Viking extortion

Collage Vikings

Viking ships, shown in yesterday’s post, enabled great mobility for Viking warriors. Fierce and well-armed, they became so feared that eventually all they generally had to do was show up. Those they invaded had two choices: pay up or fight. Plunder became extravagant as the countries they invaded paid the Viking pipers. The Viking exhibit at the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria shows both sides of the extortion equation: the weaponry and the booty. Gold and silver, of course, were prized. And so was glass, which was very rare in the Viking era. A replica sword in a plastic case is accessible to grasp and hold for weight and balance. Though the swords I’ve photographed look crude, the originals held a justifiably fearsome place in history.

The Vikings

Viking ship

We went to Victoria B.C. last Sunday to visit “The Vikings,” a new exhibit at the Royal B.C. Museum. In particular, DH and I are both drawn to the beauty and utility of Viking boats. And this one, Krampmacken, greeted us at the front door. Its form based on boat remnants from an archaeological discovery, Krampmacken proved that Viking boats could handle both the waves of the Baltic Sea and shallow rivers in eastern Europe. With a crew of 10-11 and four rowing stations, this boat journeyed from Gotland, Sweden to Istanbul, Turkey in two stages between 1983 and 1985.

Viking sail

Krampmacken uses a braided square sail, something I’d not seen before.

Viking ship 2

A second, smaller boat was on exhibit inside the museum.

Sea Stallion

The boats in Victoria reminded me of the most spectacular Viking ship I’ve had the pleasure to see. This is Sea Stallion, a ship that we saw on display in Dublin in 2007. Its lines are based on a Viking ship, Skuldelev 2, that was excavated in Denmark in 1962. Scientists traced the oak in its timbers to Ireland in the year 1042. Sea Stallion was reconstructed from a survey of the excavation, then built as closely as possible to match materials that the Vikings had used, including paint on the hull. After a variety of shorter sailings, Sea Stallion was sailed 1,000 nautical miles from Roskilde, Denmark across the North Sea, around the Atlantic coast of Scotland, down the Irish Sea to Dublin. As you can see, this is a big ship, with room for 60 oarsmen. Click here for more information about the Sea Stallion.

Sea Stallion 2

The Vikings knew what they were doing. This and the others I’ve seen are truly beautiful vessels.

Horsin’ around

Shires 1

I rarely fail to see and admire a small herd of Shire draft horses that live and work at a farm on Kitchen-Dick Road. It was a car-stopping event on Saturday when we saw two of them harnessed and working.

Shires 3

John previously lived and farmed in Eastern Washington. He’s been in Sequim for 10 years. He teaches horse handling and has the skills of a traditional farmer: welder, blacksmith, and the woodworking skills to make wheels. And he’s a great conversationalist.

Shires 2

The sweet and beautiful horses patiently waited for us as we talked. “They’re happy as long as they’re not working,” said John.

Shires 4

And then it was time to get back to work. John is going to plant potatoes and 19 kinds of garlic are growing to the left. If you want to see more of his horses and operation, Google “High Bridge Shires Blog.” (Sorry. I can’t get the link to work.)

Memorial Day

Poppies

World War I was the “war to end all wars.” Millions died. “In Flanders Field,” written by John McCrae, memorialized the carnage. Poppies have since been used on Memorial Day as a tribute to war dead.

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
–John McCrae