boards or bearing dials) and the sunstone (i.e. Iceland spar, feldspar, or calcite crystals).

Iceland spar discovered in Cosăuți, Soroca raion, northern Republic of Moldova. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

They also followed the stars during nighttime (the North Star in particular helped them measure latitude at night). In addition, they also followed the birds (noticing they were closed to land whenever they spotted them), the whales, the coastlines, changes in the colour of the sea or the ocean, and the very direction of the waves. When they sailed multiple times on the same maritime route, they also used memory to their advantage. Furthermore, in this regard the Icelandic sagas mention the presence of landmarks that the Norse used to orientate themselves through a voyage from Norway to Greenland. As the well-experienced sailors they were, the Norse equally relied on their senses to spot land, namely hearing, touch, taste, and smell.

During the autumn, sailing activity for the Norse had to slow down as they had to harvest the crops, repair their vessels, and prepare for subsequent raids in their homelands. In the meantime, they relaxed around campfires, telling their stories about faraway lands, battles they were involved, their heroes, and other epic tales pertaining to their complex mythology. Those who did not return to their homelands by winter stayed for a while in the places where they set a camp over the cold season (i.e. in territories such as Ireland or Anglo-Saxon England). Nonetheless, the Norse also sailed during winter, though not as much as in spring or summer. Their thick woollen clothes provided an excellent means of survival for them as they stayed warm while on sea.

Below you can watch a very interesting and informative video on how the Norse ships played a very important part in the history of early medieval Europe by the Viking TV YouTube channel with archaeologist Ellen Marie Næss and Professor Jan Bill, PhD at the Viking Ship Museum on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo, Norway (which will reopen in 2027 as the expanded Viking Age Museum):

Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership! All the best!

Documentation sources and external links:

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