The Äskekärr ship, proudly displayed at the Gothenburg City Museum, holds the rather prestigious title of being the only Viking-age ship ever found in Sweden. Discovered in 1933 by a farmer digging a drainage ditch in a bog near the Göta älv river, this vessel isn’t exactly one of those sleek warships usually depicted in movies. It is actually a ‘knarr’ which is a sturdy merchant ship designed for hauling heavy cargo across the open seas. Built from oak around the year 930 AD, the ship provides a rare and tangible link to the sophisticated trade networks that were the true lifeblood of the Viking world.
The timbers show signs of extensive repairs which were made over several decades which rather suggests that it was a beloved workhorse that remained in service for nearly a century before it finally came to rest in the Swedish mud.
This is one of the flagship exhibits in the museum (notice the clever pun in that sentence) and I liked being able to see an actual Viking ship. I’ve wondered before if my natural bravery (defined by myself only) and ability to tolerate the cold indicated that I have Viking blood, but this appears to be unlikely.