I dusted off this old article during my website migration and decided to update it to include the Orkan project in Toulouse, France. They’re aiming for 20 knots!
https://cjadrien.com/how-fast-were-viking-lonships/
Have any of you ever sailed on a longship? How fast did you get going if you did? What did it feel like?!
Cheers,
- C.J.
I’ve been researching Hasting (also spelled Hæstein, Angsten, among others) for over 10 years, as he is the central character in my historical fiction series. I’ve found that the Hasting of popular history, including my fiction, often contradicts the contemporary record. In fact, the leading voices on his life, including the French historian Michel Dillange, appear to be outright confabulations.
I put together this deep dive into everything we know about warlord Hasting. It compares the primary evidence against the later conjectures that often inflate his legacy. I thought this community would appreciate a look at the source material: https://cjadrien.com/a-true-and-perfect-viking/
This might make for a good discussion topic, too. I've long held that, given the cross-referencing of sources, we can say that Hasting was 'historical', but I also acknowledge that he's really riding that line between historical and semi-legendary (especially when you consider what Dudo of St. Quentin says about him). Curious to hear your thoughts on whether you think Hasting belongs in the historical category, or if he’s still too obscure to be anything but semi-legendary.
The Vikingology Podcast recently sat down with Jasmin Higgins, PhD, a runologist who studied under Judith Jesch.
Thought this community might enjoy the episode: https://vikingology.substack.com/p/the-secret-code-of-the-vikings