Infopanel 19

Naval battles

In conflicts between individual ships or small fleets, opponents usually fought each other at a distance with bows and arrows, throwing spears, and slingshots—until one side ran out of ammunition and had to flee. In large naval battles, on the other hand, it was important to prepare by lowering the sails and stowing them away as securely as possible, as they posed the greatest fire hazard from flaming projectiles. The ships were then tied together as closely as possible to prevent the enemy from penetrating their own front lines. After an extensive exchange of fire with arrows, javelins, and stones, the main objective was to board an enemy ship. Once on board, the fighting continued man to man, as in a field battle.

The horrors of the sea

Sinking enemy ships was rare, as the ships were too valuable to destroy. However, when the Vikings confronted the Byzantine fleets in the Black Sea, they encountered the Greeks' incendiary bombs, known as Greek fire, which had a devastating effect on the ships and could not be countered.

While early Icelandic law dictated that dragon heads should be removed from ships when approaching land peacefully so as not to frighten the land spirits, it was precisely this terror that was the purpose of the menacing dragon heads on the bows of the longships during naval battles.