Drakkar

Drakkar is a modern term for the largest Norse longships, the dragon-headed warships used for raiding from roughly the eighth to eleventh centuries. The name derives from Old Norse dreki, dragon, after the carved prow figureheads; sagas count the largest by rowing benches, such as Olaf Tryggvason’s Long Serpent of about 34 pairs of oars (c.1000). Clinker-built of overlapping oak strakes with a single square sail and a side-mounted steering oar, these vessels had shallow draft for beach landings and river penetration. Excavated examples include the Gokstad and Oseberg ships.