History Lesson

[CaptDavi]

hi there,

a quick history question here...........

was it true the Vikings sails were made of wool ??

i thought they would be hemp

any ideas folks ?

[redbopeep]

flax would be likely

[Lighthouse]

I think I read something (way back) that wool was used. Interesting question.

[MMNETSEA]

Fragments of Viking sails have been discovered and it appears as though Vikings made their sails with wool or linen, and they would often be dyed blood red for a more fearsome appearance.

( Linen from Flax - Wool from which animal?)

[Aquaria]

Originally Posted by MMNETSEA

Fragments of Viking sails have been discovered and it appears as though Vikings made their sails with wool or linen, and they would often be dyed blood red for a more fearsome appearance.

( Linen from Flax - Wool from which animal?)

Yes, they were made out of wool and from linen. Â*If they were out of wool, they were made from an especially waterresistant type of wool from a special sheep race with long fur the Vikings held at that time. Â*But this woolen cloth needed Â*further treatment and processing for better resistance, and on top of that these woolen sails were supported by a net structure on the lee side to withstand the wind pressure even better. (The German Wikipedia has a huge chapter with very specific info on the Â* sailsÂ* , the english version unfortunately does not haveÂ*Â*Â*, but it is way beyond my capacity of proper translationÂ*Â*Â*Â*Â* Â* .

Â*Uwe

SY Aquaria