The Sea Stallion visits Aarhus
From July 19 to August 3
As the summer breeze fills the sails and the oars strike rhythmically against the waves, The Sea Stallion from Glendalough sets out on its annual summer voyage. For two weeks, the majestic Viking ship sails along the Danish coast—heading toward Aarhus and perhaps even Moesgaard, where the Viking Days beckon with fire, storytelling, and runes in the sand.
The Reconstruction
The longship Sea Stallion from Glendalough is the largest vessel ever built by the Viking Ship Museum. Measuring 30 meters in length, it stands in a class of its own among Viking ships. The famous Norwegian finds—the Oseberg and Gokstad ships—are only 22 and 24 meters long, respectively. According to Snorre’s royal sagas, however, King Olav Trygvasson’s legendary warship “Ormen hin lange” was even larger—an impressive 43 meters!
Built as in Viking times, the ship is made from fresh timber. The long planks for the hull were split from straight oak trunks, while the curved frames were carved from naturally bent branches from the crowns of oak trees. In total, 150 cubic meters of wood and 400 kg of pure iron were used. Additionally, hemp was used to produce 3,000 meters of rope, and flax for the 112-square-meter sail.
Based on the latest wood and dendrochronological analyses, the original ship was built in Dublin around the year 1042, following Scandinavian shipbuilding traditions. Its story is tied to the Scandinavian expansion westward, to the Viking presence in Ireland, and likely to the dramatic events surrounding the end of the Viking Age after William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066.
