Nordic Mythology - Viking Ship Sailing

Nordic Mythology has the potential to be one of the best classes I’ve ever taken. I would be surprised if it is not at least in my top five college courses by the end of the semester. Morten Warnind, our professor and instructor (I’m not sure of the Danish distinction between “instructor” and “professor”, so I chose to use both words) is by far the most engaging lecturer I’ve ever taken a class from. His 20-student classroom is quickly filled with his powerful voice as he mixes course material with sarcastic jokes and Lord of the Rings references. Seriously, if you’re interested in Danish humor, look no further than Morten.

Humor isn’t his only strength; he is a true scholar of Nordic Mythology. His command of the material is unparalleled, yet his familiarity with teaching and his pedagogical awareness makes his vast knowledge and understanding approachable and enjoyable for his students (and, I would imagine, his friends as well).

I’ve always been interested in Nordic Mythology and Viking society and have maybe taken it to an extreme. Probably 90% of my Pinterest feed is of Viking swords, clothing, sayings, and culture. Also, my YouTube recommendations are consistently of the same sort. But you definitely don’t need to be going through a Viking phase to be excited for this course or to keep up with it. We prepare readings for each class and then Morten will lecture about them in his characteristic way. If you end up taking this class you’ll actually be excited for the readings because they are all basically fun stories, the kind you even want to share with your friends.

Recap, this class has great material with a fantastic professor. But what more would you expect from a DIS class? Answer: FIELD STUDIES!!! DIS classes don’t meet on Wednesdays; instead, students either have the day off or get to go on a field study with one or two of their classes. So, while med students are figuring out IVs, students in Nordic Mythology are sailing Viking ships! (I should probably point out here that it’s very rare for field studies to conflict. So yes, you can do IVs and go Viking sailing if you’d like.) Sailing a Viking ship is an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend it. Because it was so amazing I would love to share my experience with all of you, so here it goes…

It was a pretty early wake-up but the bike traffic in Copenhagen had already begun. As is my new customary, I immersed myself with the morning commuters and became one with the trampling herd. I arrived at Copenhagen Central, locked up my bike, and entered the high-ceilinged train station. In the center of the station I found my classmates and we just talked and chilled, waiting for our professor to bring us to boarding. Morten unfortunately wasn’t coming but the other Nordic Mythology professor easily took the lead. I found a seat on the train next to three strangers and closed my eyes for a while. The half hour ride to Roskilde was a good place to rest.

We arrived at a beautiful town where shops and cafes enticed us down spacious roads. Homes hid a bit off the main roads but still brought the wanderer’s eye to their traditional Nordic style. We turned past an outdoor market and street venders, towards a grand church, past a large wheat field, through a small patch of woods, and finally to the harbor.

The harbor itself resembled that of a 900’s Nordic community. Some of the buildings were slightly modernized, but by and large everything was wooden, well kept, and authentic. We met a captain and boat builder on the docks who told us about the Viking ships that were found in the harbor and were now in the museum. All the ships that currently floated in the harbor were based off of the originals and constructed in the same way.

We were handed life jackets and then split up into two boats. The boat I was in could have comfortably held 20 people but only required two to sail and, although there were 16 rowing positions in total, four people would have been sufficient for a rowing team. We piled into the boat, manned the oars, and stroked our way out of the harbor. Another ship was heading out at the same time as ours. Its rowers looked beautiful as they struck the water in synchronism. We, however, had a bit of trouble achieving this aesthetic quality (I blame the rhythm-less girls in the back). Personally, I was surprised at how easy the ship was to row but apparently not everyone felt the same way.

When we reached open water we pulled our oars in and hoisted the sail by the boom up the mast. The sail soon filled with air as our supervisors, two Viking ship sailing pros, hurried to tie down the unruly ropes that slapped across the boat. Once everything was secure our ship started accelerating through the water. The wind wasn’t terribly strong, but we were able to achieve an impressive five knots.

It was perfect sailing weather. The sky was clear and sunny and the temperature was cold enough to enjoy a light jacket, which I was glad to have brought, but not as cold as to desire anything more. We sailed on a straight course for a while but never left sight of the land. The large fields by the water and stone church that protruded over the trees by the town made the experience even more surreal.

The instructor closest to me told us to duck down for a jibe. My rowing partner and I took this seriously and ended up lying down beneath the benches – the place where the sea-faring Norse men would have slept on long voyages. I stretched out and lay my head against the pinewood. I had always wondered how Vikings were able to sleep on these ships but realized that as long as the weather was nice, it was not that difficult at all. At 5’8”, a bit taller than the average Viking, I found there to be plenty of room for comfortable sleeping.

Next we sailed to shore. At first I thought the captain meant we would be sailing near shore, but no, he brought us directly into a small beach that quickly turned into a field grassy field. We traversed on only a few inches of water before slicing through the rocky shore, landing at the water’s edge. What came after that was probably my favorite part of the trip. Like real raiders, we jumped out of the boat and onto the beach. Launching off with an axe in hand, running through the field to storm the distant town, the imaginative aspect felt so real. I was ready to pillage.

We spent some time walking along the beach and looking across the field to the not so distant houses before jumping back aboard. Once we all piled into the ship we moved to the far back, our weight lifting the front of the boat off the rocks, as the instructors used two oars to push us free of the coast. We didn’t make it far until being trapped by another obstacle. Unbeknown to us, we sailed over a fish trap and got caught on it. After a long struggle our captain was finally able to cut us free but in doing so the ship jolted with the wind and a loose rope came smacking across my face, throwing my glasses far into the water.

That was a bit upsetting as I had only brought one pair with me and I don’t wear contacts. But being able to tell my friends I lost my glasses by being bitch-slapped by a Viking ship made it almost worth it.

We sailed our way back to sure and rowed ourselves into the harbor. This was one of the best experiences I could have hoped for while being abroad and the opportunity to go for free with other students made me just very grateful for my program and the abroad life in general. Whether enrolled in Nordic Mythology or not, I think Roskilde is a Denmark experience that one can’t justify not going to.

For any interested, here is their website:

http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/

Happy Sailing!