At the Viking age, the heart of Vikings was Longship. The etymology of the word “Viking” does not only mean medieval Scandinavian. It has a far deeper meaning, for example, a man or a woman who was always ready to deep and face into something unknown. The longship was the main thing with the help of which they could achieve it. Vikings’ ships were strong and sturdy. They were very flexible and manoeuvrable even in the storming oceans. Vikings were brave warriors. They were always ready to cross the places where there they had never been before. They could cross cold oceans to cross the lands where they had never been before and outpace their enemies who could contradict them. That is why there is nothing strange in the fact why the Vikings ships were called “dragon ships.” When peoples from the other countries saw their ships, they knew that they were Vikings’ and it was complicated to struggle against that sort of danger. When people saw the Vikings’ ships, it could be compared to as if the Europeans fell upon an extramundane power.
In Nordic mythology, there existed two main ships. One of them is Nalgfar. In the German-Scandinavian mythology, it was a ship made entirely from the nails of the dead. It was the ship of the goddess, Hel. The inhabitants of Skellige believed in the legend of the Drakkar Naglfar from Morekogg, the Drakkar of Hell, which carries the Host of Darkness and Chaos to battle with the Light – Ragnarok – Skelligean variant of Tedd Deireadh. Skíðblaðnir was another ship of gods. It was the ship of Frey. The boat was so large that it could adjust all the Norse gods. The dwarves were so cunning that this enormous in size ship was not only comfortable for all the gods but also foldable and it could fit in a tiny pocket or a small bag. Gods frequently used the vessel to travel overseas, land, and air – the myth shows that Vikings’ ships were so powerful than they could take them anywhere they needed.
The Vikings’ attitude to ships becomes even more amazing and striking when we clarify the fact that the vessel on which Vikings were sailing were glorified boats. Vikings were free and fearless people. They did not feel fear of weather conditions or the other obstacles they could face with while crossing the ocean sailing to Iceland, the Mediterranean, or Greenland. They were happy to touch the waves, accept any risk and sail even to unknown countries. Their responsibility, risk-taking, giving up restrictions and constant desire to subdue the world can only make us inspired and impressed with their bravery, curiosity, fearless and purposefulness.