The Vikings are known throughout the world as skillful conquerors and even more skillful sailors. The rivers and seas of Europe, and then the whole world, obeyed the famous Viking ships, allowing them to establish trade and become one of the most successful Germanic tribes.
From the 10th to the 13th century AD, the waters of the North Atlantic, as well as the main deep-water rivers of Europe, such as the Danube, Volga and Rhine, were the main travel sites for the Viking tribes. They founded the first colonies in Iceland and Greenland, crossed the seas to the British Isles, and even became famous soldiers of the Byzantine emperor, having sailed as far as Constantinople.
Viking secret
For a very long time, scientists tried to discover the secret of such skillful ship management and deep knowledge in navigation, which allowed the Vikings to cross not only seas, but entire oceans, because it was the Vikings who were the first among European peoples to land on the shores of the New World for the first time.
Such long journeys in sea waters come with certain risks associated with the weather. In the 10th century AD, it was extremely difficult to control a ship even in clear weather, let alone the difficulties of navigation when the sky was covered with a dense veil of clouds and clouds.
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Scientists are well aware that in clear weather the Vikings used a solar compass (analogue of a sundial) to determine the direction, but how did they not lose their intended path during storms, fog and unclear weather?
Solar crystals
Recently, two Hungarian researchers conducted a huge number of computer simulations simulating one of the most frequent Viking routes - to the coast of Iceland, in order to confirm the long-standing theory that the Viking sailors used sun stones or crystals to stay on track in bad weather. It was this navigational method that could have allowed the Vikings to rule the sea and river waters for several centuries.
Despite the fact that this thorium smacks of various mystical motives of the New Age movement, in fact, this navigation technique justifies itself, and it is not surprising that the legend of the sun stones is found in the Viking legends, namely in the "Saga of King Olaf". The fact is that a physical phenomenon such as polarization allows certain minerals to find polarized rings of sunlight passing through the atmosphere.
Back in 1967, The Washington Post published the theory of a Danish archaeologist who suggested that the Vikings could possibly have followed the movement of the sun even through clouds using these very solar crystals.
Polarization
The polarization of sunlight is itself a very interesting phenomenon. As sunlight passes through the atmosphere, it forms polarized rings centered around the sun itself.
Certain crystals, including calcite, cordierite and tourmaline, can find these rings, or rather, a navigator might find them by looking at the cloudy sky. These crystals could help sailors get back on track and not lose it even after a storm and in thick fog.
Myth or Reality?
In 2013, a calcite crystal was found at a shipwreck in England in the 16th century. This suggested that the English sailors may have inherited this unique navigation technique from their Scandinavian predecessors.
But since no crystals were found at the Viking shipwrecks, it is not yet possible to confirm with certainty that the northern tribes used sun stones in navigation. Today it is more a myth than a historical fact.
Computer modelling
In a new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Denes Szaz and Gabor Horvath of the University of Budapest simulated thousands of travels in very variable weather conditions, taken by a typical Viking ship from Norway to Greenland, using crystals for navigation. After running the model 36 thousand times, they concluded that using cordierite or tourmaline, a typical sailor could find the sun every three hours, despite the weather conditions, which would ensure sailing success with a probability of 92-100%.
However, do not think that even during the storm the Vikings relied solely on crystals, most likely they used a variety of navigation methods, including identifying familiar islands on a map and observing the paths of migrating whales.
Hope Chikanchi