Let's Go A-Viking!

Vikings; my own ancestors. The start of civilization in many European places. But there is much we don't know about them. To begin, Vikings navigated using not a compass, rather an instrument that is a cross between a compass and a sundial. It had a wooden disk, and a cone in the middle called a gnomon.

Also, Did you know that Erik the Red's real name was Erik Thorvaldson. This means his father is Thorvald. Thorvaldson means son of Thorvald.

Vikings carried water with them. They also carried mead. Mead is a drink made of fermented honey. This alcoholic drink is called nabidh [nuh-beed] in the Old Norwegian language.


Clark, John O.E. with Allaby, Michael and Beer, Amy-Jane. "Time lines Of Science and Technology". Danbury, CT., 2006.